This monument recalls the role played by the homemade Davidka mortar in securing the Jewish victory in the 1948 Battle of Tsfat. Its 40kg shells were notoriously ineffective, but their loud booms may have caused a rumour that Jewish forces had an atomic bomb, sowing panic among the Arab population. About 3m to the left, a free audio guide tells the dramatic tale of the battle for Tsfat in 1947 and 1948 – from the Israeli perspective, of course.
Directly across the street, a one-time British police station – now the home of the Tsfat Academic College – is still riddled with bullet holes from 1948.
