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In a final effort to collect several delinquent
2002 annual dues accounts one
of our regional vice presidents encountered
a reaction occasionally raised:
"What do we get for our AVI dues?"
As we approach the dispatch of
2003 dues invoices it is tempting to respond
to that question. As background,
we have not increased the annual dues
for 2003. But we do anticipate a modest
deficit created by the global expansion
of the quarterly AVI Newsletter,
which has become a major ingredient,
and a welcomed one, in the AVI program.
Compared to annual dues for
other organizations – Jewish communal;
veterans; alumni; professional association;
and others in which AVI members
are involved, which run as high as
$100, our dues are arguably modest.

Foremost is affiliation in a unique organization
of men and women who
served as volunteers in Israel's Independence
War. We are a band of sisters and
brothers who share a precious experience.
There is no comparable institution
in the global panorama of Jewish
organizations outside Israel. And as
Bernie Marks (First Mate HAGANA and
EXODUS) put it so emotionally: "For
most of us, there has been no greater
experience in our lives."
Additionally AVI provides periodic
opportunities during the year for coming
together in the U.S. and Israel to remember
together – to share memories
of the unique experience – to enjoy

UNITED STATES & CANADIAN VOLUNTEERS
136 East 39th St., New York, N.Y. 10016

FALL 2002

continued on Page 10

Following the three-year old presidential
sequence arrangement, Paul
Kaye will succeed to the AVI presidency
for the year 2003. He succeeds
Eli Bergman who has held the position
during 2002.
The incoming AVI President, Paul
Kaye, is a native New Yorker. After serving
in the US Navy, he was recruited
by Haganah in 1947 and served as an
officer on the 'Hatikvah'. He was captured
by the British and detained in
Cyprus. While being transferred from
Cyprus to Haifa, he and other 'Palyam'
members sank the British prison ship,
'Empire Lifeguard'.
Transferred to the Athlit internment
camp, he escaped and served
with the Haganah in France. He returned
to the U.S. and sailed on the
'Galila' in 1948. He then joined the Israel
Navy as a member of the newly
formed 'Seal' unit, 'Shayetet Shlosh
Esray'.
Paul served with the Israel Consulate
during the Six-Day War and the
Israel Defense Ministry during the
Yom Kippur War.
He married to Susan Turner in 1997
and, between them they have five children
and ten grandchildren.
Paul is a frequent and acclaimed
speaker on behalf of Israeli causes.

Should membership in AVI continue to
be restricted to those who served in the
War of Independence or should membership
be opened to those who served in
Israel's subsequent wars? The AVI Planning
Committee proposed opening membership
to the wider group and the Summer
2002 Newsletter submitted this question
to the AVI membership. Pro and con statements
on the issue preceded a ballot.
Sidney Rabinovich tallied the ballots and
he reported that 22 had voted against, 12
voted for and 5 supported tabling the
question pending a survey of possible
candidates for membership. Thus, the proposal
did not carry.
Ballots were accepted through August
30 (through September 3 for those overseas).
Some ballots of members who had
not paid dues were voided. This did not
apply to Israeli members and surviving
relatives of deceased members who are
dues exempt. In all, fewer than 20% of the
eligible members availed themselves of
the vote.
Voters were invited to return their ballots
along with comments. The comments
that were collected reflect a sentiment
about the organization. Following are
some of the expressed sentiments:
"I was interested to read the AVI Newsletter
but saddened by the tone taken by the
writers concerning the Referendum. It is
flogging a dead horse to remind ourselves
that our numbers decrease but to increase them spuriously makes no sense…When I
was given the possibility of joining the Israeli army I was conscious that this was a privilege
and jumped at the chance. For me there was no other way for a Jew to act. I was
only doing my duty and avenging those who died without being able to defend themselves
as well as securing a possible future for all Jews... However, just lately when it
finally sunk in that the number of volunteers was only 3-4,000, I was chilled at the paucity.
This fact made us heroes…Our children are but a small band and they could form,
they and their descendants, the most exclusive club in the world: the sons and daughters
of Machal…"
Mathilde Strassman, Brussels

continued on Page 2

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

PRESIDENT:
Elihu "Eli" Bergman
(eli819@aol.com)

NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT:
David Kaplan*
VICE PRESIDENT ISRAEL:
David Baum
VICE PRESIDENT CANADA:
Jerry Rosenberg
VICE PRESIDENT PUBLIC AFFAIRS:
Sidney Rabinovich
TREASURER:
David Gerard
CHAIR, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Simon Spiegelman
(spiegelsi@aol.com)
REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS U.S.:
Eastern: Arthur Bernstein
Southern: Irving Meltzer
Western: Mitchell Flint
PROGRAM DIRECTORS:
Archives: Ralph Lowenstein
Newsletter and Internet:
Samuel Klausner
(sklausner@ucwphilly.rr.com)
Planning: David Gutmann
Speakers Bureau: Naomi Kantey
Local Programming: Bailey Nieder
*Deceased

2

After the invasion of Poland by the German Army on September 1,1939, the first
massacre of Jews in occupied Poland occurred in my hometown Krasnosielc. There, 50
prominent Jews, among them my father Chaim Himelfarb (of blessed memory), were
murdered by the SS on the 5th of September 1939, in the town's synagogue. Following
this tragic event, my family was expelled by the Germans to the Soviet Zone of occupied
Poland. Seven months later we were again expelled, now by the NKVD to a family
gulag at the northern region of Russia. While a refugee in Russia, I volunteered and was
accepted as a cadet in the Polish Military Academy in exile. At the end of the war I
returned to Poland, and from there, after the Kielce pogrom I left for France.
In 1948, while studying at the Ort School for Electronics in Paris, war broke out between
Israel and the Arab countries. I felt that I could not live with my conscience at
such a crucial time if I did not join the fight for Israel's independence. I got in touch with
the representatives of the Haganah in Paris, and was mobilized. As I was a temporary
French citizen, I was put into a unit with Machal (Volunteers from Abroad). I was given
to understand that after the war I could return to France and continue my studies.
We spent two weeks in a training camp in Marseilles and were then flown to Israel
as newspaper correspondents. This was in order to pass inspection by UN personnel. In
Haifa we were classified according to our individual skills and know-how. I did not
mention my technical background so that I would be classified as a "fighter". I was sent
with other volunteers to Kfar Yonah to train with the Palmach which planned to reinforce
the Negev Brigade.
Attached to the 8th Battalion of the Palmach, we were smuggled into the blockaded
Negev through Beer Yaakov. Our assignment was to guard the water line and
protect Negev settlements. In the end we were sent to an army post at Bir Asluj. There
were about 80-100 volunteers from France and North Africa in the Negev Battalion, in
a combat unit called –"Commando Francais" under the command of French (non Jewish)
Colonel Diffre Thadee. (Later he adopted a Hebrew name, Teddy Eytan.) Communicontinued
on Page 3
continued on Page16

"…I oppose the motion to open membership to veterans of other wars to be called
Machals. We must not change or confuse history. We came to fight for the Jews to have
a Home Land after nearly 2000 years. Among us were non-Jews who also died for the
Birth of Israel…Please do send the AVI Newsletter…"
Sidney Jacobs, London
"…I served in the War of Independence form June 1948 until May 1949, no gun in my
hand nor action did I see, bust was attached to Shin Mem 2 intercepting Arab army
messages, an essential but unglamorous part of warfare, our commander was not less
than Chaim Hertzog, later, of course, President of Israel.
I read with interest the arguments leading to your ballot. At a meeting of British
Machal not long after the Six-day war a similar proposal was made to us by the
repr3eentative of the Israeli Ambassador in London. I opposed the idea then as I do
now. My grounds for opposing were very simple. In 1948 not every Jew in the world
was a supportive of the State of Israel as they are today, a few of us believed that this
was our final chance to survive as a people and nation, we made a contract (unspoken)
between us that we would at least show the world that we could no longer let others
decide whether we should live or die. I believe we were special not in a boastful sense,
but because we felt we had no other choice. For those that came after us and served
Israel in later conflicts, I have the greatest admiration, long may they live and flourish…"
Stanley Summers, Thorpe Bay, Essex
"Who are we? When we arrived in Israel we swore allegiance to the State of Israel. I was
Sidney Fersht serial number 76490. Ever since I learned of the acronym Machal mean-

