Kertes , Zvi (Ishtuan)

Zvi (Ishtuan), son of Sofia and Bela Kertes, was born on November 23, 1920 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Despite growing up in an assimilated environment, he found his way to the Hashomer Hatzair movement and was active in it from the age of 15. While in high school he changed his name to Zvi. At school he was one of the best students in exact sciences in general and in chemistry in particular. He regularly visited lectures of famous chemists, and the scientists admired the genius of the talented young man. Although he aspired to continue his studies, he refused to deny his Jewishness in order to bypass the laws of the “numerus clausus” which denied the Jews the right to higher education, and he gave up entry to the university. Zvi immigrated to Israel on January 31, 1939, and overcame the difficulties of adaptation to the environment and the new language. He studied biochemistry in university as a major subject, and was among the best students. After completing his studies, he went to work in the milk testing laboratory at the Agricultural Research Station in Rechovot. Zvi was kind and respectful to his many friends. In the first year of his studies he married and had a son. From the beginning of the War of Independence he put himself at the disposal of military research. In addition to the 14-16 hours he worked daily in the laboratory, Zvi served for several months as a commander of the Haganah. He was killed in an explosion in the laboratory on the 23rd of Sivan, June 30, 1948 and was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Rechovot.