Ed Lugech, age 18, had just graduated high school in Toronto in April 1948. Together with his cousin, Harvey Cohen then 17, they had made their way to Marseille where they boarded the cargo ship Transylvania, together with other Mahal volunteers from abroad and Jewish refugees bound for Palestine.
Arriving in Haifa on May 1, the two youths immediately joined the Palmach and were assigned to the Yiftach Brigade's First Batallion. On May 15, the Brigade assaulted the village and army base of Malkiya that controlled the main north-south artery along the Lebanese border, in an attempt to block the advance of the Arab Liberation Army and the Lebanese Army. The First Battalion overran the village but the Lebanese Army artillery immediately began shelling the Jewish companies, causing numerous casualties. The two Arab forces launched a vicious counterattack and by afternoon the battalion retreated.
The Maoz Haim platoon remained on the battlefield to block the enemy and cover the rest of the battalion's retreat. It took tremendous losses, including its commander, and by nightfall it too retreated back to Kibbutz Ramot Naftali. At least 22 dead were left behind and five were unaccounted for. Lugech and Cohen fought bravely until the end, manning a British Bren machine gun.
The bodies of two Canadian volunteer cousins were missing for 61 years, until in 2009 the Ministry of Defense exhumed and identified their bodies along with four others. They were buried in a mass grave on Kibbutz Maoz Chaim.
*** The information on this page is part of the 'Yizkor' commemoration project by the Ministry of Defense / the 'La'ad' website by the National Insurance Institute, in memory of the fallen. We strive for accuracy and apologize for any errors. For corrections or comments, please contact us here: https://aaciremembers.org/contact-us/ ***
