There are over 400 personal stories on this website. Please use the SEARCH bars in order to find names of interest to you. If you are are aware of missing names or you have stories to contribute please use the CONTACT menu at the top or the FORM at the bottom of each page.
Sam Back was born on 23rd June 1924 in Philadelphia to Joseph and Frieda Back. His father, Joseph, was a fifth-generation Palestinian who
Arthur was born in New York City and moved to Washington DC at the age of four. He graduated from the Theodore Roosevelt
By J. Wandres Part IA far better shipping companyIn January 1947 Danny Schind, mastermind of the Mossad le Aliyah Bet’s ship procurement project,
MACHAL MEMORIAL SERVICE AT THE MACHAL MONUMENT YITZHAK RABIN FOREST, SHA’AR HAGAI, ON YOM HAZICHARON, MONDAY, 15TH APRIL, 2013 Rabba Judith Endelman-Green
When Barney was 22-years-old he served in the U.S. Air Force in the European theatre, which operated in England. In 1948 he interrupted
MAX (MICHAEL) FISHMAN By Eddy Kaplansky Max Fishman was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts and brought up in a traditional Jewish home with Zionist
DAVID GERARD (GOLDSTEIN) Dave Gerard in his U.S. Navy uniform Dave Gerard was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1943 he
JACK GOLDSTEIN By Eddy Kaplansky Jack Goldstein in the Royal Canadian Air Force Jack Goldstein joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942
JACK OLFMAN Jack Olfman (right) with his brother Mickey At the outbreak of World War II, Jack volunteered and enlisted in the Canadian
ELKAN LEVITAN Although an Air Force’s heroes are sure to be found among its fliers, heroics are not necessarily their exclusive domain. A
STEWART ROBERT (ROB) SPRUNG Rob Stewart in Geneva By Eddy Kaplansky Stewart Robert Sprung, better known as Rob throughout his lifetime, was born
EMMANUEL (WINGY) WEINSTEIN (AKA LUKAS VONGARD) Wingy in the Royal Canadian Navy Manny Weinstein was four-years-old when his family emigrated from Poland to
GOODWIN LEE Goodwin Lee, a non-Jewish American and first commander of Israel’s Aerial Photography Unit, had served in an aerial interpretation unit of
SAMUEL BOSHES Eddy Kaplansky Sam Boshes in 1948 I first met Sam late in June 1948 at the Galei Yam restaurant on Tel
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Denny Wilson was one of 15 non-Jewish Canadian pilots to serve in the Israel Air Force during
A native of Winnipeg, Canada, Ben was brought up in a traditional Jewish home and took a keen interest in Jewish studies.
By Saul Yellin (Sidney’s brother) Sidney grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and went into the Merchant Marines at the age of 16. When
By Harold Katz Together, Hugh and I left our studies at the Harvard Law School in 1947 to volunteer for Aliyah Bet and
In June of 1948 I arrived in the State of Israel with my husband Joe Heckelman. Based on his navy experience in World
Why I volunteered for Israel in 1948 Sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper, it’s a daunting project to cover more
In December 1945, when I arrived home after World War II, I was determined to normalize my life, and enrolled in the University
In the winter of 1947/48 I was helping to build a new house at the Hechalutz farm in Hightstown, New Jersey, since the
As a single, 21-year-old registered nurse with a specialty in operating room nursing, I was “signed on” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1948 to
