After 78 years: Grave of IDF soldier among Cyprus deportees located

The IDF Spokesperson announced this morning (Wednesday) that almost 78 years after he fell during an escape attempt from the Karaolos detention camp in Cyprus, the burial site of Shlomo Haimson, one of the Cyprus deportees, has been located. Following an extensive investigation by the IDF's Missing Persons Unit, in cooperation with the Military Rabbinate, the Ministry of Defense, and the Cyprus Deportees Association, it was determined that Haimson was buried in grave number 11, row 2, in the Ma'apilim plot at the cemetery in Haifa.

Haimson was born in Romania in 1930. After World War II, in which he lost his father, he decided to immigrate to Israel with his mother Ita and his girlfriend Perla on the illegal immigrant ship "Pan York – Kibbutz Galuyot". The ship was intercepted by the British and its passengers were deported to Cyprus. In the camp, Haimson joined the "Shurot HaMagen" (Defenders' Ranks) of the Haganah, where he trained for service as a soldier in the Land of Israel.

In September 1948, he learned that his daughter, Miriam, had been born. Haimson decided to escape from the camp and immigrate to Israel. On the night of the 26th of Elul 5708, September 29-30, 1948, he and eight of his friends cut the camp fences and tried to escape. The guards noticed them and opened fire. Haimson was hit and killed, while his friends were caught and returned to the camp.

The next day, he was buried in the Jewish cemetery in the town of Margo in Cyprus. No name was recorded on his grave because the camp staff did not know his identity. In 1970, as part of "Operation Margo", 163 people buried in the Cyprus cemetery were brought to Israel, including about 120 whose identities were unknown. They were buried in a special plot at the Hof HaCarmel cemetery in Haifa, and many of them were buried as unknowns.

Efforts to identify the buried continued over the years. In 2010, Amir Rogel, one of the founders of the Cyprus Deportees Association, initiated a project to locate the identities of the deceased and record their names on the tombstones. As part of the project, it was discovered that Haimson is recognized as a fallen soldier of Israel, and cooperation began with the Department of Commemoration and the IDF's Missing Persons Unit.

In 2023, a special investigation team was established in the IDF, which carried out extensive investigative actions, including locating and analyzing documents from archives around the world, collecting testimonies, reconstructing and decoding historical photos, and archaeological surveys. The findings led to the conclusion that Haimson was buried in Margo and that his remains were brought to Israel in 1970 and buried in grave 11, row 2, in the Ma'apilim plot in Haifa.

Haimson's family members, including his daughter Miriam, his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, received the news of the investigation's conclusion last night. The news was delivered at the family home in the presence of the IDF attaché in Brazil, Colonel Uri Ron, and senior officials from the Casualty Department and the Ministry of Defense.

In the coming period, the family members will arrive in Israel, and in an official military ceremony, a tombstone will be placed on the grave with the name of Shlomo Haimson. Thus, almost eight decades after his fall, the circle will be closed and the name of the one who was buried for years as an unknown will be restored.

The Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of the Casualty Division, Brigadier General Edna Ilia, said: "The moment Shlomo's name is engraved on the tombstone, we will restore his identity, his dignity, and his rightful place in the heart of the nation." According to her, the case illustrates the IDF's commitment to work to locate its fallen soldiers and restore their identities to their families even after decades.