Mermelstein, Moshe Marcel (Machio)

Son of Yatta and Joseph. He was born on March 10, 1910 in Drohobycz, Poland. In his hometown he graduated from elementary school and then attended the municipal gymnasium. After graduating from high school, he studied boxing and joined Hechalutz in order to immigrate to Eretz Israel. In November 1935 he immigrated to Israel with his wife and settled in Rishon Letzion. Since he did not find work there, he worked in the orchards and paved roads. In 1938 the family moved to Ramat Gan and Marcel began working as a sailor in the Tel Aviv port. In his spare time he wrote, in Hebrew, which he had learned while still in Poland, novellas and monographs about his family as reflected by a Zionist pioneer. In addition to his literary tendencies, he continued to music and played the violin. After the outbreak of World War II, he responded to the calls of Jewish Yishuv institutions to volunteer for the ranks of the British army fighting the Nazis. Marcel joined the Royal Air Force and was stationed at the Heliopolis base near Cairo. On July 30, 1942, he was killed in the bombing of the base where he was served by Italian planes who came from Abyssinia. He was buried in Heliopolis, Egypt. He left a wife and a son. His name was immortalized in the booklet Kanafot. An investigation conducted in 2017 found that he had another nickname – Israel – Mordechai. Grave location of Tomb 2F8. Unit cRoyalcAircForcecVolunteercReserve. Rank cLeadingcAircraftman