Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) joined community leaders, his colleagues in government, and an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) veteran at the Museum of American Armor on Friday, Sept. 22 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.
Israel’s victory in the Oct. 6 – 25, 1973 conflict, which began with a sneak assault by a coalition of neighboring Arab nations on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, was instrumental in preserving Israeli sovereignty. Israel swiftly rebounded after repelling this unprecedented assault and quickly turned the tide of the war in its favor.
In 2023, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Sunday, Sept. 24.
“When the Israeli people took up arms during the Yom Kippur War, they knew that their very survival as a nation was on the line,” Legislator Drucker said. “I greatly appreciate that the Museum of American Armor for taking the time to commemorate such a pivotal moment in the history of the world and celebrate the valor of the men and women who fought so valiantly to preserve Israel as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East.”
A focal point of Museum’s observance was a Magach tank, which was dedicated at the museum in 2014 by Israeli Consul General Ido Aharoni. Historians at the Museum said the tank was manufactured for the U.S. Army and then transferred to Jordan in the 1960s.
Thereafter, it was captured by the Israelis during the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict and then deployed during the Yom Kippur War. It was knocked out after crossing the Suez Canal, captured by Egyptian forces, and eventually purchased by a collector who brought it to the United States before being sold to the Museum by an anonymous patron. This Magach tank is believed to be the only surviving Israeli tank from the Yom Kippur War on American soil.
Photo courtesy of the Museum of American Armor
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