Referendum and Sentiment
continued from Page 2

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

3

Machal
continued from Page 2
continued on Page 4

cation and combat commands were in
French. Some of the men had served in
the "Maquis" (the French resistance movement
against the German occupation
forces) during the World War II. Although
I had come from France, at that time, I was
not in the "Commando" for a long period,
and I joined the 8th Palmach Batttalion
under the command of Major Chaim Bar
Lev (later Lieutenant General Bar Lev – IDF
Chief of Staff ). Subsequently, we were at
army posts ("mishlatim)", where most of
the soldiers were Machal and Gachal
people. Only the commanders were from
the Palmach. As there was no common
language between the French speaking
soldiers and their Hebrew speaking commanders
and, since I knew Hebrew from
my home in Poland, and French from my
stay in France , I was among the few who
could translate.
Subsequently, I went sent to a course
for mortar men at Kibbutz Nirim, which
had been destroyed during the Egyptian
invasion in May 1948. I was responsible for
a 3 inch mortar (without sights), one of the
few mortars in the Negev. This mortar later
contributed significantly in the effort to
block the Ouja-Beer Sheba road, blocking
Egyptian reinforcement forces during the
capture of Beer Sheba.
After the "Ouvdah" campaign (capture
of Eilat) which was the last campaign of
the Independence War, I was transferred
to the Communication Corps and was
sent to a refresher course for communication
technicians at Sharona near Bnei
Braq. At the end of the course, I was put
in charge of the communication laboratory
of the Negev Brigade at Beer Sheba,
until I was demobilized at the end of 1949.
Instead of returning to France to continue
my studies, I went to live in Haifa and
worked at the Navy's central laboratory
for radar, sonar and other electronic
equipment. Later, I volunteered to help
new immigrants in the northern town of
Kiryat Shemona, teaching young people
electricity and electronics so as to provide
them with the technical knowledge
needed to help develop the town. I remained
there for seven years, and then
joined one of companies of the Israel Aircraft
Industries engaged in weapon development
('Gabriel" sea-to-sea missile
system). Later, I served in Italy as the representative
of the Israel Aircraft Industries.
After a number of years as the director
of a commercial company I retired but
still continued to participate in a variety
of volunteer activities. I was the initiator
and driving force in helping to establish
a memorial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem
for Jewish soldiers who served in the Polish
Armies during World War II. For this, I
was decorated with a medal and nominated
to Officer Rank by the Polish Prime
Minister. I served in the IDF Reserve forces
until I was 55-years old.
Today, I am engaged in helping the
World Machal Committee in its efforts to
obtain long overdue official recognition
from the Israel Defense Ministry for the
significant contribution of Machal volunteers
during Israel's War of Independence.

116 Uziel Street, Ramat-Gan 52302, ISRAEL
Tel/Fax: 972-3-573-2348
E-mail: sh_david@zahav.net.il

Zipporah Porath has included his
name in the list of "Some Outstanding Officers"
in FOCUS on Israel/ MACHAL -Overseas
Volunteers, a pamphlet published by
the Foreign Ministry's Israel Information
Center in May 1999, updated 2000 (appeared
in French in July 1999), available
at Israel's Diplomatic Missions.
(www.mfa.gov.il) In the IDF he was promoted
to Sgan Aluf = Lt. Colonel. Here's
what it says:

I returned to Tel Aviv on a pressing
matter. While there I was invited by

machal to join them in celebrating Rosh
Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). At Café
Ginati there was a large gathering of foreign
volunteers. Discussions were in all
imaginable languages. What a Tower of
Babel! The Sephardim had also organized
an event for French speakers and promised
wine and cake that assured a large
audience. Aspirants to the office of the
Chief Rabbi spoke and, to my surprise, I
was asked to speak representing the soldiers.
There I was representing Jewish volunteers
on a platform to the right of the
Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv. I didn=t hesitate.
There were hardly any people here who
would know that I was a Christian and I
launched into an explanation of OUR effort,
OUR achievements, OUR enthusiasm
for OUR future. It was a great success! That
is to say, since I bore the name of one of
the twelve Apostles I would have to admit
it...
At Tselim, a major council of war met.
Everybody was here including the higher
officers of the department of operations
and of the Southern front, of the 8th and
11th brigades, everybody was here. Maps

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

4 Machal continued on Page 5
Machal
continued from Page 3

were everywhere, on the walls, on the
tables, on the floor; piles of half opened
boxes. Things were passed around quickly
amidst an unbelievable swarming of
jeeps, trucks, and feverish activity at every
level. Doubtless, an attack was being
readied. Another truce was in the offing
and Beer-Sheba must be taken before it
begins. Beer-Sheba is the capital of the
Negev. The city is well-situated to control
the routes which allow the Egyptians to
maintain contact with the Arab Legion
and the Iraqi army; it is a cross-road for all
convoys to Hebron, Jerusalem and the
Dead Sea; it is a transit center for northsouth
traffic; it is a base for the bedouin
tribes that criss-cross the Negev. Its 4000
inhabitants have been evacuated and a
battalion of Egyptians, supported by rebel
groups and some artillery, is garrisoned
there.
This would not be a small matter since
aerial photos showed anti-tank ditches
backed by a system of trenches and blockhouses
entirely surrounding the city. Besides,
at the center of the city was a fortress
that could accommodate a major
force and on its southern flank a railway
station transformed into a citadel forming
bastions that would be difficult to dislodge.
Finally, the city is modern with large
streets at right angles making any houseto-
house action dangerous.
The first group would include the
mechanized battalion 9, a battalion of infantry,
commandos and two canons
mounted on armored platforms that had
been captured by the Israelis. Other
equipment and personnel will be held in
reserve for use as needed.
I am ready for the order for the operation
to begin. All of the forces have arrived
in the south. The reserve units assumed
position on the heights which, at a distance
of three kilometers to the south and
west dominate the town. The first echelon
is prepared to begin the attack from the
north. The mobile machine guns are stationed
on a knoll in a hamlet a kilometer
from the tank traps. The plan is for the
commandos to infiltrate the outer defenses
entering the town and occupying
the first two blocks of houses... At the
same time three tanks of the 8th brigade
will move in front of the minefields to the
southeast of the town to create a diversion.
When the first objective is obtained
and an access cleared of mines opened
mobile machine guns will enter in front
of an infantry battalion to relive the commandos.
In this way, reinforced by the
mobile machine guns, and, if necessary, by
the canons the commandos would proceed
toward the two strong points and
attack them while the infantry clears the
town and assure protection of their rear.
At 1800 hours aerial bombardment would
begin and would end at 2300 hours. H
hour in 23:15.
I was placed in charge of the operation
in the interior of Beer-Sheba. I had
one extra radio for long distance communication
with the General Staff and the
mortar detachment that was ready to fire
when ordered. The radio arrived on
Zeev=s back. He was a big read-head with
a good sense of humor and imperturbable.
I placed Dov in charge of the radio.
(There follows a description of delays in beginning
the attack that had been planned
for nighttime over a five-hour period. Diffre
feared a massacre were they to attack in
daylight. At this time only three hours of
dark remained.)

It was 0340. We had been stopped for
four minutes with the column taking
cover. Nothing was happening. There was
no news of our commander (his name was
Israel). The officers around me were becoming
nervous. The mission as planned
now seemed impossible to carry out. The
men became aware of the problem and
insisted on knowing what was going on. I
walked by each vehicle and the atmosphere
was not good. It was as if they had
a hangover and were restless. Fear is not
far behind… I decided to present Israel
with an ultimatum. I do not want to know
what is holding us up and it does not
matter. The commandos have received
the most dangerous mission. They will be
taking the greatest risks which they
should not do without some
guarantee...At 0350 Israel arrived in a jeep.
——Teddy, the hamlet is 800 meters
northeast. I place the forces at your disposition.
You may leave when you believe
you are ready. Good luck..
The breeches of the guns clicked in all
of the vehicles. The men shake themselves.
The temperature rises. The motors
turn over. We leave. We charge directly
into the fields, passing a ridge, then another
and in four minutes are at the village.
Some isolated rifle shots. The forces
deployed in perfect order. The half-tracks
continued without disturbance on their
way with all heads withdrawn inside and
the protective shields down. A dozen
burned down houses are on our right and
that was all.. In front of us, white in the dark
blue was Beer-Sheba…a little ahead on
the dark landscape...In an instant six or
eight automatic guns opened fire on us.
At the beginning they were a bit high but
were soon bouncing off the steel plates
of our vehicles.. Now the blockhouse was
clearly visible with white mounds to our
left and right. We approached and dreadful
shocks threw us against one another.
A dozen grenades fell randomly in front
of us.
— —Everybody down. First company to
the right, second to the left and into the
ditches...The men lunged out of their protective
holes flattening themselves under
the bullets that whistled on all sides and
bounced off the sides of the ditches and
they leapt from the ditches and followed
the lead vehicle which had already entered
the town. I heard Fernand and
Weyler assembling their company...The
rapid cadence of the machine guns continued
and then the grenades. I quickly
checked the vehicles. In each vehicle was
a driver and a machine gunner. Mission:
Neutralize the blockhouse by firing directly
into it and then patrolling on our
right flank. The bullets continued to
whistle by my ears and surprisingly close
again. I jumped into the ditch where Dov
and Zeev were calling on the radios. It was
0407 hours. I stumbled over Arab bodies.
It was not a pretty sight.

