Six Soviet Jewish fliers who participated in the sensational rescue of the survivors of the Chelyushkin Arctic expedition were today given the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” In addition each of the fliers received the Order of Lenin, one of the highest decorations of the Soviet Union, and an extra year’s salary. The title “Hero” was created for the airmen by a special decree issued by the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union, the highest ruling body of the country.
The 104 men and women who were on the Chelyushkin expedition were awarded The Order of the Red Star. The Jewish flier Rivenstein was also awarded the Order of the Red Star
JEWISH OFFICER DIED IN TRANSFER
The Chelyushkin, Soviet icebreaker carrying an Arctic expedition under the command of Professor Otto Schmidt, was crushed in the Arctic ice-pack. Boris Mogilewitsch, Jewish supply officer of the expedition, was killed during the transfer of supplies from the ship to the ice-floes. The ability of the group to survive was ascribed to the heroic work of Mogilewitsch in transferring all supplies, including a radio sending outfit.
Soviet airmen, in the face of fog, snow and the bitterly cold Arctic, rescued all the members of the expedition in daring flights from the mainland.
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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.
