Travelling Among Enemies - Death and Dishonor

Jews mark passing of hero

Crown Broadcasting Service

May 30, 2005

The Colonial Governor of Israel, Abraham Lehrer, stood in the rain at the Jerusalem Aeroport with many others, weeping unabashed.

Shortly thereafter, speaking to reporters, the Governor declared a month of mourning.

The first identified casualty of the incident at the Meta-Human Conference on Law Enforcement and Crisis Management, Shomer Adamah, or "guardian of the land" in Hebrew, was returned to his homeland this morning.

Many here can recall various acts of heroism made by Shomer Adamah, from the smallest to the greatest.

The greatest by far, recalled in vivid detail by mourners gathered at the airport, was his defense of the Crown forces in the bitter days of the Hundred Days War in 1978, when the Islamic Union attempted to take control of the Holy City of Jerusalem.

"I could see the missiles coming straight for us," one veteran reminisced. "But he sent them all out of harm's way with a wind, and they fell into the sea. He even went and retrieved them, so they would not pollute the water."

"Even in the worst days, he never rested," another woman noted. "He was up before the dawn and still fighting at sunset. And he demanded that we treat prisoners with humanity and respect."

"From the smallest to the greatest, all things and people were equal in his eyes," an elderly woman nodded.

Seemingly at one with all elements, the hero also took time out to see to smaller details.

"He came into the kibbutz one day, to ask how the crops were faring," a young man told reporters. "When we told him that some were dying for lack of water, he brought a gentle rainstorm for us. Without him, we would have starved."

Shomer Adamah was deeply concerned with the environment.

"When I was very little, he would come to our school, and read to us," One young woman revealed. "And teach us that the land, and the animals, were something to be cherished and held in trust for everyone."

"He stopped me one day, when I would have thrown the dishwater into the river," one woman recalled. "He told me the soap would harm the fish, and the water plants. And he sent men to our town, to show us how we could recycle the water, as well as the soap and chemicals in the water."

As part of the period of mourning, the Governor has asked people to send stories of their hero to Government House, to be compiled and sold for charity.

"While one soul has been taken from us, we must assure that the soul of our land remains," he told the crowd. "As long as we keep his memory, and the virtues he stood for, alive, then he still watches over us."

In accordance with his stated wishes, Shomer Adamah will be buried in his home town, Beit HaArava, even though the town was lost to Jordan in 1949. However, the Caliph of Baghdad, Akkar, in a gesture of "mutual mourning and loss" has granted permission to not only allow burial of Shomer Adamah, but to allow visitors to the grave to pay their respects.

A memorial service, to be broadcast and televised, will be held on the site of the Temple, on the last day of the period of mourning.