Around 1030 hours I was able to pull
myself together. The French (members of
the Israeli force) were pulling out of the
town, having collected their dead and
wounded and the arms and ammunition
that had been abandoned on all sides. The
North Africans, about twenty of the, felt
themselves free to pillage.
They arrived one after the other with
enormous bundles with all sorts of things:

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

5

continued from Page 4
Machal continued on Page 6

women's underwear, household linens,
civilian clothing, crockery, typewriters,
sewing machines, radios (I counted
eleven.), foodstuffs, liquor, eiderdown
blankets, and so forth. They did not want
to listen to anyone and categorically refused
to stop their plunder. They were inaccessible
to pleas, threats or orders. They
were no longer soldiers, not even human
beings. They were dogs around a bone.
They would rather rebel than release their
prey.
I went to the chief officer and asked
for orders. . We return to Gevulot where
we will rest for several days before returning
to Beer-Sheba where billeting has
been prepared. Leave there when you are
ready.. I went to the Chief of Transport and
asked him to place his trucks at five-kilometer
distances along the route. We will
walk. He asked if I was not mad but
obeyed my order.
Reassembling the men. I announced
to them that there will be a two-hour
march so they should travel lightly and
the stragglers will into be picked up.
The North Africans fell into the trap and
abandoned three-fourths of what they
had taken not without furious outbursts
and curses. The trucks were awaiting us
at fixed points and in two hours were in
our rear base.
The conquest of Beer-Sheba coincided
with the beginning of the second truce...It
gave Israel control of the Negev, relieved
the fear weighing on the kibbutzim in the
south and protected the route for convoys
to Tel Aviv, disorganized the enemy
and evidenced the end of the shadow
government of Gaza.. The Arab Legion, the
Iraqi army and the Egyptian brigade at
Faluja were cut off from Gaza and from
the sea. It created a gulf between them
and Abdullah who needed control of
Hebron while his ally, Farouk, was unable
to maintain his eastern front. The operation
cost the enemy 100 dead or gravely
wounded and about 400 prisoners of
which many were high officers, the others
having succeeded in fleeing. For us
there was one dead and two wounded in
the Palmach unit that took the railway station;
seven dead and thirteen seriously
wounded and eight lightly wounded
among the commandos. It was done. Israel
was relieved of his command by the
general staff.

During 1947 some groundwork was made for recruiting volunteers from abroad to
fight for Israel in the war that seemed inevitable. In Scandinavia, camps were put up to
give volunteers "agricultural training." One of the biggest camps was in Denmark outside
of Copenhagen and there were also training camps in Sweden…In the winter of
1948 Mr. Moshe Finkel, teacher and trainer of gymnastics and sports came from Palestine
to Finland in order recruit volunteers to fight in the War of Independence….As a
result, 28 young people including four girls enlisted. All of the men had been in the
Finnish army, most of them had also been fighting in WWII….Thus, they found the "basic
training' they were given in the training camps and in Israel rather unnecessary... In
Israel most of them had considerable difficulty with the Hebrew language, though they
had studied Hebrew at school. However, all of them spoke and understood Yiddish and
German as well as some English, and they managed to understand even words of command
which sounded very odd in their ears.
The pleasant surprise was the informality in the army and navy and the good relationship
between the officers and their soldiers. While the soldiers in the Finnish army
marched in organized columns to the dining room and to the shower, in Sarafand all
were free to go and eat when they pleased.

Kaj David Ancker* Alexandroni Brigade and Navy
John Anker artillery officer aboard Kuf 20 and Eilat
Raphael Anker navy gunner, later with anti-aircraft at Tel Nof
Mary Davidkin parachute rigger
Wolf Davidkin* Alexandroni Brigade and artillery
Issi Baran served on Lebanon front and then aboard Kuf 20.
Peggy Baran parachute rigger
Rubin Fiedler* anti-aircraft artillery in Tel Nof and later in Tel Aviv
Mirjam Hurvitsch nurse in hospital No. 9 in Jaffa
Hirsch Jalowitsch navy
Moses Leib Jarden* Alexandroni Brigade and later aboard Zfonit

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

6

Zacharia Shlomo Kafka anti-aircraft artillery in Tel Nof and Tel Aviv
Bertha Keini* parachute rigger
Josef Kersch Alexandroni Brigade and later gunner aboard the Zfoni
Shura Maimon* antiaircraft artillery in Tel Aviv
Harry Millner navy aboard Kuf 20
Marcus Rung* Alexandroni Brigade, later in navy aboard Kuf 20 as cook
Theo Salutskij* navy aboard Kuf 20
Berel Silberstein* navy aboard Kuf 20 as gunner
Moses Strasch* Kuf 20 and merchant navy
Jakov Wardi navy and later antiaircraft artillery
Moses Wardi navy and later antiaircraft artillery
Peretz Wardi* navy and later antiaircraft artillery
Shlomo Zabludowicz* weapons procurement
*Deceased

Little is known world-wide, that in World War I and World War II, South African Defence
Forces participating were all made up of volunteers. There was no draft, no conscription.
Being part of the British Empire they were hardly heard of, but they did play
a vital role. In the Second World War, Jews volunteered as well, roughly in proportion
to the general white population. Therefore, the tradition of voluntary military service
was not something new. Even before, Jews had served on both sides during the Anglo-
Boer War (1899-1902). Those serving on the Boer side numbered an estimated 300.
Very likely a similar number on the British side. It is known that some Litvaks stranded
in England at the turn of the century and anxious to get to South Africa, volunteered
for the British Army. If they survived, they could get discharged in South Africa.
On the Boer side, some Jews played a leading role. One Slobodka "Yeshiva Bocher"
Chaim David Judelowitz, became a legendary heroic Boer commandant (Colonel). On
28th May 1902, he led his commando in a last ditch stand on the north bank of the
Orange River against superior British numbers. He was amongst those found lying
dead on the battlefield. He was 24 years of age.
It was therefore not surprising that the highly Zionistic Jewish community, never
ever numbering more than 120,000, provided proportionately the largest group of
Machal. The community started immediately after the November 1947 U.N. Resolution,
to mobilize their efforts to assist the Jews of the Yishuv.
It was only between the wars that military service was compulsory for 18 year olds,
in what was called the Active Citizen Force. It involved one parade per week, some
week-end maneuvers, and one month per year of full-time training, for four years. Most
South African Machal were experienced World War veterans, also a good number, like
the writer, had received their basic military knowledge as A.C.F. trainees in the post-
World War II period.
The first attempt to reach Palestine by volunteers was made on 15th December
1946. Eight young men, one who subsequently became Mayor of Johannesburg, aged
18-24 from different Zionist youth movements including Betar, made a valiant attempt
in a secondhand former military 3-ton Dodge truck to carve an overland Aliyah Bet
route. They got as far as a town called El-Deum in the Sudan. Shortly after leaving this
town for Khartoum, an unfortunate accident knocked two of them off the truck. Luckily,
one was not seriously hurt but the other suffered a cracked vertebra and was sent
to hospital at Khartoum. When the truck arrived, it was sold to have the funds to pay
for the seriously injured person to be flown back to South Africa.
Six of the eight got back to South Africa from Port Sudan, experiencing all sorts of
adventures, including working on a sailing yacht. The seventh was the only one to
reach Palestine in 1947 via Alexandria, Egypt, but almost a year later. He spent two
months working on a gold mine near Port Sudan. The others eventually reached Israel
in the Machal groups, serving in various units in 1948.
The second attempt was in May 1947,
by sea. Three Cape Town Jewish businessmen,
hoping to establish a Jewish Mediterranean
fishing fleet, acquired a 500-ton
whaler, formerly a S. African Navy minesweeper.
It was renamed "Drom Afrika I".
Seven young Jewish men, again of various
youth movements, were part of the all
South African lower deck.
It took two months via the Suez Canal
to reach Palestine, and was the first ship
to sail into Haifa flying the flag of the future
Jewish State, infuriating the British authorities
who would not permit the crew
to land. The ship spent some frustrating
months in the Eastern Mediterranean, a lot
of time in dry dock at Alexandria, Egypt.
She never made it as a fishing vessel.
Shortly after the 29th November resolution,
the Jewish sailors were smuggled
ashore by men of the Haganah, the first
group of South African volunteers to reach
the land. Some Jewish and one non-Jewish
pilots flew a number of small civilian
aircraft from South Africa to Israel arriving
the second day of the new State. When recruiting
started in earnest, there was no
shortage of World War II veterans to command,
organize, recruit and train volunteers.
Jewish farmers opened up their
farms for secret week-end training.
There were three main recruiting organizations.
The official South African
League for the Haganah, the flamboyant
Hebrew Legion which turned out to be a
scam, and the South African wing of the
Irgun, which had operated in complete
secrecy for 12 months, starting about mid-
1947.
The writer and many others, who had
no Zionist movement background, were
early recruits of the Hebrew Legion. When
it broke up, the disillusioned volunteers
were mostly absorbed by the Irgun, and
some by the South African League for the
Haganah.
Movements northwards began by
small groups and individuals about 6
weeks before the Declaration of the State
- experienced Air Force, Artillery, Radar,
and Tank men, etc. expanding in the
months of June and July, then one Dakota
flight per week until about November,
when volunteers were no longer required.
About 3,000 volunteers still in
training were left in South Africa, S. A.
League for the Haganah recruiting included
Kenya, Rhodesia, and the Belgian
Congo.
An Air Force Machal psychiatrist at-

Machal
continued from Page 5
Machal continued on Page 7

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

tributes the South African Jewish spirit
and motivation to the good elements of
their Jewish Lithuanian village life, and
added to this, the openness and frankness
of the South African European culture.
South African Machal served in all
branches of the Israel Defence Forces and
the known breakdown is as follows:

General headquarters 6
Navy 10
Artillery 21
Medical Corps 47 doctors,
38 nurses, 18 other medical professions and duties, 13 hospital
and
c o m b a t
medics 116
Air Force 49 pilots including
14 trainees on a pilots course startedin S. Africa, 62
other aircrew inc luding
advisors and those on command duties, 19 radar, 19 administration
and 34 g r o u n d
crew technicians 183
Scientific Corps 3
Engineering and Signals Corps 14
Woman Corps 6
Various Palmach Brigades 30
Carmeli 1
Alexandroni 10
Etzioni 5
7th Armoured and Infantry Brigade 95
8th Armoured Brigade 36
Etzel 3
Miscellaneous, including Kibbutz posting,
Drom Africa I and II and the overland safari attempt 30

Kibbutz members, about two-thirds being earlier
Chalutzim and one-third coming with general Machal
Arrivals 176

Plus about 100 whose units are still unknown100

Hence the title of Henry Katzew's book
on South African Machal South Africa's
800.
Different to the movement of the
American volunteers who were hounded
by the F.B.I all the way, S. Africans had no
problems with the authorities, who provided
everything was kept in a low profile,
turned a blind eye to the movements.
About 30 South African married
couples were amongst the 800. Some already
engaged brought forward their
weddings. One qualified nurse, determined
to serve, left behind her one year
old and five year old children with her
mother and husband. Her dentist husband
arrived a month later. Another
South African nurse delivered the first
Jewish baby, a boy, born in Be'er Sheva for
2000 years.
Some South Africans held important
command positions. So important was
the role of a Fighter Squadron Commander
that he received the honour of a
send-off of four Spitfires, as he left Israel
to continue with his medical studies in
South Africa.
Many South African Machal interrupted
their university studies and it is
known of at least three who had interrupted
their medical studies twice to
serve in World War II, and again in 1948.
They qualified, being about 10 years older
than the others in their classes.

