Frenkel, Pinchas (Bondi)

Son of Ilona and Yitzhak, was born on February 26, 2222 in the city of Stomara, Transylvania (Romania), to an old Zionist family imbued with a spirit of tradition. Received a high school education. From his youth he was active in the He – Chaluts movement. In the spring of 1939 he escaped from the house and sailed on the illegal immigrant ship Assimi. Only when he was in Constantinople did he announce his departure. The ship drowned in the sea and he was among the few who survived and after shaking for a month and a half managed to reach Nahariya. He first joined the “Makor” group near Pardes Hanna. Soon he left the group and set up a house and farm near Ra’anana, which served as a shelter for his parents. Pinchas was alone in the country and had no experience in life and agriculture, but by force and by hand, the agriculture developed, and there was a goat, a vegetable garden, orchards and a flower garden. When the news of his family ceased after the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the British Army together with his good friend Bar-Giora Engelberg and served in Egypt and Tripoli. In Tripoli he learned that his entire extended family had been annihilated by the Nazis. Since then he has tried to follow his parents’ footsteps and to perpetuate their memory in his image and actions. He and his friend served in the Engineers Corps and specialized in mechanics. Pinchas recognized the importance of his military role and worked steadily and responsibly. Was always ready to help with professional advice or personal good. When he was released from the army, he set up the first garage in Herzliya with his friends. The unrest in the roads hindered the development of the plant and he moved to work at the electric company and worked there until the day he was drafted. Pinchas joined the Israeli army on February 23, 1948, before a compulsory draft order was issued and he was asked to call his former commander to assist him in setting up the first transportation base. No. 1 at the exhibition buildings in Tel Aviv. He served as chief assistant to the commander, professionally and administratively. He enlisted in the army together with his friend Bar Giora. From the first moment they needed no explanation of what was required of them. They worked tirelessly and did a respite. At night, after the departure of all the workers, they helped unload, dismantle and hide the cargo, and in complete darkness they continued to repair another jeep, another machine for imminent action. The Egyptian Air Force bombed the last ones that stopped their work. Be patient with each screw until they are sure everything is normal. No correction was impossible. All their knowledge and experience from the British army were invested in the Hebrew war effort, and they were always one body. Pinchas found strength for hard work and with great energy overcame all difficulties. He took care of every job, big and small. “After all, someone has to do it,” he used to say. Firmly demanded additional work for himself and others. Was delighted as a child with the purchase of the first tools and the first half-larva, but he never mentioned these purchases. After a while he was transferred to a company outside the FSH workshop. As a supervisor for the Ford garage on behalf of the army. He rose to the rank of First Sergeant. The pain of cars being neglected by the drivers and every broken screw touched him. Was loved by his friends. Quiet, modest, very serious. He pursues justice and trusts in man. He excelled in decision and courage. Pinchas was sent on a military mission to France, along with his friend Bar-Giora. Near the village of Orbitello, near Rome, his plane crashed into a mountain and all his men were killed on December 30, 1948. On the 5th of Adar 5709 (March 6, 1949) his coffin was brought to Eretz Israel and Pinchas was laid to rest in the Nahalat Yitzhak Military Cemetery, leaving behind a wife, Rina, who carried the day before his departure.