Kosterlitz, Rudolf (Rolf)

Son of Aliza and Richard. Born in 1920 in Breslau, Germany, he completed his elementary and high school studies in his hometown and began his studies in the textile industry, and he played his violin. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 he felt persecuted and immigrated to Eretz Israel as a tourist in 1938. He joined the Haganah in the Second World War and was posted to Company 462 of the Transport Force and was sent to serve from Egypt and Beirut. In late April 1943 he went on board the ship “Aryanpura” from Egypt to Malta to participate in the Allied invasion. On 27 Nissan 5703 (1.5.1943), a German reconnaissance plane bombed the convoy, and Rudolph’s ship was hit by a direct hit and began to sink in. After the soldiers jumped into the water Rudolph returned to the bow of the ship to save the documents he was responsible for. One hundred and thirty-nine of the company’s 462 soldiers drowned, including Rudolph. He left a sister. Rudolph’s name is mentioned in the “Book of Volunteerism,” in the Yizkor Book of the Jabotinsky Institute and in the Book of the Year. A monument was erected in the shape of a ship and next to it was a small water pool, at the bottom of which was engraved the names of the fallen. This fallen hero is a “maklan” – a hero whose burial place is unknown.