Yehezkiel "Chatzi" Berelowitz and Zvi
Lipschitz fell in Kfar Etzion's last days, 12th
and 13th May. Shoval Kibbutz member
Gideon Rosenberg fell in the Jerusalem
Corridor on 16th May serving in the
Palmach Harel Brigade.
Meir "Matey" Silber, Etzel fighter, fell on
25th May defending Kibbutz Ramat
Rachel.
Pilot Eddie Cohen in the historic engagement
of 29th May, shot down by AA fire
as one of a flight of four Messerschmitts
which halted the Egyptian advance towards
Tel Aviv.
Pilot Leslie Bloch, also flying a
Messerschmitt, downed over the Syrian
border on 10th July.
The seventh South African Lou Hack, serving
in the 72nd Infantry Battalion, fell on
23rd October during a deep penetration
raid in the Western Galilee hills.
Joe Woolf,
Ilaniya, Israel

Serving in the Medical corps were 79
medical doctors, 3 dentists and 1
psycholopgist. Classified by country of
origin we have South Africa 43, Englland
14, United States 7, Chile 4, Argentine 3,
Holalnd 2, Canada 2, Belgium 1, Denmark
1, India 1, Morocco 1, France 1, Rhodesia
1, Switzerland 1 unknown 1. In addition
there were 87 volunteers including 58
nurses and 29 inallied medical professions
such as physiotherapists, medics, pharma-

Machal
continued from Page 6

cists, teachers, medical secretaries, occupational
therapists, laboratory technicians
and others. By country of origin we have
South Africa 56, France 9, England 7,
United States 7, Switzerland 3, Canada 2,
Argentina 1, Colombia 1, unknown 1.
As a reference for further reading on
South African Machal, Joe Woolf recommends
South Africa's 800 by Henry
Katzew. An edition is available edited by
Joe Woolf and may be ordered from Ralph
Lanesman, POB 12084 Herzlia 46000 for
$40 plus $15 for packaging and shipping.
lanesman@barak-online.net

When does a person truly know they
are living through a 'great moment of history?
In 1789, did the people of Paris really
know they were living through the
French Revolution? Or men marching off
to fight in 1941-did they know that this
would be the 'Great War'? Furthermore, if
people did comprehend the significance
of the events unfolding around them, the
question would have to be asked, would
this affect the way they acted at the time?
In essence it is these two questions that
are the foci of this publication, told
through the experiences of seven people
who voluntarily chose to play roles at one
such dramatic moment of history. Why
Ben Ocopnik, Lou Laurie, Abe Levine, Sam
Wasser, Harold Kates, Jerry Rosenberg and
Joe Warner chose to leave the comfort of

7 Machal continued on Page 8

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

Machal
continued from Page 7

life in post war Canada to fight in Israel's
War of Independence is fascinating, particularly
because with hindsight we now
know the 1948 war did turn out to be a
turning point of history. Their responses
and actions reflect great fortitude, courage
and commitment. As men now
slightly more advanced in years they are
entitled to enjoy the reflected glory of
past achievements. Yet, for the present
day reader, these stories should also be a
little troublesome since they are presented
partially to act as mirrors, challenging
the reader to see th3emselves confronting
the challenge of any future moment
of history, big or small…

As early as May 27, 1947, David Ben
Gurion had recorded in his diary that the
Jews needed fully trained foreign volunteers
to assist in converting the Haganah
and Palmach forces into a fully-fledged
army. The key was training so this could
include British trained Palestinian Jews,
but it could certainly mean Jews from
overseas... This would appear to mark the
beginning f the Machal idea. However, the
idea had already been in operation for
some time, since the end of the war, with
the Haganah recruiting foreign Jews to
assist in running the illegal immigration
routes from Europe…
Initially Ben Gurion dispatched Moshe
Shertok, the head of the Jewish Agency
Political Department, to the United States
to meet with sympathetic contacts in the
American military. This eventually led him
to Colonel David (Mickey) Marcus, a West
Point trained World War Tow veteran, who
agreed to give up his new law practice
and sign on as a military advisor in Palestine.
This coincided with the establishment
of the body that would be critical
for the promition of the Machal idea, the
Jewish Agency Committee for Overseas
Mobilization. It was this body that
brought together the elements and ideas
expressed so far and gave them tangible
form.
By January 1948 guidelines had been
drawn up of the volunteer program, coordinated
between local Zionist executives
in the Diaspora. They would be involved
in the recruitment and financing
of the local operation yet always answerable
to the committee n Jerusalem. This
line of command was also designed to
insure that the other Jewish underground
groups in Palestine, the Irgun and the Lehi,
did not interfere…By the spring of 1948,
the recruiters were hard at wok in most
countries where there was a Zionist
movement: USA, Canada, South American
countries; Britain; South Africa and Australia.
The recruits came from unexpected
quarters, including a considerable number
of non-Jews who were motivated by
a mixture of Christian idealism, compassion
and desire for solidarity with the Jews
after the Holocaust and in some cases
simply a spirit of adventure…
(In Canada Ben Dunkelman, a businessman
assisting in the purchase of
weapons for the Haganah) received a visit
form Colonel David 'Mickey'
Marcus…Since Dunkelman was already
prepared to leave Canada and join the
fight in Palestine, Marcus asked him to
stay a while longer and recruit skilled exservicemen
with combat experience. The
plan was for Dunkelman to lead an English-
speaking infantry brigade…Known
Jewish veterans were approached and
meetings were held in private homes. At
this stage the effort was to find ready
trained men. However, Dunkelman soon
received permission to leave for Palestine
where he was to playa major role in the
Haganah and then in the Israel Defense
Forces…There were restrictions such as
only single men were taken, but the insistence
on only ready trained ex-servicemen
was dropped. Once the recruits were
registered, they applied for passports, had
medical examinations and prepared
themselves to leave. The route was invariably
via New York and then onto France
where the ships to Palestine left.
Most of the remainder of the work
deals with the volunteers' own stories.
Because of space limitations only excerpts
from the story of Louis Laurie will be offered
here. Copies of the booklet are available
through CIE 1-800-567-4772;
iackerman@ujafed.org

For the first eight years of his life, Louis
Laurie thought eh was a Catholic. He had
a Catholic nanny and living in the small
community in Quebec City, there was only
a limited amount of Jewishness conveyed
in his French speaking acculturated Jewish
family... For a man who would later
volunteer to fight in a distinctively Jewish
army, his identity would have to be
augmented elsewhere. Most likely, this
came through his encounter with the
strong and violent anti-Semitism of the
times. He would walk to school with a bag
full of stones to defend himself when attacked
by anti-Semites. This coupled with
the effects of Jewish friendships, plus a
Bar-Mitzvah, all helped developed his
sense of who he was as a Jew…
When the ( 2nd World War) was over
Louis moved to Montreal, using his newly
acquired skill from the forces, but, now in
civilian life, as a news photographer. Certainly
things would have continued happily
with the new career when he received
a phone call from two friends to come to
one of the Machal recruitment meetings
organized by the Toronto Jewish business
man Sam Zaks. By this stage he was back
in Quebec City and the meeting was a
small one…How the recruiters knew that
Louis had been on the combined operations
training course was never revealed,
but it was clear he was seen as a useful
recruit. For Louis, however important this
was, there was also a spirit of adventure
in the plan, strong enough to make him
agree to drop the work as a news photographer
and sign up to be a fighter in a still
being formed army thousands of miles
away. Interesting, claims Louis, Quebec
City provided the highest proportion of
volunteers for any Jewish community in
the world. Three people went from a total
of thirty families…

