Fifty Years Ago, One Day Before the Six Days War

This photograph was snapped on the evening of June 4th, 1967 at Mevo Betar.

Those photographed were part of the first group of volunteers to arrive in the state of Israel in the "waiting period" prior to the Six Days War.

I was already here, participating in the Machon program but the rest flew in from New York.

Front row, left to right: Phill Dan, Reuven Miller, Risa Tzohar, Aaron Kinsberg

Middle Row: Benny Ben-David, Efraim Dimant, ?, Judy ?, Reuven Genn

Back row: Baruch Kraus, ?, Yisrael (Winkie) Winkelman/Medad

Missing: Myron (Bucky) Buchman

There's an academic article on that phenomenon.

A recollection I published:

On the Sunday, June 4, I visited a group of volunteers from New York, friends of mine who by their act had launched a movement of thousands. They were staying at Mevo Betar. There we went through a special first aid course including how to carry a person wounded by a blast to his stomach so as not to have him lose any entrails or such. I left for Jerusalem on the first bus at 6 AM the next day, Monday, and just before reaching the city, the news came over the radio concerning "fierce battles in the south". I caught a bus to Tel Aviv where I picked up another recent volunteer and we both caught the last bus south for Kiryat Gat [on my way back to Moshav Amatzia]. 

Benny Rosen's recollection.

From Tom Segev:

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Marci/Miriam Rosen adds:

another thing that I remember is that we had so many people calling the office. Somehow the word got out that Betar was the way to get to Israel to help. One person came to the office stating that a nun had told him to come to us, another was told by a taxi cab driver. The most amazing to me was that my mother (Benny and I were living with her at the time) received a telegram from someone in Puerto Rico (how they got her address is beyond me) saying that he was willing to leave his wife to come with us to help Israel!
While in Israel we met the most fascinating people from different parts of the world. One in particular was a young man from Portugal. He was a marrano Jew who came to Israel to help out and to find 'his roots'.  When we all went home, he remained.
It was an experience that will stay with me forever.

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From Aaron Kinsberg:

His entry visa as a volunteer:

a note home:

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