Memorial to Death

Along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, thousands of Jews gathered last week to commemorate the heroism of Jewish soldiers who parachuted behind German lines during World War II, were captured, and died in concentration camps. Prime Minister Moshe Sharett was the principal speaker, and among the honored guests were several other paratroop veterans who had fought in one uniform or another against Hitler. Midway in the ceremony, two tiny, corn-yellow Piper Cubs circled low over the crowd. As one passed over Sharett's head, flying only 100 yards above the ground, the pilot dropped a parachute bearing a memorial message from President Ben-Zvi.

The strings of the parachute caught in the plane's undercarriage. The pilot, anxious to save the ceremony's moment of drama, impulsively reached out of his cockpit to free the scroll. As he fumbled, the plane dropped lower. Too late, the pilot saw his danger and banked his plane sharply. But he lost control of the plane and it nose-dived into the crowd, ten yards from where the Prime Minister and the other VIPs were standing. Casualties: 16 dead, 22 injured--the worst accident in Israel's short history.

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