Holocaust survivor, kibbutz founder, and builder of the land: Eli Mandel passes away at 104

Eli Mandel, one of Israel's oldest Holocaust survivors and a founder of Kibbutz Mabbikim, passed away at the age of 104. Born in Targu Mures, he was sent to a forced labor camp, escaped, was imprisoned, and was liberated thanks to the underground. He immigrated to Israel in 1948, worked until age 93, and devoted his later years to imparting Holocaust memory to the younger generation.

Eli Mandel, one of Israel's oldest Holocaust survivors and a founder of Kibbutz Mabbikim, passed away at the age of 104. Mandel was born in March 1922 in Targu Mures, Transylvania (Romania). At age 14, he joined the 'Young Zionist' movement and helped absorb Jewish refugees as the war began. When the area came under Hungarian control, he was sent to a forced labor camp in Komorna, Slovakia. In 1944, his family members were gathered for trains to extermination camps, but he managed to escape, was caught and imprisoned in Budapest, and was released thanks to the activities of the pioneering underground, finding refuge in the 'Glass House'. After the war, he located his sister, met his future wife Eva, and together they moved to Italy with the Jewish Brigade. In 1948, they immigrated to Israel, and he was among the founders of Kibbutz Mabbikim in the south. He then worked for decades at the Agricultural Research Administration (Volcani Institute), and later in industry until age 93. In his later years, he was a central figure in the 'Amcha' association in Rehovot, met with students and youth, participated in testimony theater projects, and imparted Holocaust memory to future generations. He left behind a large family, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.