Levin-Epstein, Noah (Effi)

Son of Madeleine and Samuel. Born in Tel Aviv on October 6, 1921, he moved to Jerusalem where he studied at the Hebrew Gymnasium and was a member of the Scouts movement. When he completed his studies in Israel, he traveled with his brother to study aeronautical engineering at the University of Michigan in the US. Two years later, when the United States joined World War II, Noah sought to enlist in the US Air Force, but because of his youth he was asked to get permission from his parents. Due to the intervention of the President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Noah received special authorization and was drafted into the US Air Force in March 1942. He underwent flight training and at the beginning of 1943 served as a pilot on new P-51 fighter jets, after which he was sent to the battle arena in Europe. On 1 Kislev, June 17, 1944, he participated in a battle near the German city of Valdweis, leading a quartet to attack ground targets, and his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed. His body was found shortly after in the city of Metz. Captain Noah Levin-Epstein was laid to rest in the American military cemetery “Ardens” in Belgium. He left parents and brother. His memory was immortalized in “The Book of Volunteerism,” in the “Yearbook of the Journalists” and in the journal “Geha.”