This page contains the personal stories of many veterans of the Palyam & Aliya Bet. Most of these stories were 1st published in Hebrew in the book "Ha'she'arim P'tuchim" ("The Gates Are Open") published by Palyam veterans, edited by the Palyamniks Shmuel ("Samek") Yannay and Yoske Almog. Kudos to Aryeh Malkin for the translation and to Avi Livney for going over the translation (both Aryeh & Avi were American volunteers in Aliya Bet and later became Kibbutzniks in Israel). Additional Aliya Bet personal stories (that were originally written in English) can be found in the Machal page, where all the stories we could get from volunteers from North America are published.

Note: The stories are excellent and authentic source of information on the history of Aliya Bet, Israel's War of Independence, the arms procurement enterprise during that war, the massive Aliya right after Israel was born, the establishment of the Israeli Navy, etc. Collectively, they provide a live and faithful overall picture of .php"the way it was" (as the caption of each story states). Nevertheless, history researchers should take into account that the stories are personal accounts that were written many years after the actual events took place, often based on recollections. We publish the individual stories more or less "as is", which means that they are likely to contain various inaccuracies here and there (as a matter of fact, the translation to English gave the website's editors an opportunity to fix some of the noticeable inaccuracies that are still present in the corresponding Hebrew versions, making the English versions "cleaner" with respect to inaccuracies).

	Abramov, Zalman
	Adam, Munia ("Melech")
	Aisen, David
	Almog, Yosef ("Yoske")
	Aniv, Levi ("Anukov")
	Aran, Yitzchak ("Ike")
	Armon, Eliezer ("Danny")
	Arnon, Yaakov
	Asher, Gad
	Ashkenazi, Reuven ("HaTurk")
	Ashuach, Pinchas ("Pinny")
	Auerbach, Yisrael ("Yisrulik")
	Avraham, Meir ("Meirke")
	Bar-Lev, Yehoshua
	Becher, Avraham ("Miko")
	Beltzen, Chanoch
	Ben-Chorin, David ("Dudale")
	Ben-Dor, Chaim
	Ben-Naftali, Aryeh
	Ben-Nun, Yochai
	Ben-Tzion, Yaakov ("Melech")
	Ben-Yaakov, Miriam
	Ben-Yami, Menachem
	Ben-Yosef, Aharon ("Eskimo")
	Ben-tzur, Yehuda ("Pere")
	Bendel, Uzi
	Biber, Shaul
	Biger, Eliezer
	Borovsky, Atara
	Botzer, Avraham ("Chita")
	Braker, Yair
	Broshi, Baruch
	Chaikind, Aryeh
	Chayat, Chaim
	Cohen, Avraham
	Cohen, Menachem ("Churchill")
	Cohen, Solel
	Dafni, Moshe ("HaSailor")
	Dar, Avraham
	Dayan, Zohar ("Zorick")
	Degani, Nissan
	Diamant, Leah
	Dotan, Alex
	Dror, Yosef ("Yossale")
	Drori, Bezalel
	Dvir, Yitzchak ("Itcheh")
	Dziloshinsky, Aryeh
	Efrati, Gershon
	Einav, Azriel ("Azrilik")
	Einav, Zalman
	Eliav, Lova ("Arthur")
	Engler, Yaakov
	Eshel, Nimrod
	Eshel, Tamar
	Etzion, Gershon ("Yisrael")
	Falick, Meir
