Altalena memorial to be redesigned and reopened
The new model, which will be unveiled on October 27th in a government ceremony, is set to commemorate the 16 Irgun fighters who were killed in an exchange of fire with members of the newly-formed IDF.
The monument is currently being built in the Nahalat Yitzhak cemetery in Tel Aviv, where the 16 Irgun members are buried. The unveiling ceremony will take place on October 27th in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Heritage Ze'ev Elkin, various MKs and former members of the Irgun, several of which are survivors of the Altalena.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, having a degree in architecture himself, personally examined and approved the model of the monument, which will depict a concrete ship coated in metal that is partially submerged in the sea. On the side of the monument will be a quote by Menachem Begin, who was onboard at the time of the shooting, saying, "There will never be a civil war."
Avraham Menala, director of the Tel Aviv Burial Society, said "The Tel Aviv Burial Society has made it a goal to rebuild the old Tel Aviv cemeteries and turn them into a place to visit. The redesigning of the Altalena memorial is the first step in realizing that goal."
