Bortanovsky, Zvi

He was born in the town of Poltava, Ukraine. One day in 1906 he suddenly left his mother’s house in order to immigrate to Eretz Israel. He arrived at the port city of Odessa, where he slipped in despite the meticulous inspections of the ship, and sailed to the country without a travel document and a ticket. In Turkey he was discovered and taken off the ship, but before he sailed back, he succeeded in sneaking into her again and arriving with her in Jaffa. In Jaffa he joined a group of pioneers and with them went to work in the fields of Petach Tikva. On July 5, 1911, after midnight, shots were heard from the direction of the threshing floor. Some ran out and found Zvi bleeding. They carried him to the colony to give him first aid and sent for a doctor, but before he reached the doctor Zvi had expired.