In 1936 The Hashomerim Association, also known as The Eretz Israel Guardians Association, established a cemetery for its members. Established in July 1933, The HaShomerim Association was a guard and labor organization that identified with the labor movement and fought for organized Jewish protection.
The association was intended to serve as the local legal arm of the defense organization. Members of the association were members of the workers’ union and when they established the organization, they also wanted to organize their activities as a trade union. At first, the members of the association operated in the north, but later expanded their activities to the center and southern areas. After the establishment of the State of Israel, the association became a professional-national guarding organization and in 1958 the organization had about 400 members.
The cemetery, which was only open for members of the association, was designed by Moshe Yaffe, Alexandar Zaid’s friend, and is the only one of its kind. The names of the members of the organization who were not buried at the site are engraved at the entrance:
Boaz Persov was the first to be buried in the cemetery, but each person has a unique story and history of how they became involved in the association.
Images Attribution: צילום:ד”ר אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons
