Yoel Palgi

Yoel Palgi (Hebrew: יואל פלגי‎‎; born Emil Nussbacher 1918 – 1978) was a Palmach parachutist who was dropped by Britain into Yugoslavia during the Second World War to assist in the rescue of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust.

Early life

Palgi was born in Cluj, Austria-Hungary (now in Romania) in 1918. In 1939, he emigrated to Kibbutz Afikim in the British Mandate of Palestine.

Rescue mission

In 1942, Palgi joined Palmach, the strike force of Haganah, the underground army of the Jewish community in Palestine. In 1943, he volunteered for a parachute mission into German-occupied Europe, and in April 1944, he parachuted with Perez Goldstein (he) and two other British soldiers into Yugoslavia. They met the 6th Corps of the Yugoslav partisans and crossed into Hungary. Palgi and Goldstein met with leaders of the Aid and Rescue Committee in Budapest before being captured by the Hungarians and handed over to the Gestapo.

Later life

Palgi was a co-founder of El Al and its deputy director from 1949 until 1960, and then Israel's director of civil aviation until 1964, when he was appointed ambassador to Tanzania.