8 Machal continued on Page 9

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

He then describes his experience in a
DP camp where he took the identity of a
Polish woman. He accompanied the DPs
to Palestine arriving shortly after the state
was declared. Ben Gurion awaited them
on the dock.
Within a short while, he had been put
on a bus and taken to the army base at
Sameria, close to Netanya, and suddenly
discovered he was in the army! Here he
was with one nave man and two from the
air force, yet suddenly he was in the army.
To be precise, he was in Company B in the
72nd unit of the 7th brigade, often know
as the Anglo-Saxons. To cap it all they had
absolutely no training. The Sergeant Major
was a fellow Canadian by the name of
Julie Lewis, an impressive and well-respected
commander. Most of the 72nd
brigade were Americans and many of
them were too young to have served, and
were therefore also untrained.
Four days after he arrived, Louis saw
action at a hilltop village ten kilometers
from Acre, called Tamra. Quite apart from
the fact that it was, in a rather abrupt way,
the moment the reality of the war set in,
it was also the most remarkable and unconventional
type of action for that time,
a bayonet attack! Indeed, it was the only
one in the whole of the war. The mission
was being conducted to neutralize the
hilltop from where Arab volunteers from
the Arab Liberation Army were refusing
to honor the truce and cease their sniper
firing. Company B was sent to take the hilltop.
After being held down by enemy fire,
they were eventually given the order to
go up with fixed bayonets, both to
frighten the Arabs at the top of the hill and
to ensure some sort of protection if the
need arose. . Fourteen men went up the
hilltop the village, of which five men were
wounded and one killed. Despite these
significant losses, it was a successful mission.
Louis Laurie had seen his first piece
of action in the War of Independence. In
many ways this moment represented the
end of the pure adventure experience and
the beginning of confrontation with real
war. "There was bravado, of course because
you just go, but the sense when it
was something really bad was when
Sidney Lazar was hit. He was standing up.
I told him to keep his head down and all
of a sudden he fell in front of me and I had
to jump over him. I know I didn't think of

Machal
continued from Page 8

9

THE FURROWS YOU WETTED
You, pitiful remain of history, ragged and wizened you came,
Fleeing away from miserable ghettos of diabolic memories.
In your pouch, dry crumbs of bread, but of bitterness the dough was fresh.
You were sad, you despaired...For working clothes you changed your rags,
And the sadness and the bitterness withered away...
Deep furrows had been hewn on your brow,
And now you learned to hew deep furrows on the earth.
You had cried, you were spent,
But now your eyes with tears the earth did not wet,
'Cause a covenant of toil, and sweat
Had been vowed between your brow and the earth!
Joyous songs of work sprouted from your lips,
Which were like seeds...And the taste of the fruit was the taste of liberty!
You were happy, you were free, to work, to enjoy and also to love deep.
But...Came the war, again the pillage!
The enemy was envious of your tillage
And there he was, in all his might
And of lead were his insults, and his shouts were dynamite!
To you the furrows were like cubs, and you were like a lion,
And your roar was louder than the roar of the cannon!
Defending Israel you fell at last, yet in vain was not your death
For from the furrow that a bullet traced in your chest
A source sprang up...And the furrows you wetted with your blood!
it because I knew I had to go forward. And after I found out he was dead, and we buried
him the next morning in a grave…It was so sad, this kid was only eighteen years old,
had never seen service of any kind, was just a kid looking for something…On the way
up, on the bus, he was sitting between Lenny Fine and myself and Saul Freeman. The
kid was really nervous. We were all rather nervous because we had no idea of what we
were going into. Nobody told us. No such thing as were are going to this point or that,
just, 'we are going to take the hill.'…"The early trauma aside, this did not lead Louis to
any doubts about whether it had been a wrong course of action. There was one member
of the unit who did leave, but the others remained resolved. For some reason, a
returning soldier, Harry Eisner, told Lou's parents their son was missing, and it took some
quick action by the Jewish agency to contact them and reassure them he was fine…

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

10

President's Corner
continued from Page 1

one-another as persons who have experienced
together. These platforms
range from the annual Chanukah party
in New York through the Marcus Memorial
at West Point to organized reunions
from Las Vegas to Jerusalem. Most recent
was the Tribute to U.S. and Canadian
Aliya Bet sailors by the PALYAM
Veterans Association at Sdot Yam in
June 2002. And as we advance in age,
these opportunities to bond become all
the more precious.
AVI organizes forums and programs
that showcase our experiences, accomplishments,
and interests. They have included
our appearance at the
U.S.Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington to introduce the late Captain
Rudy Patzert's memoir: RUNNING
THE PALESTINE BLOCKADE; the Memorial
Service for Paul Shulman at the U.S.
Naval Academy in Annapolis; the Memorial
Tribute to Hank Greenspun in Las
Vegas; and the dedication of the EXODUS
MEMORIAL at the Inner Harbor in
Baltimore.
And despite our declining membership
imposed by demographic realities
AVI has embarked on new and exciting
programs designed to reach out to the
World Machal fellowship of which we
are the largest member in an effort to
come closer in our declining years, and
to showcase and preserve the legacy of
all of us.
Under Ralph Lowenstein's direction
and the University of Florida's hospitality,
we are creating an AVI archive as a
repository for documents and other
items that provide a resource for research
on the AVI experience; and a Virtual
Museum on a web site that provides
a "roving" museum designed to
capture the AVI experience in visual format,
and link up with comparable activities
of Machal units in Israel and other
countries in contributing to a global
panorama of the total Machal experience.
Sam Klausner as Newsletter editor
and publisher has expanded the AVI
Newsletter to include coverage of activities,
vital statistics, events, and contributions
of Machal units throughout
the world. This is the second edition of
AVI's version of an "International USA
TODAY." The purpose of the expanded
Newsletter is to provide information on
Machal-related interests in places
where a publication does not exist; and
for an interchange in countries that do
publish Machal newsletters or the like.
And it can contribute to an obvious acknowledgment
that though our memberships
are declining, we want to know
more about one-another. AVI has been
characterizing these activities as the AVI
Legacy, which now is the major ingredient
of our program.
For Machal veterans who are not AVI
members and do not receive the Newsletter
included in AVI annual dues, we
are offering the opportunity to subscribe
at a one year introductory rate of
$20.00 equivalent We wish we could
supply the Newsletter gratis; but we
simply cannot afford to do so. The subscription
covers publication and mailing
costs; and in most places it represents
no more than the cost of an
evening at Starbucks, or our favorite(S)
bistro.
So this is what AVI delivers for annual
dues payments.
A happy Thanksgiving and Chanukah to
you and yours!
Eli Bergman

I have just finished reading the online
version of the Summer Newsletter. Again
you have produced a first rate product. I
am particularly pleased that the "international"
coverage is announced and previewed.
Hopefully as this coverage is established
and expanded, it will compensate
for the ever-expanding obits, which
though well written, are gradually and
naturally moving to a dominant position
in the Newsletter.
In the piece on Latin American membership
the names of the late Reuben
Margolis and Schmuel Schiller (MEXICO -
- EXODUS) do not appear. However they
are included in the Latin American roster
compiled for the Newsletter. In Reuben's
case it is his widow Dora. Jaime Lechtman
of San Jose, COSTA RICA (Infantry) was not
included in either list. The last time we
corresponded he was in San Jose, Costa
Rica.
That was a nice piece on the HAGANA
sailor. She did not know for sure, but the
HAGANA contingent was not consigned
to Cyprus. They were one of the last that
were admitted to Palestine.
There was one major flaw in the Newsletter
about which I am particularly concerned:
On the ballot for the Gutmann
proposal a third option that crept out of
nowhere providing the choice of what in
effect is a market survey. In our Executive
Committee motion authorizing the referendum
we approved an up and down
"yes" or "no" vote. There was no option
for other choices. The goal was to determine
sentiment on the concept itself,
without any qualifications or procedural
issues. And we did not characterize the
vote as a "motion" but as a "vote." Those
of us who supported the referendum call
were looking for a clear expression of
preference. The insertion of the third option
provides an opportunity for more
waffling on the issue. It flaws the process
because the outcome, whatever it may be,
cannot provide the clear-cut up or down
expression of preference we were seeking.
And it was inserted without any prior
consultation, nor most important, approval
of the Executive Committee.
At this point my suggestion is that we
drop the whole project for the time being
with the suggestion that those who
wish to pursue it do so at a later date, and
move on with our other business.
Eli Bergman

