Remembering One Jewish Hero on Israel’s Memorial Day
Israelis remember specific individuals; American Jews experience a sense of collective loss.
May 6, 2022
When Vidal Sassoon Fought for Israel’s Independence
“They never taught us the word for ‘retreat.’”
After Israel’s War of Independence broke out in the spring of 1948, Vidal Sassoon—at the time a twenty-year-old London barber—set off for the new country in order to fight alongside his brethren. Sassoon’s unit, Zack Rothbart recounts, participated in a risky but successful operation to take “Hill 18” from the Egyptians. In a 2010 interview, the celebrity hairstylist and shampoo magnate recalled that the rudimentary Hebrew instruction he and his fellow English speakers received didn’t include the word “retreat.” Herewith, an excerpt from that interview. (Video, two minutes.)
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When Vidal Sassoon Fought for Israel’s Independence
“They never taught us the word for ‘retreat.’”