MACHAL - ABOVE AND BEYOND

Mahal (Hebrew: מח"ל‎, an acronym for Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz (Hebrew: מתנדבי חוץ לארץ‎), lit. Volunteers from outside the Land [of Israel]) were both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who went to Israel to fight in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War including Aliyah Bet. About 4,000 volunteers from all over the world came to fight on the Israeli side.  (from WIKIPEDIA)

Dear Friend of Israel,

It sounds like the plot of an adventure novel or a thriller war movie: A fledgling state must fight for its life against surrounding countries that are hostile to its very existence. The citizens of this new state are grossly underequipped, greatly outnumbered by their enemies, and seemingly incapable of defending themselves. Yet, through a combination of raw courage, ingenuity, and the indispensable help of volunteers from around the world who want it to survive, the fledgling state – Israel – prevails

Amazingly, this story is true, and it’s chronicled in a new documentary by Nancy Spielberg (younger sister of famed director Steven Spielberg). Above and Beyond tells the little-known story of a group of combat pilots, most of them Jewish Americans, who in 1948 went to the newly independent state of Israel to fight off the Arab attack that followed Israel’s declaration of independence. These men not only turned the tide of the war in Israel’s favor, they also laid the groundwork for the formation of the Israeli Air Force.

Above and Beyond reminds us that Israel’s War of Independence was, quite literally, a matter of life or death for hundreds of thousands of Jews. Many had fled to Israel from Europe after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust, and saw in Israel’s independence the possibility of finally having a country where they could live freely and determine their own fates.

For the pilots who volunteered to help Israel secure that independence – risking their U.S. citizenships and their lives – the outrages of the Holocaust compelled them to leave their comfortable lives in post-WWII America to fight for what they knew was a just cause. They were also imbued with a unique and powerful sense of purpose: As one of the pilots, Lou Lenart, puts it in the film, “I was born to be here, on that moment of history, to contribute to Israel’s survival.” It is the interviews with these extraordinary men, coupled with rare archival film footage of the events that occurred before, during, and after Israel’s War of Independence, that forms the heart of this film, and brings to life this compelling chapter in history.

Above and Beyond is a story of bravery and commitment, and ultimately, one of the victory and unity of the Jewish people. Set for general theatrical release in 2015, the film is now being shown at film festivals around the world, with a number of screenings scheduled for the U.S. I strongly encourage you tovisit the film’s website to find out if there is a showing in your area, and to find out how you can host a special screening at your local theater, church, or synagogue.

Asked if during those dark days of the war he thought Israel would survive, another one of the pilots, Coleman Goldstein, replied, “Somehow, yes, and I’ll tell you why. Israel is an article of faith.” Indeed, all people of faith, Jews and Christians alike, who see the hand of God at work in the formation of the modern state of Israel, will be thrilled by Above and Beyond, and will truly gain from it a deeper appreciation of how the modern Jewish state became, despite the efforts of its enemies, the “light unto the nations” that it is today.

With prayers for shalom, peace.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Founder and President

Would you risk everything - your future, your citizenship, even your life - to help a brother in need?

In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia and flew for Israel in its War of Independence. As members of Machal – “volunteers from abroad” – this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war; they also embarked on personal journeys of discovery and renewed Jewish pride.

                                         ABOVE AND BEYOND is their story.

The first major feature-length documentary about the foreign airmen in the ’48 War, ABOVE AND BEYOND brings together new interviews with the pilots, as well as stunning aerial footage, to present a fascinating, little-known tale filled with heart, heroism and high-flying chutzpah. The film follows the pilots on their circuitous route from the United States – where they met and trained in secret and struggled to stay two steps ahead of the FBI – to Panama, Italy and Czechoslovakia, where they flew versions of the very Nazi planes they had tried to shoot down in World War II.

More than a retelling of the ’48 Arab-Israeli War, ABOVE AND BEYOND examines the motivations of the foreign volunteers – both Jews and non-Jews. It mines the tensions between the Israelis and Machal soldiers. Would the foreign pilots stay in Israel after the war? Were they Americans first or Jews first? The film recounts the personal stories of the young pilots, whose experiences in Israel were life altering. And through their stories, ABOVE AND BEYOND reveals how under-equipped and isolated the Israelis were, how desperately they needed planes and pilots and how critical the actions of these young American men were for the country’s survival.

Filmed in the U.S., Israel and the United Kingdom, ABOVE AND BEYOND is produced by Nancy Spielberg (Elusive Justice) and directed by Roberta Grossman (Blessed Is the Match), with cinematography by Harris Done (The Last Days), special effects by Industrial Light & Magic and an original score from Hans Zimmer’s Studio.