Mirkis, Aryeh

Aryeh, son of Meir and Ita Mirkis, was born on the 10th of Nisan, 5627 (12.4.1927) in Jerusalem. He began working as a mechanic in the National Committee of the Knesset in Jerusalem. In this service he displayed dedication and boundless loyalty. After the black Sabbath (June 1946) and the arrest of the leaders in Latrun and the members of the Haganah in Rafah, he transported food and clothing to the detainees. During the hunger strike of the Yishuv leaders, he took great pains for them and received a letter of appreciation from the National Committee for his activities. During the events preceding the War of Independence and during the war itself, he was the first driver of the National Committee and drove its leaders. He traveled frequently in the convoys of Jerusalem-Tel Aviv and even to more distant places in the country, and always fought to save friends-drivers who were injured in the convoy. Among his heroic campaigns in those days were his volunteer project to evacuate the children from the orphanage in the lower part of Jerusalem. Under a deadly enemy fire he moved the children into his arms and brought them to safety in Jerusalem. Mostly he loved the Negev desert and Eilat. In 1949 he was drafted into the IDF and gave his two years of regular service in the Intelligence Corps, also in the Negev, and after returning from regular service he returned to his work as a mechanic driver in the civil service. On the fifteenth of Marcheshvan (3 November 1952) he fell in the line of duty and was put to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.