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Gerantstein, Yechiel

Gerantstein, Yechiel


Son of Sarah and Mordechai, was born in March 1920 in the city of Lublin, Poland and immigrated to Israel in 1929. From the age of 17 Yechiel went on guard duty and in 1936-1939 participated in the defense of Givat Ada and Gan Shmuel. When the enlistment order for the war against the Nazis was issued, Yechiel was one of the first enlistees to join. When he was wounded in the leg and could be released from the army, he refused to do so, expressing his desire to continue to fight the Nazi enemy. At the beginning of the War of Independence, Yechiel was again one of the first to appear. He joined the Palmach and worked from his base in Kiryat Anavim, took a course in Dalia and took part in caravans to secure the road around Jerusalem. When the large convoy left for Gush Etzion, Yehiel also returned with her to the city. Yechiel drove the armored vehicle that broke through the roadblock at the head of the convoy. The burglar came across a large checkpoint, could not get over it, and remained stuck there. The armored vehicle was in heavy fire and most of the fighters were wounded. In the evening Molotov cocktails were thrown on the armored vehicle and it flared up. Three fighters managed to get out. In this battle, Yechiel fell on the 16th of Adar 2 (27.3.1948), was buried in Sanhedria in Jerusalem. On the fifteenth of Cheshvan 5711 (15.11.1951) he was transferred to the military cemetery at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

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