WORLD MACHAL - Volunteers from overseas in the Israel Defense Forces

Personal Stories

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.

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William Steiner

Bill Steiner was exposed to the Nazi takeover of Austria and the terror of Kristalnacht, and felt the blows of anti-Jewish oppressors after

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Samuel Back

Sam Back was born on 23rd June 1924 in Philadelphia to Joseph and Frieda Back. His father, Joseph, was a fifth-generation Palestinian who

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Arthur Braver

Arthur was born in New York City and moved to Washington DC at the age of four. He graduated from the Theodore Roosevelt

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Max (Michael) Fishman

MAX (MICHAEL) FISHMAN By Eddy Kaplansky Max Fishman was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts and brought up in a traditional Jewish home with Zionist

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Jack Goldstein

JACK GOLDSTEIN By Eddy Kaplansky Jack Goldstein in the Royal Canadian Air Force Jack Goldstein joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942

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Jack Olfman

JACK OLFMAN Jack Olfman (right) with his brother Mickey At the outbreak of World War II, Jack volunteered and enlisted in the Canadian

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Elkan Levitan

ELKAN LEVITAN Although an Air Force’s heroes are sure to be found among its fliers, heroics are not necessarily their exclusive domain. A

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Rob Stewart

STEWART ROBERT (ROB) SPRUNG Rob Stewart in Geneva By Eddy Kaplansky Stewart Robert Sprung, better known as Rob throughout his lifetime, was born

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Joe Tunis

JOE TUNIS Joe Tunis’ family immigrated to Canada from Poland with his sister in 1927 when he was one-year-old. He was brought up

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Goodwin Lee

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

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Samuel Boshes

SAMUEL BOSHES Eddy Kaplansky Sam Boshes in 1948 I first met Sam late in June 1948 at the Galei Yam restaurant on Tel

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Denny Wilson

  A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Denny Wilson was one of 15 non-Jewish Canadian pilots to serve in the Israel Air Force during

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Sidney Yellin

By Saul Yellin (Sidney’s brother) Sidney grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and went into the Merchant Marines at the age of 16. When

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Hugh McDonald

By Harold Katz Together, Hugh and I left our studies at the Harvard Law School in 1947 to volunteer for Aliyah Bet and

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Simon Drucker

Why I volunteered for Israel in 1948 Sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper, it’s a daunting project to cover more

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Bernard Marks

In December 1945, when I arrived home after World War II, I was determined to normalize my life, and enrolled in the University

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