Brief Bio of David Morag (1925-2025) , né Morgenstern
David Morag (4 July 1925 – 6 April 2025), né David Morgenstern, was an Israeli diplomat who served in Israel's Foreign Service between 1962 and 1987.
When Germany invaded Russia in 1941, David’s grandparents, Yehuda and Ita Reiza, tried to flee eastward by train. The grandmother was already in a wheelchair. At one station, the grandfather got off to buy a loaf of bread, and the train departed. He searched for her in vain. He later wrote letters to the family saying money was running out, and all traces of them were eventually lost. It is assumed they died or were murdered in the Holocaust.
This document was recently found in Jerusalem by Keren Morag, David's daughter, and she had the opportunity to interview this person, who has been living in Israel since 1976. Several more documents like this one may be encountered in the coming months.
"Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world"
TALMUD, Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5
David Morag
Since 1948, David Morag served as a voluntary secretary to the Israeli embassy in Rio de Janeiro.
Born 4 July 1925, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as an only child to his late parents Kreina Lerner and Haim Morgenstern. Childhood in the neighborhood of São Cristóvão, Federal District in then Brazilian Capital Rio de Janeiro.
His father Haim Morgenstern was born in the Novoselytsia region, a part of old Bessarabia belonging originally to Bukovina (Austro-Hungarian Empire), that became part of Ukraine/USSR after 1918 , and nowadays has borders with Moldova.
Kreina Lerner, arrived in Brazil in 1924, and met Haim, who had immigrated some years before.
Kreina parents, Yehuda and Ita Reiza Lerner, lived in a small town called Zăbriceni , in Bessarabia, today's Moldavia. They had seven children: five daughters – Kreina, Hannah, Esther, Chava, and Lona, and two sons – Michael and Zvi.
Due to Antisemitism, Kreina's brother Zvi went to Brazil, where he worked and studied medicine. He managed to raise money to send ship tickets to bring the entire family from Bessarabia to Brazil.
The family arrived in Brazil in 1924.
The change in climate adversely affected the grandmother’s health. In 1930, the grandparents returned to the Soviet Union with Esther, who had started studying law there, and Lona, who was a communist.
Zvi, who had finished his medical studies and was a pediatrician, moved to Israel. The letters sent by his uncle Zvi from Israel influenced David deeply to make his Aliyah, i.e., emigrating to Israel.
The son of Dr. Zvi, Yossi Lerner, from Tel Aviv, is the main biographer of the whole family, being responsible for the making and maintenance of the family tree, see below. Zvi's younger son Yehuda, lives in Givatayim, near Tel Aviv.
When Germany invaded Russia in 1941, David’s grandparents, Yehuda and Ita Reiza, tried to flee eastward by train. The grandmother was already in a wheelchair. At one station, the grandfather got off to buy a loaf of bread, and the train departed. He searched for her in vain. He later wrote letters to the family saying money was running out, and all traces of them were eventually lost. It is assumed they died or were murdered in the Holocaust.
This very sad story had a deep impact on David.
David began working in diamond polishing at the age of 15 while also attending a high music school, the Escola Nacional de Música in Rio de Janeiro, where he played the violin.
He also taught chamber music a few hours a week. In the evenings, he studied industrial chemistry for four years.
In 1948, when the State of Israel was established and the Israeli Embassy in Brazil was founded, Honorary Consul Dr. Samuel Malamud (https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Malamud) offered David a job at the consulate. At the time, David was working as a diamond polisher. He worked part-time at the consulate and part-time with diamonds.
He remained at the consulate and embassy for 14 years.
David immigrated to Israel in 1962 at the age of 37. Being an only child and single, his parents joined him. He was immediately accepted into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
David's cousin Yosef Govrin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosef_Govrin), born in Bessarabia, also became a diplomat.
Diplomatic Posts
1969–1973:
First Secretary in the Dominican Republic.
1974–1978: Post in Uruguay (responsible for public diplomacy, culture, and human rights). In this role, he rescued hundreds of Jews imprisoned during the military Junta and helped smuggle them to Israel with laissez-passer permits. This activity continued during his service in Argentina.
1981–1983: Diplomatic posting in Argentina as Counselor Minister.
1984–1987: Ambassador of Israel to Paraguay.
David retired from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987.
For nearly 20 years afterwards, he volunteered on the Ministry’s retirees committee.
This is one of the numerous "laissez-passers" (a document that allows someone to travel or enter a place without needing a passport) issued by David Morag to protect and save many Jewish refugees who managed to flee from Argentina, when he served as the First Secretary of the Israeli consulate in Montevideo (Uruguay).
This document was recently found in Jerusalem by Keren Morag, David's daughter, and she had the opportunity to interview this person, who has been living in Israel since 1976. Several more documents like this one may be encountered in the coming months.
TALMUD, Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5
Personal life
On June 23, 1964, he married Batya Halpern, a Polish Holocaust survivor.
Their first daughter, Ronit, was born on March 27, 1965, followed by Keren on September 2, 1967, and twins Naomi and Ruti on October 15, 1968.
David passed away on April 6, 2025, nearly at the age of 100.
He was married to Batya for over 60 years.
David had four daughters, twelve grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
David was a devoted family man, generous, modest, honest, a real mensch, a true gentleman, and youthful in spirit and soul.
A Zionist who fulfilled his dream of immigrating to Israel and contributing to the country and the Jewish people worldwide.
David Morag 
Some interesting links:
An article (in Hebrew) by historian Efraim Zadoff, in which David Morag is described as one of Israel's diplomats being dedicated to issuing documents to help rescue persecuted jews in South America
Family Tree of the Lerner Rosenthal Family, elaborated by Yossi Lerner, showing David Morag's branch
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