Iran’s Attack on Israel
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Stan Andrews, a WWII bomber pilot, had never set foot inside of a synagogue. When he heard that Israel was facing an existential war, something was sparked inside of him.
When Israel became a Jewish state in 1948, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq immediately attacked it, sparking the War of Independence, the first Arab-Israeli War.
On the other side of the globe, Stan Andrews, a talented artist, writer, and veteran was living a comfortable life in Los Angeles. He’d just returned from fighting as a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces in the Pacific in World War II. He was soaking up the sun and having fun while figuring out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
Stan was by no means a religious or connected Jew; he never had a bar mitzvah or set foot inside of a synagogue. He also changed his last name from Anekstein because of its obviously Jewish connotation, and he was all set to marry his non-Jewish girlfriend.
Stan net to an Me-109. (Israel Military Archives)
But then Stan heard about what was going on in Israel and it sparked something inside of him. He had experienced antisemitism while fighting in World War II, and saw that in the Jewish struggle for independence, there was an historic opportunity to fight back against his people’s oppressors.
So, he packed up and left LA for Israel, where he could put the skills he learned in World War II to the test, fight for the Jewish people, and help in the establishment of Israel.
Stan Andrews’ heroic story is the focus of “Fighting Back: Stan Andrews and the Birth of the Israeli Air Force,” a book written by Jeffrey and Craig Weiss. The authors describe how Stan’s Jewish soul came alive when Israel was fighting for its right to exist, how he joined the Israeli Air Force and became one of its first fighter pilots, and took up various positions as a fighter, bomber, and senior liaison.
“He was willing to take great personal risk to stand up for what he believed,” said Jeffrey. “This was despite the fact that he had not been educated or encouraged to see the Jewish struggle for independence as something that was in any way relevant to his life.”
“Fighting Back” is filled with harrowing and interesting scenes, like when Stan goes out to fight against the Egyptians – but faces a tremendous setback.
Stan headed his Me-109 down the runway, right on the tail of the second plane. Almost immediately, he found himself blinded by a dust cloud kicked up by the preceding aircraft. Unable to see the strip, he veered to the right. One of his wheels lodged in the soft ground off the runway. In an instant, the plane was on its back, with Stan unconscious inside, still strapped into his seat.
Stan (third from left) relaxing with other members o the 101 Squadron, including Bob Vickman (far right) and Lou Lenart (third from right). (Courtesy of Paul Reubens)
Stan didn’t tell his family that he was fighting for Israel – he didn’t want to worry his parents who were anxious about him serving in World War II. He was involved in key moments of the building of the modern Jewish state. Jeffrey and Craig write:
Stan was instructed to work directly with some of the army’s senior commanders in the area, including a young officer named Yitzhak Rabin, the Chief of Operations in the south and later Israel’s fifth Prime Minister. Andrews’ responsibilities, as outlined in a memo from Air Force commander Remez, included guiding the communication between air and ground forces, assisting with target selection, determining a bomb line and acceptable forward-most positions for Israeli and Arab forces, and directing aircraft during joint operations.
“The impact of Stan’s time in Israel continues to be felt, at least symbolically, to this day,” said Jeffrey. “One of the first things he did when coming to Israel was to design the logo for the 101 squadron, at the time Israel’s only fighter squadron. There is still a 101 squadron and it continues to fly missions while proudly displaying Stan’s logo from more than 75 years ago.”
Insignia of Israel’s 101 Squadron
Jeffrey views Oct. 7 like Israel’s second War of Independence; Jews are once again called to action to defend themselves and their land.
“We are living through a consequential time in Jewish history that is not unlike what Stan witnessed before deciding to come to Israel to fight,” he said. “Oct. 7 is another reminder that antisemitism continues to run rampant in the world and that Israel is surrounded by a great many people who would like to destroy it.”
The Jews who struggled for independence during the initial Arab-Israeli war after 1948 stood “nearly alone in the world,” according to the author, “which is what made the contribution of volunteers like Stan so important. The Israel of today faces a level of isolation that, while not as bad as that of 1948, is eerily similar. And Israel’s post-Oct. 7 goals are not truly different than they were in 1948 – to live as a free people, in peace, in the Jewish homeland.”
What made Stan’s story worth sharing – and so inspiring for Jews today – is the fact that he stood up for his people when he needed them the most.
“There is a time for words and a time for action,” said Jeffrey. “The ones who inspire us and who make a difference are those who stand up for what they believe in when the stakes are high.”
Every Jew must be an Israeli.
Israel and Judaism are indistinguishable
I’m not sure why the title of this article stresses that he was unaffiliated. Most of the early fighters and government leaders were not religious. The generation that founded the State of Israel were social democrats. They would be surprised at the degree to which Chareidim have flourished over the years in Israel.
This formerly unknown hero teaches us that it is imperative for all Jews to make their unique contributions whenever and wherever for the benefit of the Jewish People. Steve Finer
Very inspiring.
Israel should know that there are many of us non-Jews out in the world who support you.