NAME: Horwitz Gershon

LEHI ALIAS: Jerry

DATE OF BIRTH: 1923

DATE OF DEATH: October 18, 2018

Gershon was born 1923 to Bracha and Yitchak in Bernovitz Poland. His father, from a Hassidic religious family, was an insurance agent. His mother looked after a chicken and cow farm. His Zionist father immigrated to Israel alone 1932, to prepare for bringing his family, who came 1934, settling in Kfar Saba. His father became a foodstuffs retailer.

Gershon studied at a Yeshiva, and Hamizrachi Vocational Elementary school Tel-Aviv. He was a member of Bnei-Akiva and Maccabi and played on Maccabi’s Kfar-Saba team. Gershon joined Etzel 1939. After the split he joined Lehi with  Maccabi members, and with his mother’s blessing. Bracha greatly assisted the underground. Gershon underwent weapons courses and distributed info-material. Following the assassination of Yair 1942, he joined the British Army, serving in the Royal Navy and continuing underground activities.

Binyamin Gepner introduced him to Yoseph Sitner, with whom he kept in touch throughout his navy service. He smuggled weapons to Israel from Alexandria, participated in  preparing the assassination of Lord Moyne, and in Lehi’s special operations in Egypt. He transferred Lord Moyne’s photo to Eliyahu Chakim and Eliyahu Beit-Zuri, and their passports for use after the assassination. Due to an informer, he was arrested 1944, a month before the assassination; the British suspected he intended to bomb the planned summit.

He was discharged from the army and returned to Israel. He was re-arrested 7.1.1945, imprisoned at Latrun then Jerusalem and Akko prisons, and exiled with the sixth dispatch of prisoners to Africa. He was imprisoned in the Carthago, Sambal and Gilgil camps and taken twice to Cairo for interrogations. After declaration of the State, he returned with the last exiles July 12,1948.

He immediately joined the IDF, the 89th Battalion, 8th Brigade’s Company led by Ya’acov Granek (Blonde Dov). He participated in all the Battalion’s battles, and the Sinai Campaign, Six Day War and Yom Kippur War. As a civilian he worked  sorting diamonds. Gershon married Yehudit nee Aharonovich 1952.

They had three children: Orna, Amit and Michael, plus eight grandchildren. His hobby is sport. Gershon, a pensioner, resides in Kochav–Yair.