Yaakov Schenkman, a historian specializing in the history of the city of Tzfat (Safed), recently visited the city and discovered that the historical Irgun underground group (Etzel/IZL) outpost on the city outskirts had been vandalized. The Israeli flag was torn down, the gate was ripped off, and the site was full of trash.
"Yesterday I went to Safed to mark 90 years since the murder of the Unger family members, a father and his three children, in the riots of 1936. We gathered next to the Unger family for a short memorial ceremony and to tell the family's history. I went to the nearby outpost 7, an Irgun outpost next to the alley through which the cell that murdered the Unger family snuck through. The post sits over the military cemetery, where the Irgun fighters fought," Schenkman says in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News.
According to Schenkman, for years, he had been visiting the post with youth, recounting the battles that transpired in the area, and telling them about the Irgun fighters who defended Safed.
"Every year, I go to the site with the youth and explain it to them. In the past, I would come with Meir Hameiri, who passed away. He was one of the Irgun youth in 1948. He would stand at the post and explain to the kids what was there, about the attacks by the villages during the Arab Revolt. The post was improved in 48', and the Irgun stood there to defend the city. Meir Hameiri would explain to the children about the place, and after his passing, his daughters and family would explain the post."
However, when Schenkman visited the outpost on Sunday, he was shocked to see the scope of the damage. Where there was once a sign memorializing the Irgun, an Israeli flag, polls, and an iron chain that surrounded the site. Now, the site stands damaged and neglected.
According to Schenkman, the Israeli flag was uprooted, the gate to the post was ripped out of place with its hinges, and the site was wholly vandalized. Additionally, a large quantity of trash was left inside the post.
Schenkman notes that this was not the first time heritage sites in the area were damaged. He says that in the past, commemorative plaques were defaced, including one in memory of Rabbi Heller, who permitted Safed residents to engage in fortification work on Shabbat. To his assessment, the culprits are not city residents but rather visitors.
"There are people who fought for Safed and saved the city," he emphasizes.
After seeing the vandalism, he intends to contact the Safed Municipality and ask that it reinforce the security and supervision at the site.
"This is exactly like offending the memory of fallen soldiers today. It's blood-boiling. Those who did this must be punished with a heavy hand, to teach a lesson."
