At a moving ceremony held on Tuesday, Yom HaZikaron, in the central Israeli city of Yehud, UTJ MK Uri Maklev honored the memory of his uncle, Sgt. Uri Maklev, H’yd, a hero of the city’s liberation and the first soldier to fall in the battles for Yehud during the War of Independence in 1948.
The story of Uri, the son of Rivka and Dovid Maklev, from a family that lost children in the 1929 riots, is one of double mesiras nefesh. Even in his youth in Petach Tikva, Uri stood out for his talents and yiras Shamayim, with his teachers predicting a bright future for him due to his deep Torah writings.
When he went out to battle in the winter of 1948, Uri remained devoted to shemiras mitzvos. His fellow soldiers recalled how he would walk long distances on foot to avoid Chillul Shabbos during his service and how he was mapkid on kashrus even under difficult field conditions.
After taking part in the conquest of Yaffo, Uri led his fellow soldiers in the capture of the village of Yehudiya— present-day Yehud—whose residents posed a threat to Petach Tikva. While providing cover for his comrades with a Bren machine gun to ensure their advance, he was hit and killed instantly, the first to fall on the soil of Yehud.
MK Uri Maklev, who was named after his uncle, has said throughout his years of public service that his uncle’s character serves as a moral compass for commitment and dedication to the public.
After the ceremony, which was attended by Yehud Mayor Amnon Sa’ad and other public figures, Maklev thanked the mayor for commemorating his uncle. “Chazal taught us the importance of hakaras hatov. The city of Yehud expresses its appreciation to my uncle, z’l, and this is a living message for future generations. Whoever remembers the past has a future.”
On a personal note, he added: “I try to imagine Uri, z’l, arriving here today and seeing the city’s growth, the construction in the very place his blood was shed. I have no doubt he would be happy to see that his sacrifice bore fruit.”
Mayor Amnon Sa’ad concluded: “The connection of the Maklev family to Yehud is a deep bond of blood. The city is proud to commemorate the memory of Uri, who has become one of our symbols of heroism.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
