Marcus, Gershon

Son of Baruch. He was born on August 21, 1920, in Stegers, Germany, and immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1937. He joined the Habarut Ha-Socialist movement in Eretz Israel in 1938. In June 1943 he joined the Royal Navy. He served as a mechanic on the ship “Lily” which was sailing between the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and on the last voyage, the ship transferred a few dozen Bulgarian Jews who had been stranded in Turkey to Cyprus, and when the ship sailed back from Cyprus to Palestine, an enemy submarine opened fire on it. The ship sank, and Gershon was among the sailors who managed to board the lifeboats. But the boats were chipped and splintered, they could not be advanced. One by one the survivors tried to swim ashore and did not return. On the third day of the drowning, only three sailors and Gershon remained in the boats. Gershon tried to swim again but his strength did not hold him, he fell into the water and disappeared from the eyes of his friends. An hour later, Matus discovered the boat and called for a British ship. The day of his death was set for 24 Av (August 25, 1943). Kibbutz Galil Yam published a pamphlet in his memory, including the words of friends about his character. This fallen hero is a “maklan” – a hero whose burial place is unknown.