The Association
About the Yad La-Shiryon
The Yad LeShiryon Association works to commemorate the fallen of the Armored Corps, to preserve the legacy of the Corps and to pass it on to future generations. The association operates and develops the Yad LeShiryon website in Latrun and serves as a home for the community of armorers in Israel: past and present fighters and commanders, their families, and anyone who holds the legacy of the Armored Corps close to their hearts.
From the first monument to the establishment of the Yad LaShirion site
The Yad LaShirion site began as an initiative of the late Major General Shlomo Shamir, the first commander of the 7th Brigade, who led it in the battles for Latrun during the War of Independence. After the Six-Day War, Shamir began promoting the establishment of a memorial site in the Latrun area.
On the eve of the Yom Kippur War, the first 7th Brigade monument was erected near the Latrun Monastery, topped by a granite stone brought from the Sinai Desert. The stone was later moved to the 7th Brigade monument in the park designed at the Yad LaShirion site.
After the Yom Kippur War, the association was established under the leadership of Major General Shlomo Lahat, Cheech, z"l. Its establishment laid the organizational infrastructure for advancing the vision: creating a national site that would commemorate the fallen of the armored forces, tell the legacy of the force, and serve as a home for the armored forces community.
The development of the site over the years
In 1979, a Sherman tank was placed on the historic police tower. The tank, which became one of the most recognizable symbols of the site, announced to visitors that this was where the armor site would be built.
In 1982, the commander of the Armored Corps, Major General Moshe Bar Kochba, decided to hold the swearing-in ceremonies for the armored soldiers in Latrun. The tradition continues to this day and connects generations of fighters, the legacy of the corps, and the site.
In 1986, the late Major General Moshe Musa Peled was appointed chairman of the association. Musa outlined the vision for the establishment of the site, its development, and its path.
In 1987, the Tank and Armored Vehicle Collection was established on the site, considered one of the largest collections of its kind in the world.
In 1995, the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin visited the site. A few days before his assassination, Rabin laid the cornerstone for the synagogue in the historic police building.
Since then, the association has continued to develop the site as a whole that combines commemoration, heritage, education, research, and community activity.
The association's management
Yad LeShirion is a registered non-profit organization that operates in accordance with the association's bylaws and legal provisions. The association is headed by a chairman and a CEO, and is supported by members of the association's management.
The association has a council, and many of its members participate in professional committees dealing with its various fields of activity. In addition, the association's activities are accompanied by a legal advisor, a treasurer, and an internal auditor.
