Wertzberger, Katriel

Son of Bella and Zvi, was born in 1920 in the city of Warsaw, Romania, to a Zionist family. Received a Torah education in the “cheder” and “yeshiva” and studied general studies on his own. Already in his childhood he had a strong desire for earthly life, but because of the harsh living conditions he could not fulfill his wishes. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he was taken to the Hungarian army labor battalions, and after many hardships managed to turn himself in to the Russian army. He was in Russian captivity until he joined the Romanian Liberation Army, where he served for about a year. At the same time he learned about the extermination of his parents by the Nazis. In 1947 he immigrated to Israel on the illegal immigrant ship “Knesset Yisrael”. He was caught and spent a whole year in the illegal immigrant camps in Cyprus. Where he devoted himself to the teaching of the Hebrew language, which he knew very well, to his friends, and even wrote a brief grammar book. He loved others and helped his friends during the stress, and they loved him because of his qualities. Immediately upon his arrival in Israel he joined the ranks of the fighters. Participated in the conquest of Beit Jiz and Beit Sussin near Latrun. On October 10, 1948, during the enemy’s attack on Balaton Hill, near Tarshiha, he fell with some of his friends by the enemy who abused and killed them, and was brought to rest in the military cemetery in Nahariya