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Liebling family immigrates to Land of Israel – part 3
Members of Liebling family continue to succeed, taking part in country's building and development. In Heftziba they befriend Czech youth group, but are also active in Givat Hashlosha and Tel Aviv. Third article in series
Nadav Man
As mentioned in the two previous articles, the two youngest Liebling brothers – Aryeh and Erwin – were the first family members to immigrate to the Land of Israel in 1936. Erwin immigrated as part of the Aliyat Hanoar movement and arrived at Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha, while Aryeh arrived at Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh, and left to help build the Tel Aviv Port.
Brothers Gustav and Moshe arrived in Israel with their parents on the eve of World War II. In Germany, Moshe had studied to be tooth technician. In Kibbutz Heftziba, he set up a lab which provided services to the Jezreel Valley's residents.
The brothers gathered in Heftziba, helped operate the lab and befriended a group of Czech youth who arrived at the kibbutz.
As there is no documentation of the photos prepared by Erwin, I turned to my friend Giora Salus, one of the first sons of Heftziba, for help. It turns out that Giora's mother was the youth group's caretaker, and his remarks are presented here in the photo captions.
If any of our readers have any details about the photos from Givat Hashlosha, please let us know through the talkback application.
 1. Hapoel gathering, May 1, 1939. Marine section by the shores of the Yarkon River
2. 'Sea group' near the Yarkon, 1941
3. 'Sea group' near the Yarkon, 1941. On the right (marked): Aryeh
4. Heftziba, 1943, Wentz House. According to Giora Salus, "This is Richard Steiner's house (Wentz House). It was the first time a Kibbutz Movement member, who was a kibbutz resident, built his house with his own money.
"Steiner (who was nicknamed 'Wentz' by Heftziba's children) was a Czech Jew from the city of Carlsbad, who came from a family of rich wood craftsmen. He also won the lottery in his homeland.
"In 1928, the owner of the valley's lands, Christian-Lebanese Sursok, decided to sell the remaining lands. At the time, the Jewish National Fund did not have enough money to purchase the land and decided to let it go. Heftziba members found out that the church on Mount Tabor had decided to buy the land from Sursok, and decided to make an effort to prevent the purchase.
"Among the people they turned to was their friend Steiner, who was known to be a proud Zionist. On the eve of the purchase he transferred the required sum of money to the JNF, preventing the church from buying the land.
"Steiner immigrated to Israel in 1938 and asked to live next to his friends in Heftziba. He was given a special permit to build his home in the kibbutz. In Israel, Steiner helped (early pioneer Yehoshua) Hankin purchase lands. He died in the kibbutz in 1961. His wife Friedel died in 2004, at the age of 101."
5. Heftziba, the hut I lived in (sheds brought in the early 1940s for youth groups living in the kibbutz)
6. Heftziba, "holiday grass." (This is where the old dining hall hut stood. Today, its floor is used as a stage for shows)
7. Heftziba, 1943. View from Mount Gilboa
8. Heftziba, 1943, the clinic. (The joint Heftziba-Beit Alfa clinic, on the border between the two communities. The hut no longer exists)
9. Members of the Czech youth group working in the kitchen
10. Members of the Czech youth group
11. The Czech youth group near their residence. To this day the place is called Beit Hanoar ("youth house")
12. The youth group, on its way to the vegetable garden
13. The dining hall. On the left, wearing glasses, is Raphael Ernest Salus
, Giora's father, one of the founders of Heftziba
14. Alfred and Frush on the dining hall stairs
15. In the kibbutz garage, a tractor brought in 1928. Fixing it: Frush, Alfred and Paul Drucker
16. In Givat Hashlosha, 1936-1938
17. Erwin in his hut in Givat Hashlosha
I would like to thank Giora Salus for his help in preparing this article.
- For all trips to the past – click here
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