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Shlomo Ben Yosef
Irgun fighter
Shlomo Ben Yosef (1913-1938) was a Ukrainian Jew who immigrated illegally to Palestine in 1937. He joined the Irgun, determined to fight back against Arab violence. After several Jews were killed in a roadside ambush, Ben Yosef targeted an Arab bus at the same spot. Although his effort failed he was captured by the British, tried, and sentenced to death. He was the first Jew executed by the British, who wanted to set an example and placate the Arabs. His death became a rallying cry for the Irgun and symbolized the limits of the Yishuv’s policy of restraint in the face of Arab violence and British intransigence.