Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II

377 Pages·2018·4.463 MB·English

by  Ellin Bessner

U
N
C
O
R
R
E
C
T
E
D

P
R
O
O
F
DOUBLE THREAT
This page intentionally left blank
DOUBLE THREAT
Canadian Jews, the Military,
and World War ii
Ellin Bessner
New Jewish press
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
first edition
Copyright © 2018 Ellin Bessner
All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or
portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
New Jewish Press
University of Toronto Press
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com
Book design by Mark Goldstein
Cover design after Hubert Rogers’ 1943 award-winning poster “Attack On All Fronts”
library and archives canada cataloguing in publication
Bessner, Ellin, 1961–, author
Double threat: Canadian Jews, the military, and World War II /Ellin Bessner.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
isbn 978-1-988326-04-7 (softcover).
1. World War, 1939–1945—Participation, Jewish. 2. World War, 1939–1945—Canada.
3. World War, 1939–1945—Canada—Biography. 4. Jewish soldiers—Canada—Bio-
graphy. 5. Jews—Canada—Biography. i. Title.
d810.j4b467 2018 940.53089’924 c2017-908027-x
c2017-908028-8
printed in canada
For John, Alex, and Evan,
and for my late uncle Leo Guttman,
an rcaf veteran who served in wwii but didn’t talk about it,
until he did, in 2014, with me
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xiii
1 Fighting Amalek 1
2 Signing Up 11
3 Jewish Communists in Uniform 35
4 The Battle of Hong Kong 47
5 Dieppe 61
6 Jews in the Air Force 73
7 The Navy and Merchant Navy 91
8 Jewish Women in Uniform 103
9 Life in the Barracks 113
10 Off-Duty Activities 129
11 Jewish Heroes 155
12 Keeping the Faith 173
13 Liberation 197
14 Coming Home 211
15 Kaddish for D-Day 231
Notes 257
References 307
Photographs 327
Index 341
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgements
Normally, authors thank their family and support systems at the end of
the acknowledgements. My husband, John Friedlan, and my sons, Alex
and Evan, should be thanked at the beginning. Thank you for believing
in me. This book is the third most important thing I will ever do, next to
being your wife and mother.
Double Threat would not have been completed without these spe-
cial people: Lois Lieff and Brenda Bessner, Ken Adessky and Morton
Bessner. Special thanks also to Amy Langer, Rosalie Waller, Rhonda
Kula, Terry Shatner, Sheryl Gencher, Linda Scales, Pat Walsh, Shannon
Walsh-Moreau, Vita Kolodny, Naomi Krajden, Mark Kingstone, and
Daphne Flatt for providing heartfelt encouragement.
To my cousin Judy Guttman, thank you for starting this journey by
introducing me to Isabella Meltz, and then encouraging your father, Leo
Guttman, to tell me his war story. To my cousin Gita Berman, thank you
for finding the Nussbaums in Israel and for asking the right questions.
To Nellie Miller, thank you for telling me about your friend’s brother
Joe Gertel and then challenging me to write a book. To Elaine Archer
and David Archer, thank you for sending me news clippings through
your important project, Operation Picture Me. To Joel, Ross, and
Aviva Lifschitz, thank you for hosting me on that fact-finding trip to
Claresholm and Nanton, Alberta. To Elaine and Ray Feig, thank you for
Ben Dunkelman’s book Dual Allegiance, a gift from your parents’ library.
To Maylene and Rael Ludwig and Beth and Norman Shore, thank you
for the kosher dinner and open houses in Winnipeg. To Stephen Glazer
and the Glazer family, thank you for the connections in Canada and in
acknowledgements · ix