To Be an Anchor and a Safe Haven for Them: The life history of Mordechai Ressell, Jewish man who saved Jews

"The broad historical perspective, surveying from a distance the continuum of time and space, cast a light of heroism and self-sacrifice on the deeds of Mordechai and of all those engaged in the rescue of Jews throughout Romania." This book unfolds the life story of the late Mordechai Ressell, a man of the land and a man of letters, broad in knowledge and spirit. From his childhood in Arad, Transylvania, through the heroic efforts he and his companions undertook to rescue Jews during the Holocaust, and on to the building of a family with his wife Esther at the Nir Etzion farm, the book traces a life shaped by courage, responsibility, and vision. Mordechai's wide-ranging endeavors were guided by a deep sense of mission and a strong commitment to the values of Judaism and Zionism. In the literary and journalistic writing that accompanied his public activity, he saw a moral and social calling. He carried with him the pain of the disaster of the immigrant ship Mefkura, which sank in the Black Sea, and embarked on a personal journey to lift the memory of its victims from the depths of oblivion into the forefront of national remembrance. Ruti Dafna-Ressell, the daughter of Mordechai Ressell, worked for many years in education and cognitive coaching for youth. She is the author of two children's books and a book for parents and educators. This is her fourth book, in which a deep emotional connection is formed with both family history and national memory. Through a unique blend of documentation, poetic expression, and spirit, this work seeks to illuminate chapters of personal and collective remembrance.