Mendel Isidore was the son of Isidore Mendel and Eva Trachtenberg (nee Lyons). He was born on the 25th of Sivan 5642 (June 12, 1882) in the St. Giles neighborhood of London. His siblings were Henry Leon, Rachel Lev and Reginald Alexander. His father was an insurance broker who had immigrated to England from Russia.
Mendel was a student at the Latimer School and later on at St. John’s College at Cambridge University where he graduated with honors in 1904, receiving a degree in mathematics. On November 4, 1913, Mendel married Jenny Pauline Luxemberg. As a statistician, he became a member of the “Royal Statisticians Society”. Besides practicing his profession, he was interested in literature, specifically poetry, debating, amateur acting and was also a participant in the opera class at the “School of Music” at Trinity College.
When the plan to recruit people for the British Army during WWI was adopted in 1915, Mendel declared that he was prepared to enlist for military service; however, in reality, he was only called up in 1918. He then volunteered to join the “Jewish Legion” (five battalions of Jewish volunteers in the British Army who fought against the Ottoman Empire during WWI). The idea of creating this group of volunteers was conceived by Pinchas Rutenberg, Dov Ber Borochov and Zev Jabotinsky but carried out by Jabotinsky and Joseph Trumpeldor. Mendel was assigned to the 39th Regiment of the “Royal Fusiliers”. Having joined this regiment, Mendel was sent to Egypt to prepare for the forthcoming assault on the Ottomans in Palestine. Mendel fought in Jericho and in the battle to conquer As-Salt on the east side of the Jordan River.
During the beginning of October 1918, the regiment participated in a grueling campaign, hiking from As-Salt to Jerusalem. Many of the soldiers came down with malaria, among them Mendel. He was hospitalized in the Italian Hospital in Jerusalem where he passed away on October 12, 1918. He was thirty-six at the time. He was buried at the British Military Cemetery on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. He was survived by his wife who was living in London at the time.
Mendel’s name was memorialized at the “Legion House” on Moshav Avichayil
In Israel and in the “Yizkor Book” (memorial book) published by the Jabotinsky Institute.
The details of his life also appear in part on the Yizkor site of the Defense Ministry.
The story of Mendel Isidore Trachtenberg’s life was investigated and completed in 2018 by the volunteers of “Giving a Face to the Fallen”.
Doron Leitner, volunteer for “Giving a Face to the Living”
Carmi Harel, volunteer for “Giving a Face to the Living”
Roni Bart, Linguistics Editor, volunteer for “Giving a Face to the Living”
פרטי חייו של מנדל איזידור טרכטנברג וקורות חייו מופיעים באופן חלקי, באתר יזכור של משרד הביטחון.
סיפורו נחקר והושלם בשנת 2018, על ידי מתנדבי "לתת פנים לנופלים".