We are saddened to announce
the death of

wife of Nat Nadler of the Exodus

September 2002

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

letters continued on Page 12

To the Editor:
I enjoyed another surprise in the published
communication from Stanley
Medicks, Coordinator, British & European
Machal Association. Mr. Medicks stated
"The man who commanded and who
wrote its first training manual was Tom
Bowden, known in Israel as Captain Appel.
He was not Jewish and as an ex U.K. First
Airborne Division he gave Israel his expertise,"
Tom Bowden now becomes the third
man who started the Israeli Paratroops. It
kind of reminds me of the stories about
who shot down that airplane. . .
At the AVI convention in Las Vegas the
two representatives of Israel spoke of the
"Russian" who first trained and commanded
the Israeli Paratroops. I then produced
for them dated official Israeli Air
Force photographs showing Ben Foreman,
Bernard Marks, and myself standing
in the doorway, about to make the first
"mass" paratroop jump. At that time I must
have been suffering from delusions, because
I thought I was commanding the
Israel's First Airborne unit. Let me take you
through the events I thought I participated
in.
In Israel's first "International Event"
(check the stories and pictures in the Israeli
newspapers of July 4, 1948) I married
a Finnish volunteer (Peggy Baran). At that
time I had been given a school and was
training parachute packers during the day
while flying with the Primo Squadron out
of Tel Aviv, as a bomb chucker at night.
On or about July 7th I was summoned
to Army Headquarters and interviewed
about the values of Israel having Paratroops.
I presented a strong presentation
for such a force.
Because of the
Arab's lack of
good training, I
felt then that a
special paratroop
force
would be the
most effective
resource Israel
could have. I
made my points
and then left.
Three or four
days after my wedding,
I was ordered to
fly to Czechoslovakia
with three or four
other candidates to
take special courses
in sabotage, espionage,
guerilla warfare,
and paratroop tactics.
(Keep in mind that I
already had over 150
parachute jumps at
that time.) Among my
companions was Ben
Foreman (from the
Exodus), an English
Paratroop veteran,
and two or three Israelis, including
Shimshone Nuemon (a singer), Don Avni,
and Guri Gurfinkle, a politician's son,
(Don't hold me responsible for the spelling
of their names!) I have excellent photographs
of our group taken at a former
Nazi SS camp in the Sudetenland. You
should be able to verify the occasion because
we were on the Lockheed Constellation
that crashed at Zatec in July 1948.
Our "trainees" turned out to be 16, 17
and 18 year old survivors of Europe's concentration
camps. Upon completing the
training, Israel's First Airborn Brigade (size
being a joke among us) was transported
back to Israel where we set up on top of
Mt. Carmel in Haifa. Ben Foreman and I
went to Jerusalem and to some other locations
to recruit paratroop volunteers. I
think that is where we recruited Bernard
Marks (You can also validate this story
with Bernard. I believe he is still living in
Cincinnati.) After getting the training
camp functioning, I was ordered to divorce
myself from the day-to-day operations
and to prepare a training manual. I
did this and
as far as I
know, it was
the first
t r a i n i n g
manual of
the Israeli
Airborne. I
think I still
have my
o r i g i n a l
notes for
the manual.
As for the
"first airborne parachute jump", if Eddy
Kaplansky was the pilot, he will confirm
that there were only three paratroopers
on that historic occasion, i.e., Ben Foreman,
Bernard Marks, and myself.
After the fall of Beersheba, strange
people began showing up at the base and
there seem to be no chain-of-command. I
think at that time we suddenly had more
officers than enlisted men. My status was
changed from "Air force" to "Army" with
an appropriate (and substantial) wage
decrease. After an additional month my
name disappeared from the payroll entirely.
It seemed apparent that no major
conflicts would occur and I requested my
release and for Peggy & I to be returned
to America. In December 1948, we were
moved to a special section in a prisonerof-
war camp to await our transportation.
I was in that camp when I heard that the
Israeli Airborne was conducting a mass
parachute jump and one paratrooper's
parachute had snagged on the plane's
rear wheel. They landed with him hanging
there. So much for their subsequent
training. As for the Russian Commander
the Israeli consul says was first, or Tom
Bowden alias Captain Appel (wait. . are
they sure it wasn't Captain Marvel?), I'll
match dated data with any of them and if
I didn't write the first training manual and
command the first Parachute Israeli Regiment
and training school, I'll be the first
to take my name off the long list!
Regards,
Robert X. Leeds

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CONTINUED

P.S. My new book, Love Is A 4 Legged Word
has just received its second nomination
as "Best Book of the Year."

To the Editor:
Everything that I read in Leed's letter
to you is true to my knowledge.
BothLeeds and Foreman trained in
Czechoslovakia and Leeds set up the first
parachute loft for airing, packing and repacking
parachutes. Leeds was an expert
parachute man. Leeds and Foreman set
up the the paratrooper school.
Leeds arranged for a DC 3 so that Robert
Leeds, Ben Foreman and myself could
make the first Israeli "mass" jump. Photographs
were taken of that incident.
The Israelis must have been anxious to
make it an all Israeli outfit so they made it
unbearable for Leeds and Foreman to stay.
Naturally their pride was tested and they
resigned.
A short time later the Israelis conducted
a mass jump and managed to
screw it up--getting one trooper snagged
on the rear wheel. They also got him killed!
(So much for Israeli expertise)
Yes, I would say that Robert Leeds is the
father of Israel's airborne.
Respectfully,
Bernard Marks
August 10, 2002
DF PARACHUTING ACTIVITIES in 1948/49
Inspired by Robert X. Leeds' account.
By Eddy Kaplansky, Haifa
© September ?2002
The story of efforts to establish a fighting
Israeli paratroop unit in the War of Independence
is one of false starts, hasty
decisions, mistakes and poor judgement.
It is anything but a success story. The account
of Robert X. Leeds in his three-part
article in 1999 and 2000 AVI Newsletters,
combined with his indignant reaction to
Stanley Medicks' letter, is only part of the
overall story and less than a pillar of historical
accuracy.
Leeds was then known as Robert "Bob"
Levy, and so named in archival documents
I've referred to. As we shall see, he was indeed
actively involved in parachuting
during his Israel Air Force (IAF) career and
apparently did jump from a C-46 with Ben
Foreman and Bernard Marks. Some of his
other assertions, however, are certainly
not beyond dispute.
On June 3rd 1948, over a month before
he and Ben Foreman left for the
course in Czechoslovakia, they and 13
other IAF personnel were ordered transferred
to Ramat David to organize a parachuting
school. Appointed "responsible
for the school" was Arthur Landman, an
obvious inappropriate choice as he was
later reportedly expelled from the Czech
course for refusing to jump. Ironically, his
was the first appointment to a 'command'
position in an Israeli parachuting project.
The decision for the Ramat David
project was obviously a hasty one, as it
was soon shelved in deference to the
course in Czechoslovakia. The Czech
course began on July 15th with eight officers,
among them Ben Foreman and Bob
Levy, and five others from Israel plus "28
local volunteers." Instruction and training
was given by Czech Army officers and
NCOs. Parachuting was only one of the
course's comprehensive 15-item curriculum.
The course was soon divided into two
parts, the Israeli officers and the 34 other
ranks, at the request of the officers "so as
to enable them to receive speedier and
more advanced training." Bob Levy and
Ben Foreman "are specializing in the technical
part of parachuting; parachute packing,
and dropping of equipment and supplies
and their packing and stowing in aircraft."
Dan Avni was appointed "officer in
charge" of the 34 other ranks.
This and more is detailed in a report
to GHQ Israel Army" dated August 23rd
1948, by three officers participating in the
course; Shimshon Neuman, Yaacov
Vidislavsky and Shmuel Kreiner. An appended
roster giving age, nationality and
number of jumps for each of those still
with the course then, credits 21-year-old
Bob Levy with 69 jumps; not 150 as Leeds
now claims. Next comes 48-year-old
Chaim Cahane, the oldest of the group by
far, with 19 jumps. Ben Foreman, a 20-yearold
veteran of the US Army's 82nd Paratroop
Division, is credited with nine jumps.
Some of the Israelis were WW2 British
Army veterans, who had been trained to
be parachuted behind German lines.
The same trio submitted two more related
reports on August 23rd, one proposing
the establishment of an "Independent
Parachute Battalion" and the other the
establishment of a "Parachute School in
Israel." Neuman, Vidislavsky and Kreiner
likely prepared the reports on their own
initiative, as the IDF apparently forgot to
appoint anyone as officer in-charge of the
course.
In the wake of the Czech course came
the establishment of a new parachute
unit on Haifa's Mount Carmel, as Leeds
tells us. Veterans of the unit, who refer to
it a Battalion, Brigade or Division, have it
that its Officer Commanding was Yoel
Palgi - then a local folk hero of sorts. This
is supported by documentary evidence,
but contradicted by Leeds; in the final part
of his AVI Newsletter article (January 2002,
page 11), he states in no uncertain terms
that "I was appointed (its) Commanding
Officer."
A memo dated September 11th 1948,
ostensibly by the "Officer Commanding Israeli
Airborne Unit," authorizes a parachute
jump on the 13th by "Robert Levy,
Ben Foreman and Bernard Marks." It is not
signed by the un-named "Officer Commanding,"
but rather on his behalf in
these words; "by Ben Foreman, Bob Levy
TRAINING COMMAND." If Levy was indeed
O/C og the "Israel Airborne Unit," surely
he would have signed the memo as such.
In any event, the memo was apparently
promptly acted upon by the powers-
that-be in their haste and anxiety to
create a fighting paratroop unit. On the
same day IAF commander Aharon Remez
issued a corresponding jump order to IAF

