Mr. Robert Sandler contributes that he had Ben Levin, the oldest living partisan, come for Part II of his dramatic story today. Last time his son Chaim spoke about his father’s role in the Vilna resistance during the Holocaust. This time, he talked about his father’s participation in the Irgun operation to smuggle Jewish refugees and armaments into Israel on the Altalena during the 1948 War. The class had a very interesting discussion about Prime Minister, Ben Gurion’s controversial decision to fire on his political rival, Menachem Begin’s ship and kill fellow Jews in the name of consolidating power and eliminating “an army within an army”. Also discussed was how this traumatic event created deep political divisions in Israel that last until today. It was fascinating! Read an article Here is an article in the Altalena. (photo courtesy of Mr. Sandler)
