Siman-Tov Ganeh ( he, סימן-טוב גנה; 1924–1968) was an Israeli soldier who was rewarded with the

Hero of Israel A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

Biography

Siman-Tov Ganeh was born in the

Old City Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town. Old City may refer to several places: Historical cities or regions of cities ''(by country)'' *Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan * Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to a Georgian-Jewish family, son of a member of the Jewish Battalions and a volunteer in the British army's Expeditionary Force during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. When the 1936–1939 Arab revolt broke out, his family was forced to leave the Old City and move to

Zikhron Moshe Zikhron Moshe ( he, זיכרון משה, lit. ''Memorial for Moses'') is a Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem. The neighborhood is bordered by Geula to the north, Mekor Baruch to the west, David Yellin Street to the south, and Mea Shearim to ...

. As a boy he worked in a cigarette factory, and in 1941 his father fell captive in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. He also served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, and served on supply ships. In April 1946, he was discharged and worked as a taxi driver shortly before joining the Lehi underground movement. Ganeh joined the 8th Brigade at the beginning of the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

and served in the 89th Battalion. In November 1948, he participated in the Battle of Iraq Suwaydan, in which he continued to treat the wounded and respond to the shooting while mortally wounded and under heavy fire. For his part in the operation, he was awarded the

medal. After the battle, Siman-Tov's two legs were cut off and replaced with prosthetic legs. Following the war he studied carpentry and worked for a while as a taxi driver. He got married in 1950 and was a father of three. His middle son was named Ma'agan, after being born on the day Ganeh was saved from the Ma'agan disaster which he had witnessed. During the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

he volunteered to gather soldiers from transportation stations. In 1967, he began to work as a contractor in military camps. In March 1968, he was hit by an old shell that was ignited from the heat and was killed. After his death, mourning orders were held in IDF units.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganeh, Siman Tov 1924 births 1968 deaths Accidental deaths in Israel Jews from Mandatory Palestine Israeli taxi drivers Lehi (militant group) Israeli Mizrahi Jews Israeli people of Georgian-Jewish descent Recipients of the Medal of Valor (Israel)