Prisoners of Zion. 1941, page 2.

Born in 1906 in Kovno, Lithuania, he appealed to the Soviet authorities for permission to emigrate to Erets Israel in 1941. Imprisoned for 7 years, he continued his struggle but was unsuccessful until 1971 when he finally succeeded in getting to Israel.

Born in 1914 in Janziv, Poland, he joined “He-Shachar”. After demobilization he was appointed vice-commander of the Soldiers Union, which was struggling for the boycott of German goods. When WW2 started he escaped to Lutsk, Belorussia.but was arrested there. On his release he moved to Turkmenistan, hoping to cross the Iranian border and reach Erets Israel. He was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment followed by 5 years exile. He served his sentence in Vostulag and was exiled to the Ural, Krasnojarsk, Turinsk, Potma and Tavda. He was finally freed in 1951 as a Polish citizen and returned to Poland in 1956. He reached Israel in the same year.

Born in 1923 in Kovno, Lithuania, he was a member of Beitar till 1940. Having tried to cross the USSR-Iran border in an attempt to reach Erets Israel, he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for high treason. Two fellow group members, Mordechai Glaida & Baruch Levin were shot. Jacob, in trying to escape from the labour camp, was caught and had to serve out his sentence in Turinsk, Novosibirsk and Vostulag. Freed in 1954, he was unable to reach Israel till 1971. He continues his Zionist activity in the Jewish Agency where he helps in the absorbtion of those who followed him on Aliyah.

Born in 1915 in Kovno, Lithuania, he joined Beitar as a youth and became one of the Lithuanian Beitar leaders. His poems in Hebrew were published in Lithuanian magazines. After being arrested in 1941, he was accused of Zionist activities and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment followed by 6 years exile to the Akmolinsk region. Freed in 1957, he managed to get to Israel in 1966. He made a significant contribution to the Diaspora Zionist Movement’s history by collecting biographical documents connected to Prisoners of Zion from different countries.

Born in 1913 in Koltinan, Lithuania, he became a member both “Ha-Zionim Ha-Klalim” and “Gesher”. At the beginning of WW2 he escaped to the USSR, was arrested while trying to cross the border of USSR with Iran in an attempt to reach Erets Israel and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in the labour camps of Krasnogorsk and Igarka. Exiled to Siberia for 5 years, in 1951, he later returned to Lithuania and got to Israel in 1969.

Born in 1919 in Rezekne, Latvia, he was a member of Beitar from an early age. In 1941 was arrested while trying to cross the border of USSR with Afganistan in an attempt to reach Erets Israel. Sentenced in 1942 to 10 years imprisonment followed by 5 years exile, he served his sentence in various camps and his exile in the Krasnojarsk region. Released in 1956 he continued illegal Zionist activities in Riga. His appeals to the authorities for a visa to Israel were refused, in spite of the efforts of world-famous persons. He was finally successful in 1967 and helped in the establishment of the Prisoners of Zion Association.

Born in 1914 in Otian, Lithuania, he became a Beitar member in his youth. Arrested in 1941, he was accused of Zionist activities and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in the Krasnojarsk labour camp. Released in 1954, he reached Israel in 1971, died in 1993.

Born in 1895 in Kaporeshti, Bessarabia, he was a Zionist activist for more than 50 years including 4 years as chairman of the Kishinev Jewish community. Arrested in 1941, he was released in 1955, managed to get to Israel in 1971 where he died in 1979. His name is inscribed in the J.N.F Golden Book for his public and Zionist activities.

Born in 1905 in Vilkovisski, Lithuania, he became a member of several Zionist movements including “Pirchei Zion”, “Tsairei Zion”, “He-Haluts”, “Zionim Klaliim”, collecting donations for Keren Kayemet. Arrested in 1941, he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment followed by 2 years exile, which he served in the Krasnojarsk work camp. Released in 1947, he returned to Vilno, and finally got to Israel in 1970.

