Zvi Guershoni
ItalyEarly Life and Education
Zvi Gershoni (née Ersch Pinkenzon) was born in 1915 in Bălți, Romania, to Yaakov and Esther Pinkenzon. He completed his education at a cheder (Jewish religious elementary school) and the Hebrew-language Tarbut Jewish gymnasium in his hometown. During his high school years, he became an active member of the Maccabi and Gordonia Zionist youth organizations. He later served on the central committee of the settlement organization HaChalutz and became a leader of Gordonia in Romania.
Aliyah and Early Career
In 1936, Gershoni immigrated to Palestine (later Israel) and worked in agriculture in the Rehovot area. From 1937 to 1943, he worked at the Haifa port (residing in Sabinya). He also attended the Faculty of Economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Kibbutz and Political Involvement
In 1943, Gershoni co-founded Kibbutz Nir-Am in the Negev desert. After World War II, he served as an emissary to displaced persons camps in Europe. As a member of the leadership of the Mapai Labor Party, he was elected to the Knesset (Israeli parliament) twice, serving from 1969 to 1976.
Personal Life
In 1938, Gershoni married Hana Ruthkova (later known as Gershoni), who was born in Orhei in 1919. Hana published a memoir of her early life with her husband titled "My Life Path," which was translated into Russian in 2009.
