Alternate names
Biography
Yitzhak Estrajcher, also recorded as Icek or Iccok, was born on 27 June 1926 in Sosnowiec, the son of Jakov Jozef Estrajcher and [living relative]. He trained as a joiner and carpenter. In 1940 the family was forced into the Środula ghetto. On 9 October 1940 he was recorded at Modrzejowska 19 seeking financial support. Around February 1942 he was sent to the Markstädt forced labour camp (part of the Gross-Rosen complex), and in February 1945 he was transferred to Buchenwald, registered there on the 13th, then moved on a transport nicknamed "Wüste 5.3" to Natzweiler-Struthof on 9 March 1945. He was liberated into the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in 1945, and by January 1946 had reached the Landsberg am Lech DP camp in the American zone of Bavaria. On 24 January 1946 he was granted temporary residence in Belgium to prepare for emigration to Palestine, and joined a training commune there organised by members of the Jewish Brigade. He sailed for Palestine on 12 July 1946, spent ten days at Kibbutz Na'an, and then, from 23 July 1946, lived in Ra'anana with his aunt and uncle, Rachel and Haim Fainer. From December 1947 he served as a private in the 32nd Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade. He was killed in the fighting at Qula on 16 July 1948, two years to the week after reaching Palestine, and is buried at the Netanya military cemetery. He was remembered the following year in the book "The Fifty Minutes of Qula," by Shmuel Schwartz.
Occupations2
- Joiner
- Carpenter
Life events18
- GhettoBolesława Prusa, Środula Ghetto, Sosnowiec, Poland
Transferred to Środula Ghetto: From Modrzejowska 19 to Bergzeile 2a/21 (Today: Bolesława Prusa)
- Concentration campBuchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany
Transferred from KL Gross-Rosen likely to be Markstadt
- Concentration campNatzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, Germany
KL Bn (Buchenwald) Note: "Transport Wüste 5.3" — referring to Operation Wüste (a sub-camp complex of Natzweiler)
Though the primary concentration camp of Natzweiler-Struthof (located in Alsace) had been evacuated by the Nazis in late 1944, its administrative unit continued to operate on the right bank of the Rhine, managing a vast network of subcamps in southwestern Germany (such as the Wüste project camps or Neckarelz).
- Displaced Persons CampBergen-Belsen displaced persons camp, Germany
Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp
- Displaced Persons CampLandsberg am Lech, Germany
Transferred south to the American zone to the Landsberg DP camp (located in Bavaria)
- ResidenceBrussels, Belgium
Granted temporary legal residence in Belgium specifically to prepare for emigration to Mandatory Palestine.
- ResidenceBelgium
Joined a training commune organised by members of the Jewish Brigade
Joined a training commune organised by members of the Jewish Brigade. With the help of the soldiers of the Jewish Brigade, he was dressed as a soldier and sent home to be released as a Palestine volunteer. In 1946, he arrived in Israel without a permit and without any problems awaiting an “illegal” immigrant.
- Immigration
Travelled to Palestine
In the spring of 1946, the Jewish Brigade was disbanded, after the British governments realised that under their nose there was a lot of activity in Europe and the fighters were forced to return to Israel. At the "Defense" headquarters it was decided secretly, to keep in Europe a group of 130 brigade fighters. The same chosen fighters, accepted the identity of holocaust survivors and continued to operate there, under cover, secretly collecting weapons and ammunition, for the purpose of their promotion to the developing country, and other various activities, some of which, are moderated to this day. In the context of the operation, which has earned the nickname "Operation Double", each of the soldiers is required to locate in the displaced camps a Holocaust survivor who resembles him, more or less, in appearance and age, and to transfer to him his questionable identity, in particular his media, and of course family documents and photos. For several days each of the chosen fighters with his doppelgänger memorised, his personal details and his family and military history, in order that he could face an expected cross-examination by the British, on the ship on which they will return to Israel. There are strong indication that Yitzhak was one of those doubles but is name is not on the partial list that exist.
- Military ServiceIsrael
Served with the 32nd Battalion within the Alexandroni Brigade (Rank: Private)
After the outbreak of the War of Independence, he joined the ranks of the Alexandroni Brigade and participated in all the operations of the brigade.
- MemorialTel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
The book "The Fifty Minutes of Qula" (written by Shmuel Schwartz
The book "The Fifty Minutes of Qula" (written by Shmuel Schwartz, who himself participated in the battle) describes, minute by minute, one of the bloodiest battles fought by the Alexandroni Brigade (specifically the 32nd Battalion) in July 1948 during Operation Danny. The village of Qula (located in the area of modern-day El'ad) changed hands multiple times during bitter fighting against the Jordanian Arab Legion, and many soldiers fell there during a stubborn defensive battle. The book commemorates several of the combatants who fell during those fateful minutes.
Places16
Family
External links
Media1
Icek Estrajcher