Shlomo Chaimson was killed while trying to escape a British detention camp in Cyprus in 1948. His final resting place in Haifa has now been identified.
By David Brummer
The IDF announced Wednesday that it has identified the grave of Shlomo Chaimson, a soldier whose burial place had remained unknown for nearly eight decades.
An investigation by the IDF’s Missing Persons Investigation Department found that Chaimson was buried in the Ma’apilim section of the Haifa cemetery.
Chaimson was killed on the night of September 29-30, 1948, while attempting to escape the Karaolos detention camp in Cyprus. The camp was operated by the British, who detained Jewish refugees and immigrants attempting to reach Mandatory Palestine.
Chaimson was shot by British guards during the escape attempt and buried in the Jewish cemetery in Margo, Cyprus.
In 1970, the remains of those buried at the cemetery were transferred to Israel. Many were reburied in Haifa without being identified, leaving Chaimson’s exact burial site unknown.
The investigation was carried out over an extended period by the Missing Persons Branch of the IDF Casualties Division and the Military Rabbinate, together with the Ministry of Defense and the Cyprus Immigrants Association.
Chaimson was born in Romania in 1930. After losing his father during World War II, he decided to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine with his mother, Ita, and his girlfriend, Perla.
The three boarded the Pan York-Kibbutz Galuyot immigrant ship, but British forces intercepted the vessel and transferred its passengers to detention camps in Cyprus.
While detained, Chaimson joined Shurot HaMeginim, a Haganah-affiliated organization that operated among Jewish detainees. He trained with the group in preparation for joining the IDF after reaching Israel.
Chaimson and eight other detainees attempted to escape on the night he was killed. They managed to break through the camp’s fences before guards spotted them and opened fire. Chaimson was killed, while the other escapees were captured and returned to the camp.
He was buried the following day in Margo’s Jewish cemetery. His grave was left without an inscription because those in the camp did not know enough about his life to identify him.
Chaimson’s family, who now live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were informed Tuesday night that his burial place had finally been located.
The family thanked those involved in the investigation, saying the discovery brought them a sense of peace after almost 78 years of not knowing what really happened.
