Sam Lewis (pilot)
Sam Lewis (February 5, 1912 – February 18, 1992) was an American pilot who flew transport aircraft as a foreign volunteer in Israel's war for Independence and as chief pilot for Israel's national airline, El Al.
Early life
Sam Lewis was born Samuel Rifkin on February 5, 1912, in Manhattan in
In 1925, when Lewis was 13, he accompanied his uncle, Rabbi Gershon Epstein, on a trip to Los Angeles, California, to consider joining the Rabbi's old congregation members who moved there from Russia where he had been their rabbi. Since the uncle only spoke Yiddish, Lewis joined him as his English translator. Lewis was supposed to return to New York by train after leaving his uncle in Los Angeles, but after seeing the wide green open spaces there, he refused to return to the cemented streets of New York. When his parents came to get him, they, too, fell in love with the place and decided to stay. The family settled in the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles.[2]
Though Sam grew up helping his father in his fur shop, he had other interests. He was athletic and an amateur boxer, and he loved anything to do with airplanes from an early age. While in high school, Lewis used to go to Clover Field, now Santa Monica Airport, finding different jobs in exchange for an air ride.
In 1935, when Lewis was 22, he had his first solo flight after only four flying lessons. Right after that, he joined the Jewish Flying Club (later the California Flying Club)[3][4] in Los Angeles, where the members rented airplanes over the weekends and enjoyed flying.
Early aviation career
After accumulating 200 hours of flying, Lewis became a certified flying instructor. In 1937, he left his father's fur shop to work as a flying instructor. He worked for Morton Air Services and then Pacific Air College, both at Mines Field (now LAX) in Los Angeles.[1]
In 1939, as the war was brewing in Europe,
Later, Lewis left Western Airlines and joined
Israeli aviation career
In 1947,
In 1949, Lewis became the first Chief Pilot of EL AL, the Israeli airline. He worked there until his mandatory retirement at the age of 60, in 1972.[1][6][7]
In late 1948 the Israeli government with the help of the JDC, an American Jewish relief organization, hired Alaska Airlines to airlift Jewish refugees from Yemen to Israel. In early 1949, Lewis took a leave of absence from his job in EL AL to join Alaska Airlines to take part in this airlift, which was later recognized as Operation Magic Carpet or On the Wings of Eagles. The airlift from Yemen came to completion in September 1950, after airlifting to Israel 49,000 Yemeni Jews.[5][10]
After his mandatory retirement as an EL AL pilot at the age of 60, Lewis, who was not ready yet to give up flying, joined his friend Al Schwimmer at the
Trial
In late 1948, Lewis and his nine American friends in Operation Zebra learned that their actions incurred US charges that they violated the American arms embargo on Palestine and the Middle East. In 1949 Lewis and his friends returned to the US to face their trial.[1][11][5][6][7] The trials of Lewis and some of the members of Operation Zebra took place in Los Angeles, having the Jewish Agency provide them with legal services. The trial ended in early 1950. Lewis was the only defendant found not guilty, due to one juror insisting Lewis was just a hired pilot, not a conspirator. The rest received $10,000 fines, which the Jewish Agency paid, and only one – Charlie Winters, who was not Jewish – whose trial took place in New York, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Three of the convicts in the Operation Zebra trial were eventually pardoned by various US presidents.[11][6][7]
Personal life
On May 5, 1931, when he was 19, Lewis married his high school sweetheart and next-door neighbor Jenny (Jean) Kopf. In 1933, the couple welcomed their first-born daughter Sandra (Brown), and later, in 1941, they had their second daughter Elaine (Aronoff). They lived in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC, during WWII. When Sam was able to join El Al after the trial, they began their life in Israel in 1950 and lived a few years in London. Upon Lewis’ retirement from IAI, the couple moved back to Los Angeles[1][2] in 1982 and remained there until their deaths. On February 18, 1992, Lewis died in Los Angeles, California, of an accidental gunshot wound.[7]
In popular culture
Lewis acted as an informal consultant to the movie Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), depicting the events of Israel's War of Independence in 1948.[2]
The exploits of Lewis and his Machal friends during Israel's War of Independence were documented in the movies:
- They Were All We Had (1988) by Jonathan Paz
- A Wing and a Prayer (2015) by Boaz Dvir,
And the books
- The Secret Battle for Israel (1966) by Benjamin Kagan
- The Pledge (1970) by Leonard Slater
- The Secret Army (1984) by David J. Bercuson
- El Al Star in the Sky (1990) by Marvin G. Goldman
- Angels in the Sky (2017) by Robert Gandt
- Saving Israel (2020) by Boaz Dvir
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
- ^ a b c Rodman, Edmon J. (April 26, 2017). "With Israel's survival up in the air, pilot Sam Lewis went above and beyond". Jewish Journal.
- ^ "CALIFORNIA FLYING CLUB". B'nai Brith Messenger. September 1, 1939.
- ^ "FLYING CLUB TO OPEN NEW SPOT LANDING CONTEST ON SUNDAY". B'nai B'rith Messenger. November 17, 1939.
- ^ a b c d e Goldman, Marvin G. (1990). EL AL Star in the SKY.
- ^ a b c d e f Gandt, Robert (2017). Angels in the Sky.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dvir, Boaz (2020). Saving Israel.
- ^ "Israeli War of Independence: U. S. and Canadian Machal Volunteers". Jewish Virtual Library.
- ^ Dvir, Boaz (2015). "A Wing and a Prayer". PBS.
- ^ Long, Elgen M. (2016). On Eagles' Wings.
- ^ a b Slater, Leonard (1970). The Pledge.