NAME: Ferrera, Aharon

LEHI ALIAS: Dan

DATE OF BIRTH: 1912

DATE FALLEN: April 13, 1948

Aharon was born in Jerusalem in 1912 to Avraham and Malka. Once he completed his studies, he became a driver. At first, he was a salaried employee for various lines, but then he joined the HaMeretz Cooperative, which provided transport between the Bukharan neighborhood and Jaffa Gate. HaMeretz was eventually absorbed by HaMekasher, and Aharon served both the public as a bus driver and the members of his union as a board member (he served on the board for most of the time he was in the union).

Aharon married Esther and they had two sons, Avraham and Victor. He was one of the oldest of the Lehi members in the capital. Though he was supporting his family, this did not prevent him from full duty as an underground member (nom de guerre: Dan), just as his position on the board of the cooperative did not keep him from transporting the citizens of Jerusalem from one neighborhood to another in the divided city. Under enemy fire in the winter of 5708, he transported passengers, supplies and fuel to the neighborhoods which had been cut off; he drove an armored “sandwich” car.

He was part of the caravan to Mt. Scopus on April 13, 1948, transporting scientists, doctors and nurses to the Hebrew University and to Hadassah Hospital. 36-year-old Aharon was among 78 casualties of the attack by Arab rioters, under the eyes of the British forces, who kept a Hagana backup force from getting there to save the members of the caravan.

Aharon was not the driver on that fateful day. He was going to visit his brother in Hadassah Hospital. He initially saved himself by jumping over a fence and getting out of the line of fire, but a friend of his, caught in the burning armored vehicle, called to him for help. Aharon rushed to his side but was hit by Arab bullets. He died of his injuries.

He was buried in Sanhedria, but on November 8,1951, he was re-interred at Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.

His son was a well-known and popular singer. His grandson, who bore his name, was also a singer and interviewer on television and radio.