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The Golani Brigade, ranked first in the regular line-up of the Israel Defence Forces, is the army's veteran unit - as old as the State itself. It has taken part in every one of Israel's wars and participated in 5 almost every operation and campaign from the Galilee to the Negev - from the Sinai to the Golan Heights.
It has fought by day and by night, taken part in raids, reconnaissance missions, ambushes and routine peace-keeping activities. The battle roll of the Brigade is long and bloody, recording hard times and bitter battles - achievements and triumphs. GOLANI has the reputation of being a stubborn fighting brigade - a "family of fighters".
In 1949, after the War of Independence, the officers and men of Golani erected a modest marker at the foot of Hirbet Mashcana, an Arab position that had controlled the nearby junction. The site became known as the "Golani Junction" and ten years later a monument to the memory of the men of Golani and the Lower Galilee who fell in the 1948 war was dedicated on the site.
After the Yom Kippur War the Association of Families of Fallen Golani Soldiers and Friends of the Brigade" was founded with the goal of establishing a commemorative site to perpetuate the memory of the fallen and to include a museum displaying the history of the Brigade. With the help of the government and other bodies the plans were executed and the site was dedicated on October 20, 1982.
The site was designed by the architect Yosef Assa and symbolises "the Road of the Golani Brigade". The design is based on the concept of climbing up, as if following the fighters up the rocky hillside, and incorporates seven concrete structures integrated into the natural battle site. The visitor to the site passes the Monument for the Fallen of 1948, ascends a concrete trail to the top of the hill, traverses the Passage of the Arches, tours the three "bunkers" which are the three chambers of the museum - the "Follow Me" chamber; the "Campaigns" chamber; the "Yizkor" (Memorial) chamber; watches the audio-visual display, views the Observation Post and the Hermon Stronghold and comes out in front of the seventh element - "The Golani Tree" - and on to the green Assembly Plain. It is planned to expand the site by adding a building to house a small auditorium, a military library, reading and study room, archives and offices, and work on the compilation of a definitive history of the Brigade has already begun.
The Golani Memorial site is a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives so that Israel could survive. It is a living memorial to those brave fighters whose determination and dedication to the cause are the very foundations of the State.
