Mermelstein, Tuvia

Son of Israel-Leib and Chana-Helena nee Fogel. Tuvia was born on September 26, 1927, in the city of Veliki-Bieczkow, in the Carpatho-Russian part of the Marmaros district (then in Czechoslovakia), brother to Yehuda, Chaim-Getzel-Elyakim, Sheindl-Yaffa, Miriam and Samuel Tuvia studied in a “cheder” and in a government elementary school, where he was transferred to the death camp of Mauthausen-Goz in Germany during World War II, and Tuvia escaped from the town. While under Soviet rule with four members, they crossed the border to Romania, from there they continued to Italy and continued on the “escape route” until they immigrated to Israel the day after the establishment of the state. A convoy of members of the “Gahal” (Overseas Recruitment) crew on board the ship “Thetis.” Tuvia was drafted into the Haganah, was in a training camp and served as a second machine gun in the newly established 7th Brigade. In the last conversation on the kibbutz, with feelings of insecurity before he went into battle, he said, “We buried millions and we did not achieve anything, we will sacrifice thousands more and maybe we will achieve independence. With the entry of the Jordanian Legion into the war, the situation in Jerusalem deteriorated and the road to it was cut off by the Legion’s Latrun unit. In an attempt to break through, son of-Nun A was carried out and the task was assigned to Brigade 7. The attackers encountered better enemy forces and were forced to retreat, and on that day, on the 24th of Iyar 5708 (May 24, 1948), nine days after his arrival On the 11th of Adar 5702 (28.2.1950) he was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.