Gottesman, Siggy

Son of Esther and Yehoshua, was born on February 20, 1927 in Czernowitz, Bukovina, Romania, where he attended an elementary school. In 1941, when the Germans took over, his parents were deported to Transnistria where they perished. Siggy was one of the survivors and even in his youth found a way to a pioneering Zionist movement. He was a member of “Gordonia” and became a counselor in a training company in Timisoara and in Friedorf. On the verge of immigrating to Israel he trained in the Haganah. In the summer of 1947 he boarded the “State of the Jews” ship. He spent four months in the Cyprus camp and on December 28, 1947 was released and immigrated to Israel. Upon his arrival, he joined the Massada group in the Jordan Valley, where he managed to integrate and work in agriculture. His sister, who cared for him, sent all kinds of vague messages from different parts of the country, all quiet and far from danger, and he remained in his place all the time, ready for the imminent danger. After the Syrian invasion of the Jordan Valley, he was among the guards on the pumping station on the Yarmuk, which stood in the position of heroism of few against many until they were defeated on 15 May 1948. Siggy was brought to rest at the Sha’ar Hagolan cemetery.