Sister of ex-soldier appeals for Star of David on relative’s war grave

The sister of a Jewish signalman who was killed in the Second World War has written to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in the hope that a Star of David will be put on his grave.

Sylvia Gold, from Liverpool, has appealed on behalf of her late brother Jacob Sorsky, who enlisted in the Merchant Navy using the alias Drummond. He was killed on 25 March 1942 while serving in the Australian Corps of Signals.

Jacob had wanted to go to Australia despite being only 14 years of age, so he lied about his date of birth and religion, saying he was Roman Catholic.

He is buried in Springvale Botanical Cemetery in Melbourne, but his gravestone is blank, not marked with a Magen David (Star of David). The Commission said it was “his choice” not to be considered Jewish.

With the help of Jewish military historian Martin Sugarman, Gold has now requested that the Commission mark his grave “with the sign of our people”.

Writing with the blessing of her surviving brothers Peter, Solomon and Philip Sorsky, she said: “Many Jews enlisted as Church of England or Roman Catholic to avoid harassment. That is a matter of record.”

She added: “As his surviving family we are very, very angry that this row continues and demand you place the Star of David on his headstone and take this letter as completing the final verification of who he really was.”