Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

Menachem Zaira served with the 4th Battalion גדוד הרביעי, Portzim Regiment גדוד הפורצים, Harel Brigade חטיבת הראל, fighting in the Seige of Jerusalem מערכה על ירושלים, during the War of Independence מלחמת העצמאות.

Meir Zorea served as a Battalion Commander in the Seige of Jerusalem מערכה על ירושלים, during War of Independence מלחמת העצמאות.

Regarding the destruction of the Jewish Quarter, Colonel Abdullah el Tell, commander of the Jordanian Arab Legion, cites in his Memoirs: "The operations of calculated destruction were set in motion. . . . I knew that the Jewish Quarter was densely populated with Jews who caused their fighters a good deal of interference and difficulty. . . . I embarked, therefore, on the shelling of the Quarter with mortars, creating harassment and destruction. . . . Only four days after our entry into Jerusalem the Jewish Quarter had become their graveyard. Death and destruction reigned over it. . . . As the dawn of Friday, May 28, 1948, was about to break, the Jewish Quarter emerged convulsed in a black cloud — a cloud of death and agony. . . ." The Jordanian commander who led the operation is reported to have told his superiors: "For the first time in 1,000 years not a single Jew remains in the Jewish Quarter. Not a single building remains intact. This makes the Jews' return here impossible."

Meir Zorea served as Head of Training Department in General Staff, and later, as Commander of Officers School.

In 1953, Meir Zorea Left Tzahal IDF, but re-enlisted in 1956.

Meir Zorea served as Deputy Commander, and subsequently, Commander of Tank Corps, and then,
Head of Army Intelligence Branch, and Commander of Northern Command.

In 1962, Meir Zorea retired from Tzahal IDF, as a Major-General

In the Six Day War, Meir Zorea sent his tank forces racing down the Sinai coast to capture Sharm el Sheikh, then took command of the Northern Front for the assault on the Golan Heights.

Meir Zorea fought with the Jewish Brigade as a young infantry soldier