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El Al: Israel’s Flying Star (Airways International, 2008), written by Marvin Goldman and featuring historical photos, chronicles 60 years of a once fledgling airline that evolved into a major player in the aviation industry.
Goldman, a civil airline historian and expert, is the world’s largest collector of El Al memorabilia.
Perhaps no other airline is so deeply rooted in the history, struggles and spirit of a nation as El Al.
In the 1920s, Britain’s Imperial Airways, the first airline to operate in the Holy Land, dominated the skies.
New immigrants to the country, including Yisrael Shochet and Tzvi Nadav, tried to establish modest air service within Palestine but were refused by the British.
Led by Shochet and Nadav, the Flying Camel Club, the first Jewish aviation club in Palestine, was formed in 1933. In 1937, the Jewish flying school Palestine Flying Service opened at Lydda Airport.
Palestine Airways, officially registered as Palestine Air Transport, began thrice-weekly runs in 1937.
When Israel was declared a state on May 14, 1948, the combined forces of surrounding Arab nations immediately attacked it.
Israel’s only outlet to distant allies was to the West, over the Mediterranean Sea, but this route could only be accessed by air.
El Al was established as the “chosen instrument” of the state to be its civil aviation lifeline.
Israel defeated the Arabs, and the way was cleared for El Al to develop as Israel’s principal airline.
El Al eventually integrated members of the flying clubs, schools and the Israel Air Force. Many of these men later became pilots for El Al.
Because Israel is El Al’s base, the airline has encountered major wars, terrorist threats and hijackings during its six decades of operations.
Still, safety and El Al have become synonymous. People often talk about how secure they feel traveling to Israel via El Al, regardless of the embattled political climate below.
For years, El Al only employed non-Israeli pilots because the British refused to sanction flight training for Israelis. Now the airline uses only Israeli pilots, and they are considered among the best in the world.
The crafts have evolved from C-46s (hand-me-downs from the Israel Air Force) to massive Boeing 777s. Whether flying in first class or coach, passengers receive all the amenities –– including excellent kosher food and expert service.
Goldman’s memorabilia, which he utilizes liberally in El Al: Israel’s Flying Star, recaptures bygone eras through photographs, brilliant posters, insignias, flight attendants’ changing uniforms, even stamps.
Of course, nothing can really convey the emotional component of the El Al experience: landing to “Hatikvah,” kissing the ground upon disembarkation, feeling that unavoidable oneness with the land.
El Al continues bringing Jews from all over the world to their homeland “on wings of eagles.”
Here’s to the next 60 years of Israel’s national airline –– and another book as delightfully comprehensive as El Al: Israel’s Flying Star.