Reisman, Leah

Born in 1914 in the town of Soddenow, near the town of Kellal, Poland, to a wealthy and observant family, Leah attended Polish school and excelled in her studies, and at the age of 15 she joined the Hechalutz Hatzair movement and became an educator. She joined the agricultural training program at the Borochov kibbutz in her hometown, then spent three years in the pioneering training commune in Wolomin and in 1932 she immigrated to Eretz Israel and joined Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh, and since then her friends remember her as a lovely, lively young woman who radiated joy to those around her. In 1936 she was badly hurt and in July 1938, a close friend was killed and this disaster greatly depressed her mood. In a letter she wrote to one of her friends: “The situation at our level affects me in a special way. It is clear to me that we will be killed. We do not have a whole life now, no laughter, no joy, dancing and singing. Yes, we are so young, so close to dying … But at the same time I know that despite all this, we must continue.” A month later, on 7 Av, August4, 1938, Leah fell with seven of her friends on their return from their work in an orchard west of the farm, and the car they were driving on boarded a mine. She was buried in the Ramat Hakovesh cemetery. She is remembered in the Ramat Hakovesh newsletter and in the book “Leveled Days”.