Throughout our long history, even going back to Biblical times, Israel has fought and survived numerous attempts by bandits, terrorists and hostile nations to seize our land and slaughter the Jews.
Even today, from the time of the massacre on 7th October, the threat of continued hostility is foremost in our mind.
Israel has been blessed for over 2000 years with heroes who have come to the aid, to the need of the country, when the occasion arises.
‘Saving Israel’
This book by award-winning journalist and filmmaker Boaz Dvir tells the relatively unknown story of smuggling weapons into Israel enabling the state to win the War of Independence in 1948.
Following the declaration of the State of Israel in May 1948, it faced the threat of invasion from five neighboring, well-equipped armies.
The United States adopted a policy of neutrality by refusing to supply arms to either side of the conflict.
It was left to the heroism of WW2 veteran American airman Al Schwimmer to intervene.
He showed a determination to do whatever was needed to help Israel defend itself, performing an act of heroism against all odds.
Al Schwimmer
The book gives precise details how Al Schwimmer created illegal airlines and bought decommissioned airplanes.
He sent his pilots to pick up rifles, bullets and fighter planes from Czechoslovakia, the only country willing to break the international arms embargo.
Schwimmer and his team risked their lives, freedom and US citizenship to prevent what they viewed as an imminent genocide.
They were brave beyond the call of duty, evading the FBI and State Department, but gained the support of the mafia and even smuggled weapons from the Nazi surplus, then making their way across hostile territories delivering the arms to Israel.
Boaz Dvir conducted lengthy interviews with some two dozen people, both in Israel and America, to describe the success of the activities of Al Schwimmer and his team.
Many of them commented a second Holocaust had been prevented.
Failure to win the war would have meant the death of hundreds of thousands of people.
It was claimed that the destruction of Israel, the only country on Earth willing to take in Holocaust survivors, would have ended the Jewish people’s 2000-year aspiration to return to their homeland.
To ensure the information was authentic, Boaz Dvir double-checked all the details with different people than those whom he interviewed.
What Readers Had to Say
It is usual before buying a book to read what others have to say.
Some reviews are written by publishers, others anonymously, but when a reader signs their name, together with their credentials, it’s worth examining more closely.
Miriam F. Elman, Executive Director, Academic Engagement Network, and Associate Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University offered a most commendable review.
“How did Israel come to rely on Nazi-surplus weapons during its war for independence in 1948?
How did a fledgling state that didn’t yet have an air force manage to turn back a powerful Egyptian military column that was poised to march on Tel Aviv?
In ‘Saving Israel’ Boaz Dvir answers these questions and more by recreating the relatively little-known story of a heroic band-of-brothers, a group of American WW2 vets who risked their comfortable lives and freedom to answer a desperate call for help.
Drawing on over two-dozen interviews, Dvir’s book brings this incredible chapter in Israel’s early history to life.
What motivated these men to fly to Israel at a time when its survival hung in the balance?
‘Saving Israel’ is a must read for anyone interested in military history and learning more about America’s war heroes.”
Ralph Lowenstein, dean emeritus University of Florida College of Journalism wrote that the American Jewish and Christian role in helping Israel win its War of Independence in 1948 is little known in the US or Israel.
‘Saving Israel’ is a revelation, he wrote.
Today’s Heroes
One again, Israel’s enemies have launched efforts to eliminate the State of Israel, together with targeting Jews living in the diaspora through rising antisemitism.
And once again many heroes in Israel and abroad are raising their hands in support of the state.
Tens of thousands of volunteers are assisting kibbutzim and moshavim helping in the upkeep for supply of fresh produce for local consumption, replacing members who are fighting on the battlefields.
Volunteers, both young and old, are helping the Israel Armed Forces in offering services in the barracks, supporting the fighters.
Hospitals and health care centers have attracted volunteers from other countries.
Citizens living in safe quarters are billeting families who have been forced to vacate their homes situated near the borders, both in the south and the north of the country.
In this time of stress the real heroes are those responsible citizens and friends from overseas who have willingly placed the needs and interests of the State of Israel far above their personal welfare.
