The remains of Dora Bloch will be laid to rest here tomorrow nearly three years after she was murdered at Kampala, Uganda on the orders of former President Idi Amin: Mrs. Bloch, who held Israeli and British citizenship, was a passenger on the Air France jet hijacked by Palestinian terrorists to Entebbe in June, 1976. When most of the hostages were rescued by an Israeli raiding party on July 3, she was in a Kampala hospital from where she disappeared a day later.
Her remains were discovered buried at a village near Kampala. With the cooperation of the new Uganda authorities, they were exhumed and flown to Israel where positive identification was made by Dr. Maurice Rogov; a pathologist who obtained the deceased’s X-rays and medical records.
Mrs. Bloch’s sons, Bert ram and Daniel, were relentless in their efforts over the years to verify their mother’s death and place of burial. They were convinced she had been murdered by Amin’s secret police in an act of revenge against the successful Israeli rescue operation. Amin persisted in denying any knowledge of her fate.
Bertram Bloch accompanied his mother’s coffin on an El Al flight from Nairobi, Kenya, to Israel yesterday. She will be given a state funeral tomorrow.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
