After an extensive investigation by the Israel Defense Forces' Missing Persons Unit, in cooperation with the Defense Ministry and the Cyprus Deportees Association, military authorities have determined that fallen soldier Shlomo Haimson is buried in grave number 11, row 2, in the deportees' section of the Haifa cemetery.
Haimson was shot and killed by guards at the Karaolos detention camp in Cyprus during an escape attempt on the night of September 29-30, 1948 (26 Elul 5708). He was initially buried in the Jewish cemetery in the Cypriot town of Margo. In 1970, those interred in Margo were brought to Israel, with most buried in Haifa as unknown individuals. Following a determined investigation by the IDF's Missing Persons Unit and Military Rabbinate, working alongside the Defense Ministry and the Cyprus Deportees Association, Haimson's burial location has been identified nearly 78 years after his death.
Born in Romania in 1930, Haimson lost his father during World War II. He decided to immigrate to pre-state Israel with his mother, Ita, and girlfriend, Perla, aboard the immigrant ship "Pan York" — also known as "Kibbutz Galuyot." British Mandate forces intercepted the vessel and deported its passengers to Cyprus. In the detention camp, Haimson joined "The Defenders' Ranks," operating under the Haganah underground organization, where he trained to become a fighter upon reaching Israel.
When the State of Israel was established, his mother and girlfriend were released and immigrated as part of a group designated to establish Kibbutz Magen in the western Negev. In September 1948, Haimson learned that his daughter, Miriam, had been born, prompting his decision to escape the camp and reach Israel.
On the night of September 29-30, 1948, Haimson joined eight companions in breaking through the camp fence. They were discovered by guards who opened fire. Haimson was killed, while his companions were captured and returned to the camp. The following day, he was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Margo, which served both the town's Jewish residents and deceased deportees. The gravestone placed over his burial site bore no inscription, as camp personnel were unfamiliar with Haimson's identity.
In 1970, following requests from deportees to bring those buried in Cyprus to Israel, the Israeli government assigned the task to the Defense Ministry and IDF through the Military Rabbinate. That November, "Operation Margo" brought 163 deceased individuals to Israel, approximately 120 of whom were unidentified. They were buried in a special section at the Kfar Samir cemetery in Haifa, most as unknown persons.
In 2010, Amir Rogel, a founder of the Cyprus Deportees Association, initiated a project to identify the deceased and inscribe their names on headstones. During this effort, it was discovered that Haimson was recognized as a fallen soldier of Israel's wars, leading to contact with the Defense Ministry's Department for Commemorating Fallen Soldiers to locate his grave in cooperation with the IDF's Missing Persons Unit.
In 2023, the Missing Persons Unit established a special investigation team that conducted intensive efforts to locate Haimson's burial site. The investigation included locating and analyzing documents from archives worldwide, collecting testimonies, reconstructing and deciphering period photographs, and conducting archaeological surveys. All findings led to the conclusion, in cooperation with the Military Rabbinate, that Haimson was buried in Margo and that in 1970 his remains were brought to Israel and buried in grave number 11, row 2, in the Cyprus deportees' section of the Haifa cemetery. The head of the IDF Manpower Directorate accepted the special investigation team's conclusion and approved placing a headstone on Haimson's grave.
Haimson's family members, including his daughter Miriam, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who currently reside in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were informed last night of the investigation's conclusion and the identification of his burial location. The news was delivered in the presence of the IDF attaché to Brazil, Lieutenant Colonel Uri Ron, and led by the Chief Human Resources Officer and head of the Casualties Division, Lieutenant Colonel Edna Iliya, along with the deputy head of the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Department and head of the Fallen Soldiers Commemoration Unit, Herzl Shmuel, and the case investigators.
In the coming period, the circle will close after nearly 78 years. Haimson's descendants will travel to Israel for a state-military ceremony to add an inscribed headstone bearing his name in the deportees' section of the Haifa cemetery.
The Missing Persons Unit continues its efforts to locate IDF fallen soldiers whose burial places are unknown, operating with a deep sense of commitment to all bereaved families. Even today, the IDF continues to act with moral and ethical commitment to return the missing and the fallen.
Lieutenant Colonel Edna Iliya, Chief Human Resources Officer and head of the Casualties Division, stated: "Seventy-eight years have passed since Shlomo Haimson fell at the deportation camp, and our moral obligation to his memory and his family has not ceased for even a moment. Last night, when the IDF attaché stood in uniform at the family home in Rio de Janeiro and delivered the news to his daughter and descendants, the past embraced the present. This moving encounter, across the ocean, is living testimony that the IDF never abandons its fighters, even after decades.
"Soon we will embrace the family here, in the Land of Israel, and stand beside them at the state ceremony. At the moment when Shlomo's name is engraved on the headstone, we will restore his identity, his honor, and his rightful place in the heart of the nation. I am proud and moved to be part of an army that operates from a deep commitment to remember, commemorate, and close every circle."
Haimson's family stated: "We are deeply moved, satisfied, and eternally grateful for the unwavering dedication, meticulous efforts, and sensitivity demonstrated by every professional and investigator involved in this noble mission. Witnessing the moral commitment of the Israel Defense Forces and the State of Israel to honor the memory and dignity of our beloved father and grandfather fills us with immense pride and touches the depths of our souls. It brings our family immense comfort to finally know where he's buried, to have his name on a grave we can visit. His love for Israel, his joy at my sister's birth—now we have a place to remember all of that."
