WORLD MACHAL - Volunteers from overseas in the Israel Defense Forces

Ronnie Slender

Having matriculated in December 1945, I immediately joined the peace-time South African Navy, specializing in radar.

During Pesach 1948, when I was home in Johannesburg on leave from the South African Navy, I ran into Leo Kowarsky, head of the South African League for Haganah and a World War ll experienced decorated infantry officer, and later a Brigade staff officer.  When he heard what I was doing he took me to Simie Weinstein at the Zionist Federation office in Commissioner Street.  He instructed Simie to buy me out of the Navy.  I had already served on the South African frigate “Transvaal” and the minesweeper “Pietermaritzberg”, qualified in Radar and Asdic operating, and had been selected to attend an officers’ course. Instead,  in September,  I came to Israel where I was happy to use my radar experience in the Israeli Navy.

I flew up at the end of October with a group of some 25, led by Jack Fisch.  We landed at Lod (Lydda) Airport which had just become operational again as a civilian airport.

For a short while, I was with Charles Mandelstam and Bill Kotzen on the “Noga”. Then I was posted to Stella Maris where I joined Jack Fisch of Naval Intelligence and Ted Russak, who together with his nursing sister wife were one of the some 30 South African couples who had volunteered their service to Israel.  Ted and I later installed Radar in Jaffa and Eilat.  Our O.C. was an American called David Richard Rosenberg.

Serving and helping to build an Israeli Navy was to be the highlight of my life.  My special friends were Norman Isaacs, Tim Michel who always called me “the Admiral”, Ken Braun, Harold Evian and Danny Rosin, Les Lazarus and Ivor Fir. So many years ago, so many wonderful chaps.

Once, on leave in Tel Aviv, I remember being pulled into a game of “Bok-Bok” at Mograbi Square, which must be the reason why I suffer from a back problem until today.

During a meeting with “Locky” Fainman before he left Israel, he gave me two telephone numbers of girls he knew in Capetown (Joan Maisler and Rita Bloch), should I ever take a trip there.  He even predicted that a year later I would marry the second one.

Well, the time came and eventually, together with Harold Evian, I ended up in Capetown on holiday.  Dutifully, I telephoned first Joan Maisler, she was not in, and then Rita Bloch, who went out with me.  And exactly a year later we were married and have happily married for 52 years!

In a reverse action, it was the South African Navy who called me back to South Africa where, after some years of service, I retired with the rank of Commander, even being awarded the Military Medal for peacetime meritorious service.