Last Survivor of the Historic Ink Flag Hoisting at Um Rashrash Passes Away at 95
Yohanan Elishuv, the last surviving participant of the historic ink flag hoisting at Um Rashrash in 1949, passed away at 95. A legendary Palmach veteran of the 1948 generation, he fought in fierce battles and later worked in road development.
Yohanan Elishuv, the last surviving fighter who was present at the historic hoisting of the ink flag at Um Rashrash, passed away on Monday at the age of 95. Elishuv was a Palmach veteran, part of the 1948 generation, serving as a runner and driver, fighting in fierce battles on the road to Jerusalem and in the Negev, and participating in the historic moment that concluded the War of Independence in March 1949.
Elishuv was born in Petah Tikva to Chaya and Moshe, a family with unique roots—his father came from Russia from a family of Subotniks (converts whose original family name was Sapinkov), and his mother immigrated from Serbia. He was born in the family home in Petah Tikva. As a child, he struggled with severe dyslexia, and although he never read a book, he was endowed with tremendous life wisdom and immense personal charm. Due to his learning difficulties, he left school at the age of 12 and went to work in a garage, where he acquired his technical skills.
Palmach Years
When he was only 15, he falsified his age to 16 to enlist in the Palmach. As part of the framework, he combined work and training in Givat Ada, and his platoon commander was Rafael Eitan (Raful), later the IDF Chief of Staff. His connection with the commander of Company B in the 4th Battalion ("HaPorsim"), Haim Poznansky ("Poza"), came about by chance when he managed to quickly repair a technical malfunction in Poza's pickup truck. Poza was astounded and immediately recruited him to be by his side as his close "runner" in the fierce battles on the road to Jerusalem.
"Poza," a revered Palmach commander, was killed in April 1948 in the Battle of Nabi Samwil, just a month after his brother Yitzhak was killed in the Battle of Beit Keshet. Elishuv himself narrowly escaped death in the bloody battle of Nabi Samwil thanks to a heavy fog that allowed him to evacuate the area. Since then, he held a special fondness for foggy days. Every year, Elishuv visited Poza's grave in Kiryat Anavim, making sure to bring his children along to pay respect to his beloved commander and comrades-in-arms.
Following the failure of the operation at Nabi Samwil, Elishuv worked to organize the retreat, evacuate the wounded, and load weapons. In the battle of Katamon, he was among the fighters who rescued two future Chiefs of Staff—Raful and David Elazar (Dado)—who lay wounded with ready-to-use grenades prepared for suicide to avoid capture. In subsequent battles, Elishuv participated in the capture of Beit Surik, securing the road to Jerusalem in the Sha'ar ha-Gai area, the capture of Beit Iksa, Beit Mahsir, and the attempted breakthrough to the Old City via the Zion Gate.
Hoisting the Ink Flag
During the first truce in June 1948, he moved to the southern front under the command of Uzi Narkis. During his service in the south, he was wounded when he stepped on a landmine and was hospitalized. After being discharged from the hospital, he returned to combat and took part in the battles of the isolated Negev, Operation Yoav, the capture of Beersheba, Operation Lot, Operation Horev, and finally Operation Uvda.
In this operation, he was appointed driver to the commander of the Southern Front, Yigal Allon. The appointment came after his commanders suggested him for the role, and Elishuv, in his direct and somewhat cheeky manner, told Uzi Narkis: "You, with your two iron ranks, are shit. So he, with three irons—is three times as shit!". Allon heard this, laughed, and said: "I want this guy who isn't afraid of anything with me."
Later, he drove the command and forward patrol jeep of the Negev Brigade commander, Nahum Sarig. Elishuv led Sarig in a close and complex race along the paths of the Negev, in a covert competition against Golani Brigade forces, and was among the first 13 fighters to reach the police station at Um Rashrash on March 10, 1949. The hoisting of the improvised ink flag became one of the symbols of the newly born state. The brigade commanders—Nahum Sarig and Nahum Golan—transmitted the historic telegram to the Israeli government via radio: "For the Defense Day on the 11th of Adar, the Negev-Palmach brigades and the Golani Brigade present the Gulf of Eilat to the State of Israel."
After his discharge in 1949, he served in the reserves in the Artillery Corps and participated in the Sinai War, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and the First Lebanon War.
In civilian life, he worked for 30 years as a heavy vehicle driver at the Solel Boneh company, participating in the paving of roads to Eilat and the development of the southern region, the Dead Sea, Sodom, and the craters. Later, he served as a buyer in the company's manufacturing division, and in his retirement years, he and his wife volunteered with the Diabetes Association.
Over the years, he battled three cases of cancer and was blessed with longevity and a sprawling family; his children are Ofer (a physician at Hadassah), Yoav (who works at Ichilov), and Meirav (a lawyer). In his later years, he was invited to lecture at pre-military academies and high schools on the heritage of 1948.
Elishuv passed away in his bed in his apartment, on the plot of land where he was born 95 years ago. Yohanan Elishuv will be laid to rest today at the Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva, the city where he was born, lived, and died.
