The Ablest Navigator: Lieutenant Paul N. Shulman USN, Israel's Volunteer Admiral

by J. Wandres

This action-packed tale focuses on a young U.S. Naval Academy graduate who helped create the Israeli Navy and led it into battle at the onset of Israel's War of Independence in 1948. J. Wandres's book is the first to record the crucial role played by Paul Shulman in the formation of the new nation, and in doing so, he provides a unique window on Israel's history and its relations with the United States. Following his WWII service on a U.S. Navy destroyer, Shulman resigned his commission to help smuggle Holocaust survivors into Palestine, and by early 1948, at the age of twenty-six, was training officers for a new Israeli Navy. The author draws on interviews and correspondence with those who knew Shulman, Israeli and American archives, and declassified secret U.S. State Department documents to tell the story.

Genres: Israel

174 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2010

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, well, it was interesting to read about Israel's "overlooked" part of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), the Navy and how it began. What was a bit unnerving, or depressing was to read how the native born Israelis, or Sabras, or those that had been there for any length of time, treated individuals such as Paul Shulman and many other Americans and Canadians who went to Israel to help. Jews can be stubborn, and that certainly includes Israeli Jews who demeaned these people and then allowed their stupid politics to come into action, even above the welfare of the nation. If you're interested in Israeli history, or the IDF, this is a decent read.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who went on to lead a nascent Israeli Navy. We've all read stories about the birth of Israel and the militias that fought the war of independence, but this book exposes you to the maritime side of the birth of the state.