SUMMER 2003 AMERICAN VETERANS OF ISRAEL VOLUNTEERS IN ISRAEL’S WAR OF INDEPENDENCE UNITED STATES & CANADIAN VOLUNTEERS 136 East 39th St., New York, N.Y. 10016 Newsletter Index Now Arab “Machal” Available We have been aware of Arab A precursor organization appeared in military volunteers recruited to New York in 1951. No written record of its fight alongside the several regu- activities between then and the early six- lar Arab armies in Palestine in ties remains. Around 1963, the group seems to have been reconstituted but, 1948. They have not enjoyed the again, left no record before the appear- same historical, journalistic and ance of the AVI Newsletter in 1966. Since fictional treatment accorded the then the vicissitudes of the organization, volunteers who fought alongside now designated as the American Veter- the Israeli forces. In response to re- ans of Israel, may be followed in the AVI ports of volunteers from Arab Newsletters. It was possible to collect 145 Ambassador Alon Pinkas addresses countries who came to the sup- Newsletters between that date and the awardees on the Intrepid Winter of 2003. This may not exhaust the port of Saddam Hussein, an ar- number published. Newsletter editors ticle appeared in the Qatar publi- have included Sidney Rabinovich, Samuel Israel Consulate in New cation Al-Jazeera on April 14, Alexander and Samuel Z. Klausner, among York Pays Homage to 2003. The author, Mahmud Abd- others. Machalniks: 300 at al-‘Ati, takes the occasion to re- Now, for the first time, an Index to ar- view the role of Arab volunteers in ticles and photographs published in the Ceremony various conflicts from Palestine Newsletter is available. The index was cre- Aboard the Intrepid ated using a software program entitled 1948 to Iraq 2003. He draws upon wIndex, which allowed for three levels of Following the Salute to Israel parade material assembled by the Office classification. The work of indexing was on June 1, 2003, with thousands march- of Research of Al-Jazeera. I done by Andrew Hochberg, of the Cen- ing up New York’s Fifth Avenue, a special thought the article might be of in- ter for Advanced Judaic Studies of the tribute was paid to Machalniks on the U.S. terest to readers of the AVI News- Aircraft carrier, Intrepid. The event orga- University of Pennsylvania, under the letter so I translated it for publica- guidance of the present editor. In two- nized by the Israel Consulate General of column format the Index runs 19 pages New York honored sixty Machal and tion here. Similarities and differ- and so is too lengthy for publication in Aliyah Bet Veterans in the presence of ences between the Arab and Is- Alon Pinkas, Consul General, Major Gen- the Newsletter. It has though been made raeli volunteers will be apparent. eral Moshe Sukenik of the IDF General available in PDF format through a link on Staff, and Mr. William Bryan White, Presi- The editor the AVI website (www.sas.upenn.edu/ dent, Intrepid Museum Foundation. ~sklausne/aviweb.html). The Newsletters The event was organized by a Consu- Arab Volunteers in Iraq…what themselves are catalogued in the library late team consisting of Yahel Vilan and does the Future Hold for of the University of Florida as part of the Michal Rachlevsky and headed by Ido AVI Archives managed by Ralph Aharoni, Consul for Media and Public Re- Them? Lowenstein. Newsletter copies may be lations in New York. An unknown fate awaits Arab obtained, for the cost of photocopying by Some 300 family members and guests volunteers in Iraq. Now that addressing Carl Van Ness, Aliya Bet and attended the ceremony as each Veteran American and British forces Machal Archives, Special Collections, POB was awarded a proclamation, expressing the State of Israel’s recognition for “service dominate the country, no one 117007, University of Florida Libraries, beyond the call of duty”. Spouses and chil- knows what the future holds for Gainesville, FL 32611-7007 dren of deceased veterans received the them. On the one hand not ([email protected]). awards on their behalf. Ambassador much is known about their per- Thus, under the heading of AVI Board Pinkas said he seldom was moved as he Policy Decisions there is an entry “Letter sonal decisions. On the other continued on Page 6 continued on Page 5 continued on Page 14 SUMMER 2003 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER National Board A Future AVI President Trusteeship… Paul Kaye Past President Role for Our Eli Bergman Executive Vice President Children Jerry Rosenberg Vice President, Canada Arnold Friedman Cadets Bergman and Moosey One purpose of the American Vice President, Israel light memorial candle Veterans of Israel has been to sus- David Baum tain the historical memory of Vice President, Public Affairs West Point, Machal volunteers in Aliya Bet and Sidney