In March 1967 I was visited at Maccabi, Compayne Gardens, where I was the Sports Director, by the late Solly Marcus (Secretary of the Jewish Blind Society). He asked “would you do the same job for the Israeli Air Force as you did in the RAF if Israel went to war?” I replied “Yes, if I was given the same position.” Solly said I would have the same rank and I replied, “No, I meant I worked 300 feet down inside Beachy Head Cliff!”
My RAF National Service background was after passing various training courses and receiving promotions and leading Radar Fighter Control Crews on specific projects, as a Radar Fighter Controller, I was selected to head one of the elite crews which were sent to the Middle East at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956. After being involved in a number of military incidents I was injured and sent to a hospital in Malta. On my return to the UK I found that I had received a commendation for my services and as a promotion was seconded to the ministry of Civil Aviation as an Air Traffic Control Officer. I trained at London Airport and later returned to my own radar station which served as a satellite for London Airport. This particular job was to be useful in the Yom Kippur War, but that’s another story!
Solly said “you worked on mobile radar in the Middle East.” I said “how did you know that?” He replied “they know all about you, but all I want to know is will you serve in Israel if Israel was in trouble?” I said “yes” and Solly said “you will be contacted” and he left shortly afterwards.
A few days later I was telephoned and told to go to an address near Baker Street. As I knocked on the door I realized that I hadn’t been given a name to ask for, so when a pretty young lady answered I thought I’d been set up. Then she said in an Israeli accent “Mr. Borsack come with me” and I was led into a room where 3 men were sitting. One was English, and two appeared to be Israeli. After a few questions they seemed to know more about my work in the RAF than I did, including my tracking of a UFO, but again that’s another story! After a while I said “you know I have signed the Official Secrets Act” to which two of them replied “so have we.” After about half an hour of discussing the work of a Mobile Radar Fighter Control Unit and the training of its crew I was asked “as a married man with two young daughters why would you go to Israel in time of war.” I replied “if Israel went under then life for Jews would become like 1939 all over again.” At this they shook hands with me and said “welcome aboard we will be in touch” and they left. I remember thinking that I never knew their names.
In due course I met up with a few ex-Service friends and some other members of Maccabi. It appeared that everyone was ex-National Service and all had some specialist military knowledge – electronics, radar, operating armored equipment, tanks, technical support, etc. We seemed to all have been specifically contacted and selected and were volunteered and registered as Agricultural Workers! We all know what occurred then. In June 1967 the whole world shook at the brilliance of the Israeli military machine and their version of the Blitzkrieg as they humiliated and defeated the Arab Nations. It was acknowledged as one of the greatest feats in World Military History. This tiny nation had become one of the greatest military forces. Yes, the Yids could fight! We could now make the Goyim tremble! 2000 years of torment – let them try it now. The might of the Jews made the world take notice – what a time to be a Jew! We showed our Jewishness with pride with our Magen Davids worn outside our clothes and we rushed to Israel to celebrate and the world applauded.
The British volunteers who played their part in the war were never officially acknowledged. We were not mercenaries. Our names were recorded somewhere. We know what we did! We volunteered to defend the land of our faith – no other religion can say that. Regretfully, after that great military success, Israel was attacked in 1973 and we all served again during the Yom Kippur War. We were unique, we British volunteers, for with the end of National Service in this country no longer are large numbers of young Jewish men trained for military service and so there is no one for Israel to call on again.
– Jeff Borsack
