Sussman, Yosef

He was born in Stanislavav, Galicia, and was a student and counselor in a Zionist youth group in his city. In 1911 he immigrated to Eretz Israel and joined the Poalei Zion party. He worked as a guard and was among the first shepherds in the country. As a guard, he was one of the first to set sail on Merhavia. According to his friends’ testimony, he was “an excellent worker, a good person and a person of humor and a favorite of us all.” In 1914, among the guards who left for the settlement were the lands of Qalandiya (later Atarot) near Jerusalem. After a night’s stay he left for Jerusalem on foot and his trail disappeared. His friends searched him all over Jerusalem but did not find him. They assumed he was murdered and his body was buried in a cave. His actions and the story of his disappearance were published in the book “The Second Aliya” and in the book “On the Occupation of Qalandia.” His burial place is unknown.