Reserve Capt. Yosef Dror, one of the pioneers, of Israel’s Navy, was fatally injured when he fell from a rock while on a submarine archaeological tour of the Italian Island of Stromboli. He was 51 years old.
Born in Poland, Dror was brought to Palestine at the age of five where he grew up along the Tel Aviv seafront. He was a member of the maritime youth movement and later joined the maritime arm of Palmach, Pal-Yam. In this capacity, he was the commander of several ships that brought in Jews illegally from Europe. He was imprisoned several times but each time managed to escape.
Dror was the leader of a group that planted a mine on a British vessel that carried illegal Jewish immigrants from Haifa to Cyprus. During the War of Independence he helped sink an Arab ship In an Italian port which was taking arms to the Arab armies. Dror was one of those who urged the creation of naval commando units after Israel reached statehood. He was commander of Israel’s first submarine flotilla, two British-made submarines called Tanin and Rahav. After leaving the navy, he alternated between being the captain of ships and working on his kibbutz, Maagan Michael.
CORRECTION
In Monday’s Bulletin it was stated that Ford told Jewish leaders last Thursday that Israel received $6.5 billion in U.S. aid during the 27 months of his Administration. It should have stated that Ford reported Israel received $4.3 to $4.4 billion during his Administration and $6.5 billion during the preceding 26 years.
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.