Born in 1908 in Sato-Maro, Romania, he was a member of “Hashmonaim” from 1926 to 1940 while also being a member of the students’ Zionist leadership from 1932-1934, in Romania. Arrested in 1941, he was exiled to Siberia till 1947. From 1947-1955 he was sent to labour camps and then later exiled for an additional 2 years. Finally freed in 1957, he got permission to go to Israel in 1958. Died in 1977.

Born in 1929 in Lithuania, he was a Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsair member from childhood. His father being an active Zionist, the whole family was arrested in 1941, exiled to Siberia.and prevented from returning to Vilna till 1960. He finally got to Israel in 1971.

Born in 1927 in Lithuania, she was a member of Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsair from childhood. Her father was an active Zionist so in 1941 the whole family was arrested & expelled to Siberia. They didn’t get permission to return to Vilna till 1960, or to go to Israel until 1971.

Born in Liuchin, Latvia in 1886, he studied in Yeshiva and joined the movement of Hertzl followers. He worked as a teacher in a Jewish school in his native town and joined Beitar in 1923. He was a faithful follower of Jabotinski all his life and was elected a delegate of the Zionist Congress in Basel as the Latvian representative of the Revisionist Movement in 1931. In 1941 he was arrested, accused of Zionism and exiled with his family to Vatlag, in the Kirovsk region. Died on 31 March 1942.

Born in 1895 in Lithuania, she was an active member of Zionist movements together with her husband, Aharon Gimzo. Arrested and exiled with her family to the Kirovsk region in 1941, she was released in 1957 and finally got to Israel in 1971. Died in 1980.

Born in 1916 in Radzimin, Poland, to a religious family, he joined Beitar at the age of 14 and was an active member of “Ha-Tshar”, struggling for a boycott of German goods to Poland. Escaping to the USSR after the German occupation, he was arrested in 1941, accused of Zionism, of anti-Soviet activities, of spying for Germany and of memebership of the Josef Trumpeldor organization. He was sentenced to 10 year imprisonment in the Karaganda labour camp, where he continued his Zionist activities. Released in 1948, returned to Poland after the USSR-Poland agreement and joined the Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsair movement, organizing groups in preparation to go to Israel. Managed to get to Israel in 1949, where he became the secretary of Herut in Haifa between 1955-1962 and a member of the Nesher local council in 1958 till 1962. He also worked as a representative in the Sochnut and in Bituach Leumi.

Born in 1910 in Warsaw, but moved, with his family, to Riga, Latvia. As an active member of “Folkshaim” he helped the “Erets Israel” organisation in make false passports for people who wanted to get to Erets Israel. He was both a parliamentary secretary to Mordechai Dubin, the Jewish deputy of the Latvian Saeima, and also the editor of the Yiddish newspaper “Haint”. Arrested and accused of Zionism in 1941, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and permanent exile to the Solikamsk region in the Urals. Moved to Krasnojarsk in 1951and was freed in 1956 when he returned to Riga, continuing his Zionist activities, this time in collaboration with the Israeli Embassy in Moscow. He finally got to Israel in 1968.

Born in Rovno, Poland, he was one of “Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsair” leaders in his town and participated in Zionist activities. After the Soviet occupation, he joined the illegal organisation “Dror” and was arrested in 1941. He died in 1945 in the Kazan labour camp.

Born in 1922 in Warsaw, he joined the “Gordonia” movement as a child. After the Soviet occupation, he escaped to the USSR with the intention of crossing the border with Afganistan to reach Erets Israel. Arrested and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, he was freed in 1945 and returned to Poland. He got to Israel in 1948.

Born in 1920 in Kovno, Lithuania, she was a member of Beitar but was banished to Siberia with her mother & brother in 1941. Returning to Lithuania in 1946, she tried to escape to Erets Israel with the help of the Ha-Bricha organization. Denounced to the KGB in 1952, she and her mother were sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, which they served in the Pechora labour camp. Released in 1957, she got to Israel in 1971. She died in 1980.