 Laborers at that group remember Alexander as the crazy guy who after a long working day would march around the encampment reciting Russian poetry while others were entirely worn out trying to rest.When Alexander fell ill with Malaria, he was sent to the hospital in Tel Aviv and fell in love with the nurse, which later became his wife, Rebecca Volkenstein (b. Chita, Siberia, 1897–1981).Rebecca herself was active in establishing the Hadassah Nursing School in Tel Aviv; she was the head nurse in that school and after moving to Jerusalem continued to work in Hadassah Medical Center and in other care centers until her 80s.