Rabinovich May 4, 2003: the several Israeli military forma- 718 896 1102 Recalling the Fallen tions of 1948. The mechanisms for VP and Treasurer doing this have been our Newslet- David Gerard The annual David M. Marcus Memorial ter, the Archives in Gainesville and Chair, Executive Committee Service was held on May 4 at the United the various collective events we Simon Spiegelman States Military Academy at West Point. have sponsored. It is reasonable to Military tradition of troops at attention assume that the present member- NATIONAL REGIONAL and at parade rest merged with the deep Vice Presidents historical solemnity of a Jewish funeral. ship will not be able to sustain this East: Ira Feinberg While AVI members around New York ar- program for more than another South: Irving Meltzer range the event, the event had the spirit five years or so. Midwest: Ben H. Steuerman of an AVI national observance. Members In the light of that we are seek- West: Mitchell Flint of the Jewish War Veterans Post of ing to appoint a committee of Rockland/Orange County and guests trustees, which beginning around PROGRAM VICE PRESIDENTS from the North Eastern states joined 2008, will monitor the closure of Planning some thirty former Machal and their fami- the organization. We envision that Art Bernstein lies. They had all assembled to honor Col. this will entail maintenance of the Bailey Nieder Marcus and, through his sacrifice, to honor list of veterans, keeping in corre- Activities/Events the American volunteers who fought for Bill Gelberg the establishment of the Jewish State. spondence with them and, on this David Hanovice The ceremonies opened in the rela- basis, reporting a once or twice Len Shaffron tively new Jewish chapel. This year the yearly necrology, assuring that the Global Coordination Jewish cadet chaplain, Rabbi Huerta, al- archives are managed properly by Zippy Porath ways an imposing prophetic presence personnel of the University of Speaker’s Bureau with his military bearing, was absent at- Florida, attending to fiduciary mat- Naomi Kantey tending to our troops in the Persian Gulf. ters relating to endowments (such Newsletter Editor and Webmaster The assembled stood at attention as the as the funds for the Archives and Samuel Z. Klausner JWV contingent marched down the cen- the Machal memorials in Israel) [email protected] ter aisle presenting the colors. Retired Col. and, at the proper time, disposing Archivist Lewis Zickel welcomed the veterans and Ralph Lowenstein guests in the name of the Commandant of cash balances and closing the [email protected] of the Academy. Si Spiegelman followed organizational bank account. 352 292 3565 with words of welcome in the name of the We believe that a committee of US Museum Relations AVI. Cadets Jacob Bergman and Mathew some of our sons and daughters David Gen Moosey came forward to light a candle could monitor this process re- Membership/Welfare in memory of Col. Marcus. Rabbi Nisson sponsibly. The purpose of this an- Lois Sprinzeles (chair) Shulman, a retired Captain USN, gave an nouncement is to inquire whether Sam Alexander Invocation, words of Torah and heroism. any member might have a son or Marvin Lebow Paul Kaye, President of AVI, intoned the daughter who could join such a Nat Nadler names of nineteen American and Cana- committee. If so, please advise Adrian Phillips dian veterans who had died in the past year. Simon Spiegelman, Chairman of AVI WEBSITE • Irving Block, Haganah the AVI Executive Board by tele- www.sas.upenn.edu/~sklausne/aviweb.html • V i c t or Chaber, Air Force phone (212 685 8548) or by e-mail continued on Page 12 ([email protected]). 2 SUMMER 2003 - THE AVI NEWSLETTER ‘It’s not too late to change your mind.’ My fa- MY MAHAL STORY: ther broached the subject again. We were hav- My experiences as a ing tea on our veranda. ‘Please consider the practical side and the dangers. All the volun- volunteer nurse during teers going over are war veterans or qualified the Israel War of doctors and nurses. You’re too young and in- experienced.’ Independence. 1948-49 My mother quietly added her thoughts, ‘Causing others to worry about you, you might by Ruth Stern even be a hindrance, ’ Then aloud, ‘Ruth dear why can’t you be like your sisters? Why not Early in 1948, the excitement of recruiting enjoy your popularity, complete your studies? people to go over and assist Israel, was spread- Why do you have such strange aspirations?’ ing by word of mouth across South Africa. I was It was not easy to be the parents of their at the SA Zionist Federation in Johannesburg, non-conformist daughter who had become sitting in the office of Simie Weinstein, the dedicated to the Zionist cause and drawn to former chaplain of the South African Expedi- the Land of Israel, unlike her three older tionary Forces in East Africa.