Emmanuel Landau

Emmanuel's younger sister, Ilana (Landau-Karniel), was the last remnant of the family. In his name he received the "Hero of Israel" medal in a ceremony held on July 17, 1949.

At the beginning of March 1948 news reached about an Arab convoy loaded with weapons leaving from Beirut for Haifa, in order to transfer it to Arab militias in the city, which would give the Arabs of Haifa a great advantage in the battles against the forces of the Yishuv. There were three trucks loaded with two tons of explosives, 550 rifles, submachine guns, about 120,000 rounds, and 1,000 hand grenades.

In 1943, Emmanuel and his sister immigrated to Mandatory Palestine among a group of Jewish children in Tehran. After spending a short time at the Youth Aliyah camp in Jerusalem, Emil and Elina moved to the kibbutz Ginegar. During his stay at the Kibbutz, Emmanuel was discovered to be a great talent and a leader. His love for agriculture led him to study at the Kadouri Agricultural School and upon graduating with honors he joined the Palmach and went to the training center in Ramat Yohanan.

Emmanuel (Emil) Landau (Hebrew: עמנואל לנדאו; 1928–1948) was a Palmach fighter who was rewarded with the Hero of Israel.

He was born on November 10, 1928, in Warsaw, Poland. He and his younger sister fled from Poland to the Soviet Union on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. His father fell ill during his service in the Red Army, and died before the end of the war. His mother Fania handed him and his sister Elina (later Ilana) to a Christian orphanage, because she could not support them. A few months later, an emissary from Youth Aliyah arrived at the orphanage to take the Jewish children. This was the result of an agreement signed in 1942 between the Polish government-in-exile and the Soviet government, in which 120,000 Polish soldiers and refugees from the Soviet Union were allowed to transfer to British-controlled Tehran. Emil and Elina were among approximately 1,000 Jewish children who were taken by train to Tehran. The children, most of whom arrived with no parents, were housed in an orphanage set up for them.

The first attempt to stop the convoy was carried out near Nahariya by the 21st Battalion of the Carmeli Brigade and failed. In the meantime, an additional force of 10 fighters from the First Battalion of the Palmach from the Ramat Yohanan was organized.