Israeli Paratroopers From Famous 1967 Western Wall Photo Speak to Ohio Students on 50th Anniversary of Six-Day War
by Rachel Frommer
The three former Israeli paratroopers captured in the iconic Western Wall photograph taken during the Six-Day War spoke this week to students at Ohio’s Fuchs Mizrachi School about their experiences in the June 1967 fighting, the Cleveland Jewish News (CJN) reported on Thursday.
Haim Oshri, Dr. Yitzhak Yifat and Zion Karasenti, snapped by the late Israeli photojournalist David Rubinger, described the battle to liberate Jerusalem’s Old City to students at the K-12 modern Orthodox school.
“We got to the Kotel (Western Wall), and we had this supreme feeling — it’s impossible to describe the emotions, the excitement,” Karasenti said in Hebrew, according to CJN footage.
Yifat explained that their unit was not originally tasked with fighting for Israel’s capital, but were instead “very ready to go to El Arish” in the northern Sinai region. Suddenly, Yifat recalled, their commander told them, “No guys, we change the mission. We cancel the parachute into Arish, and we are heading to Jerusalem.”
“And the rest is history,” he said.
After their appearance at Fuchs Mizrachi, the former soldiers headed to a local event marking the 50th anniversary of the war, which attracted some 500 attendees.