Rina, daughter of Eliahu and Tsipora, was born July 12, 1928 in Toren Poland. Rina was the only child of wealthy parents working in commerce. The father came to Eretz-Yisrael in 1919 with the “105 Group” of pioneers, who came to work wherever they were required. Her mother visited Israel for the opening ceremony of Hebrew University Jerusalem. The parents met in Israel, returned to Poland separately, and married there. Rina and her parents made Aliyah 1935 settling in Tel-Aviv. She attended kindergarten, elementary school and Geula High-school. At a young age she joined ‘Maccabi’. In 1945 there was an intense operation to recruit ‘Maccabi’ and other youth movements to join the underground; thus Rina made it to Lehi. She was integrated in the youth division, posting pamphlets and their circulation. At one point, she was caught by her father (an active Hagana member), forced to flee from her home, stop her studies, and move to ‘Hatikva’ neighbourhood, to a room owned by the underground. Later she moved to Ra’anana and started working at a children’s boarding school, managed by a couple who were Lehi members. The institution served as a hideout and activity ground for Lehi members. Rina worked in surveillance and as a contact between members under CID observation. She participated in the paramedic course in Ramat-Gan. During an operation in which she was the paramedic, she met her future husband, Ya’acov Aharoni, responsible for weapons supply of that operation. Ya’acov was transferred to Haifa, put in charge of operations in that region; Rina moved with him. They married September 28, 1947, remaining in Haifa until establishment of the State. Together they moved to the Sheikh-Munis Camp, and enlisted in the Eighth Armoured Brigade. Rina was sent to a paramedics’ course, served in the 89th Battalion, and participated in all the soldiers’ operations, until her fifth month of pregnancy. Only then was she discharged from the army. Rina and Yoram live in Tel-Aviv. They have two sons and six grandchildren. Rina works in family therapy and legal counselling for families.
