Meir Har-Zion was born in 1934 in Herzliya and lived in Moshav Rishpo until age 13. His love of nature and school trips was evident even then. His writing ability was apparent in essays he wrote in elementary school and kept in a special notebook. In 1947, after his parents divorced, Meir and his father moved to Kibbutz Ein Harod. In school there, he showed extremely high capabilities and boundless curiosity, which he satisfied by hiking in the area – Mount Gilboa, Qumi Hill and Beit She’an Valley. As he grew older, he travelled extensively throughout the young country.
In July 1952, when he turned 18, Meir enlisted in the IDF Nahal unit and in August 1953, thanks to his scouting abilities and unique character, he was called upon to serve in the newly formed Unit 101. He served in the unit until it merged with the 890th paratroop battalion in January 1954. During his military service, Meir participated in numerous patrols and military operations, many of them beyond the borders of Israel. The most noted and complicated of these were the ambush by Solomon’s Pools and the Hebron action (“kid gloves”).
Later, as Commander of the 890th Battalion Company A, he participated in various operations, including the Sea of Galilee operation, for which he was awarded an IDF Commendation that was subsequently converted to a Medal of Courage.
On the night between September 11th and 12th, 1956 Meir took part in Operation Jonathan, where he was severely injured while storming the Jordanian Police building in southern Mount Hebron.
His rehabilitation was difficult and long. The left side of Meir’s body was paralyzed and the right side was numb. His vocal chords were injured as well. Despite all of this, he sought meaning in his new life, which came in the form of Major Avraham Arnan, who wanted to enlist Meir to establish a new unit – Sayeret Matkal (the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit).
Meir enlisted as a civilian IDF employee, advised Avraham in many areas, and even trained the unit’s first teams.
In February 1959, Meir married his wife Ruti in a humble ceremony at the Tel Aviv Rabbinate. His friends threw him a large party at the paratrooper base in Tel Nof.
When Meir realized that he would no longer be able to serve as a combat soldier due to his disabilities, he challenged himself by realizing an old dream – to build an agricultural farm. In August 1959, Meir and Ruti received the necessary permits to establish the farm in Kochav Hayarden. They decided to name it Shoshana’s Farm, after the estate in Ein Harod and in memory of his sister Shoshana, who was murdered in the Judean Desert. Despite many early difficulties, Meir raised a successful herd of cattle, indicating the quality of the herd as well as his professionalism. He even won a prize for the best herd.
Meir died in his home at Shoshana’s Farm on March 14, 2014.
