Mordechai was born on 1931 in Jerusalem, in the Shama’a neighborhood, by the foot of Mt. Zion. His father Matityahu made aliyah from Monastir, Yugoslavia (now Bitola, Republic of [North] Macedonia) in 1925, while his mother Shoshana Negrin, belonged to a family from Nablus and Peki’in which, according to tradition, was never exiled from the Land of Israel.

His father was a cobbler in Me’ah She’arim, and their economic situation was not secure. Still, the home was very warm and loving, with a religious education. He studied in Talmud Torah Beit Aharon, and he finished eight grades of elementary school. He started working at a young age, and in the evenings, he attended high school.

From age thirteen, he was a Beitar member, and he followed the underground activities with interest; after Yair’s murder, he was drawn to Lehi and its ideology. Thus, in 1946, he joined the movement. At the same time, he was putting up posters and engaging in discussions about Yair’s philosophy. In 1947, he joined the combat brigade, and he was trained with various type of pistols.

In 1948, he was on alert while Der Yassin was captured, but he did not step on to the battlefield. He was trained in light weapons at the Lehi camp in Sheikh Badr (now Givat Ram). He was part of the force which held Notre Dame; then he moved on to Lehi’s Camp Eldad in Romema.

In 1949, he enlisted in the IDF and served in Battalion 9 of the 7th brigade, as a squad sergeant and squad commander; he then was trained as a platoon commander and combat sergeant.

In 1963, he married Ora Luzon and they had three sons, a daughter and five grandchildren.

Today, Mordechai lives in Jerusalem, running a confectionery in Kiryat HaYovel, which his wife and oldest son Matityahu help him run.