MITCHELL (MICKEY) OLFMAN
I.D.F. NO: 63045
Mickey Olfman and his brother Jack Olfman
Mitchell (Mickey) Olfman was born in 1926 and raised in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, the youngest of eight children. His parents immigrated to Canada in the late 1800s, soon after his father narrowly escaped from the Russian army where he served in the cavalry.
In 1947, while pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of British Columbia, Mickey was recruited to join Machal. Inspired by the example of his six older brothers, all of whom had served in the Canadian Armed Forces during WW II, he wanted to take part of the formation of a Jewish homeland.
In April 1948 Mickey traveled from Vancouver to New York, and from there took a ship to Marseilles in France, where he joined recruits from around the world, as well as several hundred displaced persons. After a week’s training, 150 recruits and displaced persons boarded an Italian fishing boat, “Marie Annique,” headed for Palestine under the cover of darkness in a clandestine operation as the British were still occupying the country. Shortly after his arrival, Israel declared itself a nation and the second phase of the War of Independence began.
With only a few weeks of training, Mickey and his fellow recruits were inducted into the Haganah and thrown into the fray. Mickey was assigned to the 72nd Battalion of the 7th Brigade as a medic. His duties were varied, but mainly he was attached to No. 2 Platoon of the English-speaking “B” Company, as platoon combat medic.
In a clash on the Kabul mountain in the Western Galilee, known as the Tamra Battle, Mickey was wounded but returned to his duties upon discharge from hospital. He was again involved in the “Hiram Operation” as combat medic with No. 2 Platoon, which cleared the entire Galilee between the nights of 28th October and 1st November.
Mickey’s older brother Jack Olfman, who was also a volunteer serving in the Israel Air Force during the same period, liked to tell this story: He was intent on visiting Mickey who was stationed about 15 miles east of Safed. Jack found his brother about 100 yards from the Syrian forces. In order to reach him, Jack had to climb up a steep hill with no path beyond its first 40 feet of elevation, at which point it became a tangle of weeds and hidden land mines. When Jack got to the top of the hill, where the Syrian positions were visible, he saw Mickey riding on a donkey, transporting water to their platoon position. A young American soldier was on guard while reading a comic book, a rifle across his knee. Mickey and his young comrade were part of Israel’s first line of defense against a Syrian assault on Rosh Pina. This anecdote captures the combination of youth and bravery that epitomized Machal. During his year in Israel, he was stationed at several camps throughout the Galilee.
About his service in Israel, Mickey commented: “I had the personal satisfaction of having contributed to one of the greatest achievements of the Jewish people.”
Source: (i) Excerpt from obituary written by Mickey’s widow Bess Olfman and their daughter Sharna Olfman Burston for the AVI Newsletter 2011
(ii) Contributions by Machal Researcher Joe Woolf who also served in the 72nd Battalion with Mickey Olfman.