The Association's administration

                                                                                                                                                         

The Association for the Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers
in the Golan - Alexandroni Brigade

Established by the 3^rd Brigade

Ministry of Defense Supplier No. 83996832                                          Association No 58-010-57-6-5

M.P. 01415             Navar Amnon POB 1231, Pardes Hana 37100

The Association for the Commemoration of
the Fallen Soldiers in the Golan Alexandroni Brigade

The early 1970's marked the founding of the Association for the Commemoration of the Fallen Soldiers in the Golan Brigade. The Association, a non-profit voluntarily

Organization was established by the Brigade's commanders in reserves and its veteran soldiers. The founders wished to perpetuate the memory of their comrades in arms who fell during battle with the Syrian enemy while fighting for the Golan Heights, battling to break through the Syrian's fist line of defense in the Golan Heights, from the estuary of the Jordan River to the Kinneret and more northern regions. Since then, the Brigade has taken part in other combat missions and suffered additional losses which deserve similar commemoration.

Throughout the years, the active members of the Association have changed, but the Association continues to function determinedly to perpetuate the memory of our fallen soldiers and to maintain contact with the families of the fallen.

In the beginning of the 1970's, a memorial site was built near the ruins of the Syrian military post, "The Mortapha," known today as "Mitzpeh Gadot." The site overlooks the Gesher Bnot Yaakov / Nafach Junction, between the lower Beit Meches and the upper Beit Meches (Area 20100, plot 4).

The site includes a concrete monument, shaped like a military post, and offers a magnificent view of the entire Upper Galilee, from the inclines of Mt. Hermon to Mt. Dov, from the Beit Shean Valley to the slopes of the Eastern Galilee Mountains. Across the road, opposite the monument, one can find a small snack bar and souvenir shop. With the assistance of the IDF and the Jewish National Fund, we paved a way through mine fields and laid water pipes that reach the site. With the assistance of the Golan Heights regional municipality, the Jewish Agency and the Jewish National Fund, we built an access road and parking lots, circumferential walking paths and resting spots, group observation points and study corners. We also planted olive trees and are now working on additional aspects of a comprehensive development plan to turn the site into a place of commemoration and reflection, study, observation, and recreation, a gateway to those traveling to the Golan Heights.

Every year, the Association conducts a memorial ceremony for the Brigade with the participation of the bereaved families, IDF officers, Brigade reserves soldiers, veterans and guests. On the morning of the ceremony, the bereaved families are taken on tours of battle sites, IDF army bases and various Zionist historical sites, and in the afternoon, the Association hosts the families for lunch at the Brigade's military base.

The memorial site is close to the main road leading up to the Golan Heights and attracts many visitors. Every day, tourists and hikers stop by the memorial; the site is one of only two remaining ex-Syrian military posts in the Golan, is easily accessible (Tel Fahar is quite difficult to reach), offers amenities for passersby (a snack bar, souvenir shop and public restrooms), and presents a magnificent observation point that clearly demonstrates the Syrian threat on our settlements at the foothills of the Golan.

In addition, the Association has built a memorial room / legacy site at the Brigade's military base at Ein Zeitim. A computerized touch-screen system has been installed to tell the stories of Brigade soldiers, stories about their lives and deaths. Plans have been made to continue to develop and enhance the facilities of the memorial room and its surroundings for the benefit of the families and soldiers of the Brigade.

Respectfully yours,

Amnon Navar

Chairman of the Association