Globe Pequot / Stackpole Books
Pages: 320
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Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-0-8117-3726-5 • Hardback • January 2020 • $29.95 • (£25.00)
978-0-8117-6688-3 • eBook • January 2020 • $28.50 • (£19.99)
Boaz Dvir is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who produced and directed the PBS documentary A Wing and a Prayer, which tells this story and which won best feature documentary at the 2016 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and has screened around the world at such venues as the American Jewish Historical Society in New York, Columbia University’s Global Center in Paris, and the Library Film Festival in India. Dvir teaches journalism at Penn State and has also produced and directed the documentaries Jessie’s Dad, Discovering Gloria, and Cojot, about a French banker who sets out to kill former Nazi Klaus Barbie. His films have been covered by the Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Post, Haaretz, the Miami Herald, Stars and Stripes, and other publications. Dvir has written for Newsday, the Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, the Jerusalem Post, the Times of Israel, and Explore magazine.
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.— Ralph Lowenstein, dean emeritus, University of Florida College of Journalism
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 WWII 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 for 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.— Miriam F. Elman, Executive Director, Academic Engagement Network, and Associate Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University
With the world being turned on its head, the state of Israel faces some of its biggest challenges since its inception little more than a half century ago. To understand Israel's beginning, Boaz Dvir's beautifully written book, Saving Israel, offers a loving and unvarnished account of the men and women who risked everything to make sure Israel not only survived, but thrived. And it is a stark reminder of why Israel's survival and its place in the world is more important than ever.— Barbara Dury, former 60 Minutes producer
Saving Israel reveals the little-known story of the creation of the air force that defended the state of Israel in its earliest days in 1948. Enriched by numerous first-hand accounts of the participants, Boaz Dvir presents a compelling and highly readable story of people willing to risk all in defense of an ideal. — Richard Shryock, associate professor, Department of Modern and Classical Languages & Literatures, Virginia Tech
A fascinating and dramatic account filled with lots of new information about a crucially formative period in Israel's history. The author recreates in vivid detail how this overarching effort included the covert purchasing, fixing and maintenance of a variety of surplus aircraft, such as Messerschmitt fighters and B-17 bombers, as well as firearms, in the United States, and the recruitment, training, and deployment of the mostly American pilots to fly them on what turned out to be dangerous long-distance missions to Israel.— Joshua Sinai, Capitol Technology University; The Washington Times
The book, written in a journalistic style, tells a tale which not only is educational about the formation of Israel and the age into which it was born, but about the role which innovation and creativity can play in the saving of any society during a period of existential crisis. So this is an inspirational book, regardless of whether the reader supports Israel or not; it is about how people discover their identity—which is usually in times of crisis—and how they can act to preserve that identity to create anew.— Gregory R. Copley; Defense and Foreign Affairs
This book is a must-have for anyone who loves aviation history. It is a masterwork of research, interviews, and first-hand accounts of what it was like at the very beginning of the IAF [Israeli Air Force], when nobody knew if Israel would live or die. This book deserves our highest rating—a Five-Star Review. Drop everything get this book today, you can thank us later.— Thomas Van Hare, Historic Wings
Based on extensive research, the book reads like a historical thriller. Veterans, whose efforts on Israel’s behalf are still unrecognized, come to life. The result is a tale of heroism against all odds, a story that must be told to fully understand Israel’s success in its War of Independence.
— Ellis Shuman; The Times of Israel
The book contains some great stories about C-46s, C-47s, C-54s, Spitfires, B-17s, P-51s and even some Czech-made Messerschmitts.
— Stuart Faber; In Flight
How American Jews and others smuggled vital military supplies to the Jewish community in Palestine and later the Jewish state has never been told in such rich detail. Never before have readers gotten such an inside look at some very feisty—but also courageous and noble—characters, who changed the course of history. In short, the author did some world-class reporting. It is the nitty-gritty of getting the job done and activities of the characters who risked their lives, not to mention their freedom and citizenships, that make this book unique.
— Aaron Leibel; Jerusalem Post
This well-written book leaves the reader in suspense after many of the narrated scenes. Interspersed within the narrated scenes, it affords the reader a geopolitical ‘big picture’ understanding and an operational picture from multiple country perspectives. Recruiting transport pilots, mechanics, and crewmembers by motivating them—either by adventure, humanitarian cause, or biblical prophecy—to fly arms through an arms embargo was a daunting task that the author relates in a captivating manner. This is a must read for those interested in military history, geopolitical interests, or solving complex problems while dealing with many people and their personality proclivities.
— Stephen S. Harvey, Lt. Col. (Ret.) U.S. Army