This year’s annual ‘Itur Yerushalayim’ award is being presented to Rav Menashe Eichler, the father of MK Yisrael Eichler. The award according to the city is for individuals who have influenced and contributed to the lives of all residents of the city.

Mayor Nir Barkat is expecting to receive the final approval from the city council on Thursday, 16 Adar-I. the award is given in a ceremony held in proximity to Jerusalem Day, presented by the mayor to the recipient.

Barkat has appointed an independent committee to select the recipient. This committee is chaired by retired High Court Justice Yaakov Turkel and members include Mrs. Edna Bar-Shalom, Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau, Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknoff, and Mrs. Ora Achimeir.

This year the committee considered 68 candidates whose names were submitted a eligible for the award. The committee narrowed the candidates down to 12, weighing many areas including culture, religion, Israel’s heritage, teaching tolerance, public activities and academia.

Rav Menashe Eichler was born in 1929 and is fourth generation Yerushalmi. As a child he attended Talmid Torah Shomrei Chomos and Toras Emmes. During the British Mandate he went underground and worked with the Lechi. He used his influence to bring other avreichim with him and they had an entire unit of frum fighters in Yerushalayim. During the War of Independence, he worked to assist those in need in the city, which was under siege, and with his brother they established “Matmidim”, an organization to assist youths. Rav Eichler fought in the 1967 Six Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He volunteered in the IDF Rabbinate as well, and was responsible for identifying bodies and seeing to their burial.

Eichler also established one of the chevra kadisha organization operating in the city and was its CEO for many years. He has always been active, working to protect holy sites in Israel, with an emphasis on the capital.

He is also a recipient of the על”ה (עיטור לוחמי המדינה) citation given citation given to persons who were members in military organizations prior to the establishment of the state.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)