Al Schwimmer

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Al Schwimmer
Schwimmer in 1955
Born(1917-06-10)June 10, 1917
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 10, 2011(2011-06-10) (aged 94)
Ramat Gan, Israel
CitizenshipUnited States[1]
Israel
Occupation(s)Aerospace engineer, aerospace executive
Known forFounder of Israel Aerospace Industries (formerly Bedek Aviation Company)
SpouseRina Schwimmer
Children2
AwardsIsrael Prize (2006)

Adolph William Schwimmer (Hebrew: אל שווימר;‎ 10 June 1917 – 10 June 2011) was an American and later Israeli Mahal operative, engineer, and businessman. He was the founder and first CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries.

Early life

In 1917, Schwimmer was born in New York City, the son of immigrants from Eastern Europe. Schwimmer never used his given birth name of Adolph, preferring the nickname "Al".[2]

Career

In 1939, Schwimmer began his aerospace career at

TWA and assisted the U.S. Air Transport Command as a flight engineer.[3]

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Schwimmer became a Mahal operative, using his World War II experience and his contacts to smuggle surplus war planes to Israel in violation of a UN arms embargo.[4][5][1] Schwimmer reflected on what motivated these actions in an interview with Boaz Dvir. The alternative was described as a "Second Holocaust [...] they believed that those 600,000 Jews were going to die."[6] Using circuitous routes, he also recruited the pilots and crews to fly the planes to Israel. Many of these men became the nucleus of the Israeli Air Force.[1]

While smuggling these Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from Czechoslovakia, the Israeli Air Force killed Egyptian civilians in its bombardment of a residential neighborhood near Qasr al-Qubba in Cairo on July 15, 1948, during the international phase of the 1948 Palestine war.[7][8][9]

In 1949, Schwimmer returned to the United States and, in 1950, he was convicted in the United States of violating the

US Neutrality Acts for smuggling the planes into Israel. Schwimmer was stripped of his voting rights and veteran benefits and fined $10,000, but did not receive a prison sentence. Schwimmer refused to ask for a pardon, believing that smuggling weapons to help create Israel was the right moral decision to make. In 2001, President Bill Clinton gave Schwimmer a presidential pardon.[1]

In the early 1950s, Schwimmer, who was running an aircraft maintenance company in Burbank, California, was approached by David Ben-Gurion, Israel's then prime minister, who asked Schwimmer to return to Israel and establish an aircraft company for commercial and military purposes.[1] Schwimmer acceded to Ben Gurion's request and founded Israel Aerospace Industries, of which he became the first CEO.[3] Sam Lewis, a former codefendant, worked for him as a pilot and consultant and helped set up several airlines in Europe, Asia, and South America.[10]

Schwimmer was one of the founders of Savyon, but later moved to Tel Aviv.[11]

In the mid-1980s, Schwimmer was a special adviser for technology and industry for Israel's then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who became a close friend.[1]

Personal life

Schwimmer was married and had two children, Danny and Dafna, as well as four grandchildren, Orr, Ella, Sarah, and Avi. On June 10, 2011, Schwimmer died on his 94th birthday in a hospital in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv District, Israel.[12]

In popular culture

In 2015, his exploits during

A Wing and a Prayer, written, directed, and produced by Boaz Dvir. The film contains the only public interview Schwimmer gave in light of these events.[13]

Awards

  • In 1975, he was awarded the Herzl Prize for his contribution to Israel's security and economy.
  • In 2006, Schwimmer was awarded the Israel Prize, for his lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State.[3][14]
  • In 2018, Schwimmer was posthumously honored by the
    Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., as one of the 70 most valuable American contributors to the strengthening of Israel and its alliance with the United States.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Al Schwimmer, creator of Israel's Air Force, dies, JTA, 12 June 2011, archived from the original on 14 June 2011.
  2. ^ JTA (15 June 2011). "Al Schwimmer, Father of Air Force". The Forward. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011. Schwimmer, who understandably never used his given birth name of Adolph, resisted all entreaties to write his memoirs, asking, 'Who would be interested?'
  3. ^ a b c "Israel Prize winner Al Schwimmer dies on 94th birthday", The Jerusalem Post, 11 June 2011.
  4. ISSN 0377-919X
    .
  5. ^ Kushner, David (24 March 2024). "He was an American war hero. Then he decided to smuggle arms to Israel". Business Insider. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  6. ^ Golan, Guy. "Putting Nazi Weapons in Jewish Hands | The Public Diplomat". Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  7. ISSN 0377-919X
    .
  8. ^ "CAIRO IS BOMBED BY ISRAEL FLIER; Arab Planes Counter With Air Blows at Jerusalem, Haifa -- Land Fronts Quiet". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  9. ^ Beinin, Joel. Berkeley:  University of California Press,  c1998 1998. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft2290045n/
  10. ^ Lewis, Samuel, 1992-2009. Machal/Aliya Bet collection (I-501). Box 13, folder 13. Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th St. NY. NY 10011
  11. ^ "Al Schwimmer, NY-born Father of Israel's Aerospace Industry, Dies at 94", Ha'aretz.
  12. ^ Oren, Amir (6 November 2011). "Al Schwimmer, founder of Israel Aircraft Industries, dies at 94". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 11 April 2019. (confirmed date of death as 10 June 2011).
  13. ^ "Israeli Air Force, particularly its scrappy beginnings, inspires 3 films". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Judges' Rationale for Grant to Recipient". Israel Prize (official site) (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 25 June 2011.
  15. ^ "Adolph William 'Al' Schwimmer (1917–2011)". 26 March 2018.
  16. ^ "DC Embassy Holds Massive Celebration for Israel's 70th Anniversary & US Embassy Move to Jerusalem". 16 May 2018.

External links