Brenner, Shlomo

Son of Hannah and Alexander, was born on April 26, 1911, in the city of Kolikow, near Lvov, Poland. When he was six years old, he was sick of his parents. In 1922 he immigrated to Eretz Israel in the “Belkind Immigration” and was sent to a children’s village in the Jezreel Valley. Afterward he studied at the Technion’s vocational school in Haifa and at the same time joined the Haganah. He was particularly interested in aviation and was later accepted to the aviation school of the “Aviron” company and received a pilot’s certificate in civilian aircraft. He was also trained to be a glider pilot and held the peak of gliding in Israel. When a delegation of bikers from the Hapoel association left for Poland to bring young women to Israel by fictitious marriages, they joined this expedition. He was known for his courage, his devotion to his friends, his mischievousness and cheerfulness, yet he was gracious and thoughtful. In early 1942, the National Committee received a request from the Belgian Embassy in Jerusalem to recruit pilots and aircraft technicians for the Belgian government-in-exile in the Belgian Congo and the service of the Free French Government. Shlomo Brenner and Moshe Hadas, both members of the Airport Club, volunteered for this service and left for Egypt and then flew to the Belgian Congo. After further training, Shlomo began his role as a pilot and mechanic throughout Africa. He stood out as an excellent and courageous pilot, and after a successful landing of rape, the temporary route to take off after the landing was given the name “Bernerville”. He was decorated by the Belgian and French governments and throughout his stay in the Congo he was active in the local Jewish community and filled various missions in African countries according to the orders of the Va’ad Leumi (National Council), and continued to serve in the African continent after the end of the Second World War. On the 24th of Tevet 5708 (24.12.1947), on one of his flights, an accident occurred in which Shlomo found his death. He was first brought for burial in the Christian cemetery in Mittwe, Belgian Congo, and years later his remains were brought to Palestine. The State of Israel granted him the rank of lieutenant in the Israeli Air Force and was honored with the Hagana and the “Ala” Medal on November 8, 1979. He was put to rest in the military cemetery in Haifa.