Israel, Wilfrid (Jacob)

Son of Amy and Berthold. He was born in London in 1899 to a wealthy family of merchants who lived in Germany from the 16th century, and his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Hermann Adler, was the Chief Rabbi of Britain. Wilfried received his education in Berlin. He took over the management of the machinery in the family business enterprise and worked there to promote the workers, and from 1933-1939 he sought out places of absorption outside Nazi Germany for hundreds of Jewish workers and their families. From his youth he had become acquainted with the plight of the Jews of the East, who were knocking on the gates of Central Europe. He was also active in supporting socialist Zionism, and during his travels he also visited Kovno, the capital of Lithuania, where he visited an orphanage that absorbed orphans who were in great distress. After the rise of the Nazis to power, Wilfried stood up to the great danger facing the German Jews and came to the conclusion that they must leave this country. He was very active in the self-help institutions, helped many emigrate from Germany and also saved many from the concentration camps. His main concern was with the children, and he did much to get them out of Germany. On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, he moved to England where he continued to work for the refugees from Germany and to the extent that he could help Jews from other European countries. In England he also joined the Allied war effort. As part of the British Intelligence Service from France and Western Europe. At the beginning of 1943 the Jewish Agency in London decided to send him to Portugal and Spain to rescue refugees and transfer them to Palestine. He worked to improve their situation and also distributed immigration permits to Palestine available to him. On June 1, 1943, Wilfried decided to return to England by plane from Lisbon to Bristol. He had thirteen passengers on board, including actor Leslie Howard. The Germans attacked the plane, knocked it over the Bay of Biscay and all its passengers perished. This fallen hero is a “maklan” – a hero whose burial place is unknown.