Leon Elie, the son of Joseph and Rivka, was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1927. After completing high school, he worked as a photographer. A Zionist from his youth, he was a member of the Hamishmar Zionist Organization in his hometown, and in Hebrew he adopted the name Nadav.
When Israel’s War of Independence broke out, he was discharged from the Bulgarian Army in which he had served for six months. He then volunteered to serve in the IDF on behalf of his people.
He arrived in Israel in June 1948. He was a trained soldier, experienced in the use of all types of arms. On his arrival he was immediately sent to Jerusalem, fighting in advanced positions on Mount Zion, where he was twice wounded. Upon recovering, he returned to his unit in the Etzioni Brigade.
He was hit by a Jordanian sniper firing from the walls of the Old City on 7th November 1948, and died from his wounds.
He was buried at Sheikh Badar “A,” and re-interred at the Mount Herzl military cemetery on 30th August1950.
During the fighting, he was able to record details of the battles and their positions and where they were taking place in his personal diary. On the first page of his diary he wrote, “I write this diary for the purpose that if I survive, I will give this to my love, my future wife.”
Source: Translated from the Yizkor website by Joe Woolf.