Journey from Josiah Wedgewood to Kibbutz Ein Dor

August 26, 2011 - 10:02 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments 

By Kayla Ship/Keshet

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Aryeh Malkin, a 90-year-young native of the Bronx and “graduate” of the Shomer Hatzair youth movement. From the age of 11, Aryeh wanted to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael and be a farmer, building the Jewish homeland through hard, physical labor.

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“When you get to do what you want and help other people-there’s no better way to spend your time on this earth,” is what Arthur told me. These are inspiring words.

After serving in the US Army in World War II, he returned to New York, trying to figure out a way to get to Palestine. The Haganah offered him an opportunity he couldn’t refuse: to be one of the crew members on the Josiah Wedgewood, a ship that would eventually bring over 1, 300 Jewish refugees to the shores of Eretz Yisrael in June 1946 as part of the Aliyah Bet clandestine immigration operation.

After the boat was raided by the British, Aryeh was thrown into the Atlit Detention Camp along with all the other “remnants of the Holocaust,” as he refers to the refugees. After two weeks, the Haganah smuggled him out of the camp and eventually he became one of the founding members of Kibbutz Ein Dor, where he still lives with his lovely wife, Varda, a nurse who hails from Australia.

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Foto Friday – Olga Dragunsky’s Forgotten Heroes

August 21, 2009 - 12:01 AM by · 4 Comments
Filed under: Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Life, Profiles, War 

Americans know that Jews fought in the US Army in World War II but many are less aware of the Russian Jews who fought equally as valiantly against Hitler. According to the Center for Jewish History: “An estimated 500,000 Jewish men and women served in the Soviet military during WWII… in every branch of the armed forces and on every front… More than 100 Jews held the rank of general, and in many important battles of the eastern front, Jewish generals held key commands.”

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“Jews ranked fifth among the ethnic groups, or ‘nationalities,’ who received the highest military accolade of their country, ‘Hero of the Soviet Union.’ About 150 Jews received this prestigious award for their bravery on the battlefield. Altogether, about 160,000 Jewish soldiers received medals and honors of one kind or another, making them the fourth most decorated nationality in the USSR.”

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Olga Dragunsky, whose family came to Israel following the fall of the USSR, began photographing elderly Russian war veterans, “because I was interested in the history of the country where I was born. I heard a lot of stories during my life and I decided to know more.”

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Dragunsky turned her personal interest into a magnificent final project when she graduated of the School of Photographic Communications, Hadassah College Jerusalem.

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Since graduating, Dragunsky has been working as an official photographer for Taglit-birthright Israel. She also self-published a book with personal stories from each veteran.

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In May 2005, the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the Center for Jewish History launched a fascinating website, Letters From the Front: Jewish War Heroes, dedicated specifically to honoring the heroism of those who gave their lives in the fight against fascism. The site presents postcards, letters, medals and other materials from the Blavatnik Archive , a unique private collection whose mission is to share with the public previously unknown historic documents and memorabilia. Definitely worth a look.

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