Marcus Hochstein was born on May 22, 1964 in Washington, DC to Joe and Chana. His grandfather was born in Jaffa and his father and grandfather published the 'Jewish Week' in Washington.
Marcus' first trip to Israel was in 1979 when he was 15, on a summer program with Kibbutz Bet Hashita in Emek Yizrael. He returned again in 1980 and wanted to stay but was persuaded to complete his studies in the US. Following his mother's death in 1981 and after completing a semester at the University of Washington, he returned to Israel and began to study at Tel Aviv University. Being a lone student in Israel, he was adopted by the Efroni family on Kibbutz Beit Hashita.
After he knew life in Israel both in the kibbutz and in the city, he also wanted to know life in a development town. He chose Ma'alot and volunteered to stay there and work in a kindergarten. At the end of his volunteer year, Marcus went on a trip to Europe and India. On his way back, he spent some time in the US to organize and help his family when they immigrated to Israel. At the end of 1983, Marcus made aliyah with his father, brother, and sister. In February 1984 he enlisted in the IDF and was assigned to the Paratroopers Brigade, where he underwent basic training, completed a course in Hebrew, took part in a course for armored personnel carriers and went with his unit to operational employment in Lebanon. On March 30, 1985, Marcus was with his unit on a tour of the Nabatiya sector. The patrol surprised a terrorist squad while preparing a roadside bomb. In the exchange of fire with the terrorists, the patrol commander was killed and Marcus was critically wounded. Two days later, on April 1, 1985, Markus died of his wounds in the hospital and was brought to rest in the cemetery on Kibbutz Beit Hashita, leaving behind his father, brother and sister.
