At the outset of the fight for the survival of Israel that came to be known as the Six-Day War, the Israel Defense Forces’ paratrooper division was given its primary objective: secure the Egyptian city of El-Arish on the Sinai Peninsula. Then new orders came. Jerusalem was under attack by Jordanian forces, with growing civilian casualties. The paratroopers’ new goal was to beat back the Jordanian army and secure the Jewish population under attack in the western part of Jerusalem.

And, if possible, liberate the Old City.

That’s what Zion Karasenti, Dr. Yitzhak Yifat and Haim Oshri set out to do, with no foresight that they would become icons of Israeli history. On June 7, 1967—soon after they and their comrades retook Jerusalem’s Old City—the young men stood in awe before the liberated Western Wall. The image snapped by David Rubinger depicted a classic moment in time, a piece of storied history recognized the world over.

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And while the battles outside and within the Old City walls came at a heavy price—more than 100 paratroopers lost their lives that day—for the first time since 1948, Jews were able to put on tefillin and pray at the Kotel.

Fifty years later, as a tribute to the three men, now in their 70s, and their fallen comrades, Chabad of Northern Virginia in Fairfax, co-directed by Rabbi Sholom Deitsch, announced a gift of more than 200 pairs of new tefillin to modern-day Israeli troops. And they arranged an event at the Chabad House in Fairfax to acknowledge these heroes as they made their way around the United States as part of a seven-city tour recognizing the war’s anniversary year.

The three former paratroopers were immortalized in a now-famous photo by David Rubinger soon after they and their comrades retook the Old City.

Initially, the idea was for Chabad to secure donations for 50 pairs of tefillin, but the community responded so quickly and positively that Friends of the IDF—a leading international organization that offers material assistance and support to Israeli soldiers—agreed to match the number with another 50 pairs.

Rabbi Menachem Ofen of Tzerei Augudat Chabad Headquarters in Kfar Chabad, Israel, then heard of the plan. He works with soldiers and is distributor of religious contributions that go through Friends of the IDF, and knew a contributor who offered to match all of the donated tefillin—for a total of 200 pairs.