A product of HaShomer HaTzair in Ottawa, Benjamin Boguslavsky and his family made aliya in January 1948. He had previously served in the U.S. Navy and in the soon-to-be-declared state joined the Palmach. While vainly trying to reach the beseiged Etzion Bloc, his entire squad was wiped out after being discovered by an Arab shepherd. That unit posthumously became known as the "Lamed Hey", for the 35 who died. Knowing the dangers of his mission, he left a note for his wife and small child: "do not cry for me if I do not return, but continue the struggle for the survival of the Jewish state". He was a genuine Zionist and idealist,