letters continued on Page 13

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

13

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CONTINUED

Operations. The next day saw a message
from Yigal Yadin, IDF Operations head, authorizing
a drop "today" by Levy, Foreman
and Marks. There was also a memo from
IAF Operations to Air Transport Command
(ATC) stating that the jump has to take
place "today, September 13th, between
0700 and 0900 hours."
When the three arrived for the jump,
however, ATC seemed unaware of the order,
probably due to its preoccupation
with Operation Dust - the airlift to
Ruchama behind enemy lines. Thanks to
the intervention of Harold Green (USA), O/
C of IAF Training and Instruction Branch,
it appears that the jump took place the
next day; presumably from one of ATC's
C-46 cargo planes. The apparent 'one-off'
event was very likely Israel's first parachute
jump, and Bob Levy was undoubtedly
'in command' of the trio.
'Exodus-1947' veteran Avi Livney, a
crewmate of Marks and Foreman on that
legendary Aliya-Bet ship, recalls his friend
Foreman telling him in the early 1950s
that he and Levy recruited Bernie Marks -
actually "talked him into it," although he
had no prior parachuting experience.
There is no record of further jumps
until October, when the airborne unit held
a "mass" jump. French Machalnik Fernand
Beyrard, then the unit's Operations Officer,
states unequivocally that its school at
Ramat David was "managed by a group
of ex-Soviet Parachutists." It seems that
Leeds may have been rather hasty in dismissing
out of hand what the Israel Consul
said about a Russian having been the
"first" to train Israeli paratroops.
The unit's first jump, on October 23rd,
was a festive event. The attending dignitaries
included David Ben-Gurion, then
Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.
Having been a flight of over two hours
duration, some 20 parachutists probably
jumped from the Dakota. Levy, Foreman
and Marks may well have been among
them, although there is no indication that
such was the case.
There were two more drops on November
5th, one with 32 parachutists, and
another the next day - all from C-46 aircraft.
The jump Leeds tells us he heard
about before returning to the USA sounds
like the one that occurred on November
16th when a parachutist was killed after
his parachute snagged on the tail of a C-
46. However, the plane didn't land "with
him hanging there" as Leeds states. What
happened is that after a number of unsuccessful
attempts to untangle the
chute, the pilot flew low over Haifa Bay at
minimum safe-flying speed to allow the
parachutist to release himself and drop
into the sea. This he did, but was never
seen again.
Leeds may have already left Israel by
December 18th, when another parachutist,
the last to jump in a stick of 10, was
killed after his chute failed to open because
the release line had come loose
from the snap hook attached to the
Dakota's static cable. This seems to have
put a damper on further parachute training
drops, as only a few sporadic jumps
occurred during the weeks following the
end of Operation Horev on January 7th
1949.
By April 1949 a decision was taken to
create a completely reorganized parachute
unit and school, which in due
course was established at Ekron. By mid-
August it was actively training for its first
live jump. This occurred on September 4th
1949, when 14 trainees and instructors
jumped from a Dakota piloted by me. It
was my only flight of its kind ever.
In command of the new unit was
Gershon Yuval, a WW2 veteran of a British
S.A.S. parachute unit. His deputy was Thomas
Derek Bowden - better known at the
time as David Appel. It is noteworthy that
only one of its nine officers, Chaim
Cahane, had participated in an earlier
parachuting unit or course. It was indeed
Bowden who wrote its training manual,
as Stanley Medicks wrote in his recent letter
It apparently supplanted the manual
Leeds says he wrote earlier. From the reorganized
unit at Ekron finally emerged
Israel's first battle-ready parachute unit,
unfortunately much too late for the War
of Independence.
Certainly no credit to Leeds is his unseemly
reference to Bowden, whose incredible
WW2 record as an officer in the
British Army's First Airborne Division is
well documented. Machal veterans who
served under him in the 7th Brigade,
fondly remember 'David Appel' as an inspiring
commander of the 'follow-me'
kind.
Much less known is that on July 4th
1948, not long after he returned to Israel
as a Machalnik, 'Appel' made a written detailed
proposal to the IAF's Chief of Staff
to create a "small efficient paratroop force
of section or platoon strength." Although
eminently qualified to implement his proposal,
it was apparently shelved due to
the imminence of the already decided
upon course in Czechoslovakia. That was
most unfortunate, as otherwise a proper
IDF paratroop unit would very likely have
been created in ample time to have seen
action in the War of Independence.
The "Englsh Paratroop veteran" mentioned
by Leeds was probably Bert Faigin.
Another possible reference to Faigin appears
in a pilot's log-book entry for December
13th 1948, which records that the
"English instructor" had been in the British
Army's 2nd Airborne Division.
So who has exclusive right to the title
"Commander of Israel's First Parachute
something," and of what value is it? Nobody
but Robert X. Leeds seems to think
it's worth claiming, whatever its value.
A former RCAF and IAF pilot, Eddy
Kaplansky also served on the Hagana's
Aliya-Bet ship '"Jewish State" (Northland).
He is a long-time resident of Israel and an
active researcher of Machal-related aspects
of the War of Independence. His email
address is; Kaplansk@shani.net.

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

continued on Page 15 14

Sam Pivnik was deported to
Auschwitz in 1943 from Benzdin, Poland
along with his family. He and one
brother survived and worked for the
occupation forces in the French zone
of Germany after which he joined
relatives in England. This is his story.
In the spring of 1948 I left to fight
for a Jewish home in Palestine…I saw
a good deal of action and we liberated
Zish and Safed in the Galilee.
One day my tank was hit by a cannon
on the right side…One South African
comrade was killed and another of
our crew had his leg blown off. We all
suffered minor injuries but had the
satisfaction of knowing that the Syrian
army was defeated…I was in an
Anglo-Saxon brigade and remember
the names of two of my comrades,
Hershel Margulies and Max Wolinski.
When the other soldiers in the brigade
wanted to return to England the
cry was, we're going home.' I also returned
to England but I carried with
me the pride of having fought for the
country of my own people.

September 4, Latrun
From every corner of Israel they came
- surviving Jewish warriors of the war
against the Nazis; veterans of the Allied
forces and of underground resistance
movements and the partisans who fought
in the forests behind the German lines.
They came to witness the ground-breaking
ceremony of yet another museum, this
one, the Museum of the Jewish Soldier in
W.W. II, to be amidst the vast IDF Armored
Corps' collection of battle tanks, armor
and memorabilia at Latrun, reputed to be
the largest exhibit of its kind in existence.
The Yad Lashirion (IDF Armored Corps)
Memorial, established 20 years ago, initiated
the move to establish a museum to
honor the Jewish soldiersof WWII and
named it accordingly. It offered space in
its own Latrun complex in the Ayalon
Valley about half-way between Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem. It will overseer building of
the museum. While the project is supported
by the government contributions
are solicited from Jews everywhere. The
site itself symbolises the heroism of the
Jewish people.
A choir of WW2 veterans under
Vladimir Krasnitzki rendered nostalgic
songs of the War and the Russian immigrant
attendees, conspicuous - bedecked
with their profusion of campaign medals,
appeared to be the majority. Short
speeches given by some, including cabinet
minister Natan Sharansky, chairman
of the Ministerial Committee for the Museum
and others, were delivered in both
Russian and Ivrit. Sharansky charged official
Soviet anti-Semitism fueled the canard
that Jews were cowards who didn't
participate in the war. "...On the other
hand the reality of statistics published
later, showed that Jews were among the
most heroic of nations, in the number
who died relative to the population. So it
is natural that this should be part of Jewish
history and pride." The museum will
be dedicated to teaching the true story
of Jewish valor in that terrible war. The
President, Moshe Katzav paid tribute to
the one-and-a-half million Jews who
served in all the Allies fighting forces and
in particular to the 250,000 who died in
combat. "No other people gave such a
proportionally large number of
fallen.combatants" he said.
"The memory of the WWII Jewish soldier
has been lost." said Dr Melvin Polk,
American representative on the
museum's board , "...I never realized that
there were 41 Jewish admirals and generals.
There's a loss of memory of what
Jews did for the United States."
The museum will highlight decisive
battles of the war and the part played by
Jewish commanders and soldiers. Included
will be the defense of Moscow , the
North African campaign, the battles for
Stalingrad and Kursk, the Normandy landings
, the Ardennes and the battle for Berlin.
The victory in the Battle of Britain
and the air - war of the R.A.F. and United
States Air Forces in which many Jews
served and gave their lives is not mentioned
in the literature of the planned
museum. Considering that these veteran
aviators contributed their vital experience
- some gave their lives - in Israel's War
of Independence ,should ensure the
omission not be permanent. Not mentioned
too, the Pacific theater will no
doubt be given appropriate exposure.
The Ayalon Valley since time immemorial
has seen many fateful battles of ancient
history. Here Joshua Ben-Nun
waged war against the Amorite kings; at
nearby Emmaus Judah the Maccabi defeated
the Antiochus general Gorgias
driving his army to the sea and here the
IDF's 7th Brigade battled to relieve
beseiged Jerusalm in the Independence
War. The area was recaptured from the
Jordanian army in the Six Day War.
The IDF's Armored Corps fought decisively
here and in all of Israel's wars and
this site was chosen to commemorate its
fallen comrades. The fact that Jews including
the Jewish Brigade of Palestinian Jewish
volunteers, had served in all the fighting
services of the Allies and in the Merchant
Marines was a decisive asset in the
establishment and defence of the State
of Israel from 1947 until the present day.
In this, the idea - long in gestation - of the
museum and a monument , had its genesis.
The monument is to be in the form of
a World War Two underground bunker
inside of which the story of the heritage
and acts of bravery of the Jewish fighters
will be shown. A visual panorama of WWII
is to greet the visitor upon entering. It will
house sophisticated equipment to
present and illustrate the story of this

FALL 2002 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER

Museum
continued from Page 14

15

chapter of our history and data bases for
those who wish to study it in depth. The
museum will be built alongside the bunker.
Before the stone-laying ceremony
began the leaders of all the WWII veterans
associations assembled in the armored
corps memorial auditorium to sign
a scroll. This would be buried beside the
corner-stone of the new building, somewhat
analogous to a time-capsule for the
edification of future generations. Smokey
Simon, chairman fo World Machal, was
one of the signatories.
Building is expected to take two years,
ultimately cover an area of 1400 square
meters and cost approximately six million
U.S. dollars. Minister Sharansky said the
government is committed to contributing
16 million shekels ($3.4 m)over the next
four years. Chairman of the museum, Zwi
Kantor, commenting on the purpose of
the museum, said. "We were always
taught the basic knowledge of the Holocaust
focusing on the victims 'who went
like sheep to the slaughter', but they
didn't teach us that from a small nation
of 18 million, one-and-a-half million
fought against the Nazis. It's important
that there be one place in the world that
can reveal the true story of the Jews between
1939 and 1945."
Sol Jacobs
Ramat Gan

