A Story That Travels Across the Jezreel Valley
During the War of Attrition (on the Suez Canal, 1969–1971), several daring raids were carried out deep within Egypt. Among the raiding forces were soldiers of Sayeret Matkal, Israel’s elite special forces unit. Their targets included bridges, electrical transformer stations, military camps, and facilities along the Nile River.
On one such raid, conducted with Super Frelon helicopters, a large quantity of explosives was captured. After the successful demolition of a major transformer station, the soldiers came across a beautifully preserved diligence (a luxurious horse-drawn carriage). With ample space remaining in the helicopter, they decided to bring the carriage back to their unit’s base in Israel.
Before long, a tradition was born: every bride and groom from the unit would be escorted to their wedding in the historic diligence.
A decade or two later, the carriage was transferred to a settlement in the Galilee and eventually donated to the museum of Abed (Yalkud HaKazavim fame) in Ein Harod. Following Abed’s passing, the museum was abandoned. Parts of his collection, including the historic diligence, were entrusted to the Tractor Museum.