Moshe (Konrad) Bein

Able Seaman, S.S. Har Zion
Died 31 Aug 1940
Commemorated at Tower Hill Memorial
Age 18


Moshe was born in 1921 in Magdeburg, Germany, the only son of Arthur and Anna. When the Nazi’s came to power the family immigrated to Bat Galim, Haifa in Israel. When Moshe graduated from school he joined the navy and worked on the ship Atid. After gaining his Israeli citizenship where he listed his profession as a sailor he was fired from his job on the Atid and joined the crew of the Ha Zion.

On the out break of war the ship joined the British war effort. At 06.15 hours on 31 August 1940 the ship left Liverpool with 1000 cases of spirit and 120 tons of fertiliser to travel to the USA. The Har Zion was attacked by U-boat, U-38 which fired two torpedoes amidships and ship sank north west of Ireland. The master and thirty five crew were killed. The only survivor Osman Adem was rescued the next day.

Moshe’s father, who was a lawyer in Germany, was paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. The news of their son’s death was unbearable and sadly his parents both committed suicide by taking poison.

Izkor – Private Moshe-Konrad Bayn

Courtesy www.izkor.gov.il