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Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Remembering war veteran Jerry Gross, 96, who served with Machal in Israelās first struggle for survival
Description: Funeral services were held Jan. 17 in Montreal for 96-year-old Joseph āJerryā Gross, one of the last surviving Canadian veterans of Israelās War of Independence in 1948. He served with the 52nd Battalion of the Givati Brigade, along with many other young volunteers.
Gross regularly organized reunions of North AmericanĀ machalniksāthe Hebrew short form for the nearly 5,000 āvolunteers from abroadā who helped defend the rag-tag Israeli troops against a vastly superior Arab invasion force.
Such contributions to the survival of a Jewish homeland could serve as an inspiration to the students of today, says the Canadian producer of a documentary f...