1953 – <em>Monument to the Defenders of Negba</em>, Nathan Rapoport

Nathan Rapoport (1911-1987), born and raised in Warsaw, survived World War II in a labor camp in Siberia. As a member of Hashomer Hatzair, he initiated the Monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which was dedicated in April 1948, shortly before he left Poland for good. The fame of that monument led to other commissions, including this sculpture. Standing 4 meters (13 feet) high and towering over the cemetery, the sculpture depicts three determined figures of massive proportions: the father, a proud agriculturist; the mother, wearing a medic’s bag; and their son, holding a Sten gun. Below the figures and behind them, produce sprouts. As in other memorials, the emphasis on defensive fighting alongside cultivation of the land is conveyed by the agrarian details. (Image by Bukvoed, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)