Adrian Phillips, a graduate of the City College of New York and veteran
of the U.S. Merchant Marine volunteered for the 'secret fleet' in
1947. He would be assigned to run the British blockade of Palestine. In
Baltimore, he joined the crew of the President Warfield which set sail
for Europe. Like other volunteers, he was cautioned; "if the British catch
you, they'll hang you".
Recalling the neglected condition of the future "Exodus," he says "I
grabbed a handrail on entering the ship and it came off in my hand;
and as I kicked to check the steel boiler support, my foot went through
it". They attempted to sail the ship out, but they almost sank off Cap Hatteras and they returned to
port. Phillips was reassigned to another ship before the President Warfield left for its fateful voyage.
Phillips' new ship was another U.S. Coast Guard veteran; "Trade Winds" renamed "Hatikvah". The
ship picked up 1500 Holocaust survivors in Europe and was captured by the British off the coast of
Palestine. The passengers and crewmembers were imprisoned on Cyprus for three months, during
which Phillips escaped from the camp, but was recaptured. The prisoners were transferred to a prison
ship, the Empire Life Guard sailing for Haifa. As the vessel sailed into the Haifa Harbor, explosives,
which had been smuggled aboard, were used to sink the ship. The refugees barely had time to
make a run for the pier before the explosives went off. Along with several other American crewmen,
Phillips was held responsible for the sabotage by the British.
Adrian Phillips was interned in the Athlit Camp along with other crew members; of whom 26
were Americans. Most of the crewmembers were released early soon after, including the skipper,
Sidney Yellin, in the British attempt to avoid an international incident over the American prisoners.
Adrian and two other New Yorkers (Herman Braverman and Michael Weiss) continued to be held in
Athlit without being charged.
Adrian's mother, Rose Phillips, launched a one-woman campaign from her home in the Bronx,
New York. She contacted newspapers, State Department officials, and congressmen and fought intrepidly
for the prisoners' freedom. After a lengthy battle, in Palestine and in the US, her son returned
home. Adrian had met a young woman among the holocaust survivors in Athlit, Gerda Gottesman.
Seven years later they married.
During his imprisonment, Adrian Phillips wrote to his mother " Please keep up your courage; the
worst is behind us, and that goes for all the Jews."

Note: Some 300 American and Canadian Volunteers served with Palestinian Jews who came as part
of the "Palyam" to bring "illegal" Holocaust survivors to the shores of Palestine. The 10 largest ships originated
in Baltimore, USA. Si Spiegelman

SONG OF THE VOLUNTEERS

The text of the Song of the Volunteers was printed In the AVI Newsletter Winter 2001. At the time
neither the authorship nor the text were clear. We have since determined that the lyrics were
written in August 1948 by Aaron Baranan, Louis Cohen, Brenner from England and Max Kampler.
Baranan can be reached at 5030 Rebel Trail, N.W., Atlanta, GA 30327.
All you sons of Moses,
With your crooked noses,
Fight, Fight, Fight for Israel.
All you sons of Jacob,
Join the Star of David,
Fight, Fight, Fight for Israel
Brothers, Brothers, Victory is
in Sight.
Forward, Forward, Onward with
the Fight.
Years and Years we've waited,
Now our State's created,
Fight, Fight, Fight for Israel
On the desert sand,
Fighters, hand in hand,
Build, Build, Build for Israel.
With our sweat and toil,
We reclaim our soil,
Build, Build, Build for Israel.
Brothers, Brothers, wherever you
may be,
Come up. Join us, in our Liberty.
Years and Years we've waited
Now our State's created.
Build, Build, Build for Israel.
Once again Our Own,
Our long forsaken Home,
Live, Live, Live for Israel.
Here at last we're free
To forge our destiny
Live, Live, Live for Israel.
Brothers in Courage helped create
our State.
Brothers in Freedom will always
keep it great.
Years and Years we've waited.
Now our State's created
Live, Live, Live for Israel.
Sung to the tune of 'Song of the Vagabonds' from 'The Vagabond King' by R. Friml

Referendum and Sentiment
continued from Page 2

ing volunteers from abroad, and then seeing
American Veterans of Israel heading
our organization, I have been disturbed.
I feel as Jews and some gentiles, not
only did we defy our nation of birth by
taking up arms for Israel, we were considered
traitors to our respective countries.
May I say, as a British subject, arriving at
Dover Customs enroute to Israel June
1948, I was humiliated, searched and
threatened, and told we will get you when
you return referring to Israel as
Palestine…So why are we so proud to include
the nation of our birth in our organization
heading? Simply, we are nothing
more than World Machal from the
Diaspora…"
Sidney Firth, Plymouth Meeting, PA
"…in the unlikely event that the younger
veterans would be interested in joining
AVI, I would favor expanding the membership
but retaining a distinct Machal
group under the umbrella of the AVI."
Leon Reinharth, New York
"All things have a normal cycle and life
span including AVI. Instead of perpetuation
memorialization through the archives
and Israeli government recognition
and remembrance."
Ellis Robins, Wellington, FL
"…if subsequent IDF volunteers want to
join, it is OK with me. Perhaps they can
help Israel in future years."
Aaron Baranan, Atlanta
"Volunteers or not. Participants in Israel's
wars are worthy. They risked their lives
and fought bravely…Let them in!"
Marvin Weiss, Branford, CT
"…I feel that 54 years after, the AVI need
not seek self-preservation and that we
should fade into history…"
Mort Levinson, Hillsborough, CA

These are the pertinent facts about our AVI archive and Machal Virtural Museum.
-- The University of Florida Libraries is the official host for the Aliyah Bet and Machal Archives.
The archives are located in my office and in Special Collections at the University of Florida
Libraries in Library East. Carla Summers of the library staff and I are archivists.
-- The University of Florida Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 organization, is the repository for the Machal
Fund, which supports all our archival activities. This fund now has approximately $9,000 in it,
with copies of wills assuring the Machal Fund of an eventual $70,000 endowment, which
should support the maintenance of the archives after we are all gone. We estimate that it will
cost $200,000 to complete our proposed projects.
These include:
1. The building of an Aliyah Bet and Machal Virtual Museum on the Internet. Phase I of this
project has now been completed.Phase two will include the fleshing out of all areas, the
completion of rosters, scanning of all photos, links, bibliography, etc.
2. The filming and taping of about 25 select oral histories. These oral histories will become
part of the archives and will also beincorporated in the virtual museum.
3.The completion of a data base, including all the information from about 400 detailed questionnaires
that I have collected from Aliyah Bet and Machal veterans over the last 15 years.
There are 52 questions in each questionnaire, including place of birth, parents' religious and
Zionist affiliation, dates of service, units, etc. Design and construction of the data base was
completed in the last two weeks, and my student assistant is already beginning to type information
from the questionnaires into it. This material will be invaluable for future historians.
4.Proper identification and storage of hundreds of photos and documents. Each photo must
be placed in its own acetate folder and clearly identified. This is an expensive task, and I am
still collecting and copying photographs, another expensive project.
5. The proper storage and identification of AVI organizational documents, minutes, newsletters,
etc.
6.Working with the Price Library of Judaica (almost 100,000 volumes) in the UF Libraries to
see that we have all books related to Aliyah Bet and Machal.
Thus, our project has two main arms: a) The virtual museum that can be seen all over the
world and represent the link between American and Canadian Jewry as well as Machal volunteers
from other countries and the State of Israel from its birth, and b) the Library archives,
which will preserve detailed information, photos and documents about Aliyah Bet and Machal
veterans for future historians. If AVI is successful in its fund-raising campaign, it hopes to expand
the virtual museum to include all elements of World Machal, so it is truly a museum
memorializing the worldwide volunteer effort to serve on Aliyah Bet ships and serve in the
Israeli military forces during the War of Independence.
Foundations and individual donors should understand that we have a very narrow window
of opportunity to get material from the veterans themselves. I am 72 years old, and I am
the second-youngest American.
All contributions are fully tax deductible. The UF Foundation, an official fund-raising arm
of the University of Florida, will acknowledge contributions, and major contributors will be
listed prominently in our virtual museum.
They might want to know something about me, since I am officially listed as archivist and
director of the virtual museum, in addition to being chairman of the AVI Research and Archives
Committee, and also administrator of the Machal Fund: Ralph Lowenstein is a native of
Danville, Virginia. He volunteered for the Israeli when he was 18 yearsold, seeing combat with
the 79th Armored Battalion only 10 days after arriving in Israel in 1948. He holds B.A. and M.S.
degrees from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Lowenstein
also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, from 1952 to 1954. He was a prize-winning
reporter for the El Paso Times, and has taught at the University of Texas-El Paso, Tel Aviv
University, the University of Missouri and the University of Florida. He was chairman of the
News-Editorial Department at the University for Missouri, and was dean of the College of
Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida for 18 years. He was president of
the organizations of American and Canadian journalism educators 1990-91 and was named
Journalism Administrator of the Year by the Freedom Forum in 1994. He retired from the
University of Florida in 1995. He has been listed in Who's Who in America since 1974.

16

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