1948 – Portrait of the Artist’s Son, Aharon-Jimmy, Menachem Shemi

Menachem Shemi’s (1897-1951) son, Aharon, known as Jimmy (1926-1948), was a charismatic Palmach leader who was killed during a battle for the Jerusalem corridor in the War of Independence. He was buried at the military cemetery at Kiryat Anavim, and his father was chosen to build a monument there in 1951. In 1952 the family published Friends Remember Jimmy, a collection of letters written by friends and comrades-in-arms that became a classic for that generation. His parents chose to be buried near him. Shemi’s painting of his son, done right after his death, is housed at the Mishkan Museum of Art at Ein Harod. (Image from the Collection of the Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod, Israel)