	Feldman, Bezalel ("Tzolo")
	Frank, Yaakov
	Freier, Shalhevet ("Uri")
	Fried, Zeev
	Gal, Michael ("Mike")
	Gaver, Fabi
	Gefen, Benny
	Gefen, Sioma ("Siomka")
	Gelkin, Baruch
	Geva, David ("Feig")
	Gidron, Yosef ("Yusuf")
	Gilead, Avner ("Scandy")
	Golan, Yitzchak
	Goldring, Aryeh
	Golomb, Yoel
	Goren, Uri (see also Uri's autobiography book On Both Sides Of The Crypto
	Greenberg, Chaim
	Greif, Pnina
	Gringer, Yosef ("Boger")
	Grueg, Tamar
	Har, Avraham
	Harel, Yosef ("Yossi")
	Hason, Yosef
	Hazkani, Boaz
	Hazkani, Yemima
	Hernandorena, Esteban ("Steve") - A Basque who served on the Pan York, later became an Israeli citizen and served as captain in the Merchant marine of Israel
	Hilb, Gad
	Hod, Mordechai ("Moti")
	Horev, Yisrael
	Horowitz, Uri
	Hos, Shmuel ("Shmelke")
	Kafkafi, Malachi ("Malik")
	Kalbersh, Benjamin ("Benny")
	Kaplan, Aryeh ("Kippy")
	Karni, Avraham
	Katznelson, Tzvi ("Miri")
	Keiny, Shoshana
	Keiny, Zecharia ("Zaki")
	Keller, Menachem
	Kenda, Mario - An Italian Ally In The Clandestine Immigration and Arms Procurement Enterprises
	Kinarti, Yehonatan
	Klein, Moshe ("Moishale")
	Koren, Dvora ("Dubka")
	Koren, Yosef
	Kotev, Yaakov
	Kozlovsky, Haya
	Lambarsky, Yosef ("Yoske")
	Lasker, Gad
	Lazarovsky, Yosef ("Yoske")
	Levi, Enrico
	Levi, Gileada
	Leviatan, Nissan
	Libertovsky, Yisrael
	Lif, Eliezer ("Gabi")
	Lifshitz, Gad ("Max")
	Limon, Mordechai ("Moka")
	Magen, Dov ("Berchik")
	Maimon, Aviva
	Maimon, David
	Maimon, Yehuda
	Malkiman, Ben-Ami
	Malkin, Aryeh
	Manor, Nachum
	Maoz, Yechezkel
	Meitlis, Avraham ("Adam")
	Meyers, Chaim
	Michaeli, Aharon
	Miller, Chaim
	Milo, Meir
	Nachshon, Moshe
	Nafcha, Biba
	Nameri, Dvora
	Nativ, Benyamin ("Bob")
	Ofer, Ruth
	Ophir, Yeshayahu ("Shaike")
	Oppenheim, Moshe
	Oren, Shaul
	Paz, Zeev ("Zevka")
	Peled, Aharon ("Arke")
	Perach, Zalman
	Perry, Micha
	Porat, Chaim
	Rabinovitch, Moshe
	Rahav, Yitzchak ("Izzy")
	Ravid, Yehoshua ("Ossie")
	Reines, Meir-Batya
	Rom, Yosef ("Yoske")
	Rostoker, Willie
	Rotem, Yisrael
	Rotem, Zeev
	Sadeh, Oved
	Salomon, Yaakov ("Yankale")
	Saly, Amnon
	Sandlar, Daniel ("Dani")
	Schwartz, Shalom
	Sela, Yehuda ("Silvy")
	Shachar, Eliahu ("Cushi")
	Shadmi, Reuven ("Shmedra")
	Shani, Chaim ("Sergei")
	Shapira, Yehuda
	Shavit, Avraham ("Avrum")
	Shechner, David
	Shinar, Zeev
	Shorek, Siomka ("Sioma")
	Shoshan, Yitzchak
	Shur, Alexander ("Alex")
	Sklar, Leonard ("Lenny")
	Soboliv, Benyamin ("Benny")
	Tahon, Uri ("Chaim-Abutbul")
	Tal, Eliezer
	Tankus, Shmuel
	Tarav, David
	Telem, Benyamin ("Bini")
	Tirosh, Baruch ("Boutrous")
	Tsiddon-Chatto, Yoash
	Tzafrir, Yedidya
	Vaadi, Gideon
	Vaknin, Yosef
	Vinkler, Chaim ("Vinkie")
	Weiss, Gavriel ("Gabi")
	Weisser, Gideon
	Yaffe, Avraham
	Yaffe, Sara
	Yahel, Yochi
	Yannay, Shmuel ("Samek")
	Yariv, Yosef
	Yatir, Reuven
	Yona, Amnon ("Nir")
	Yones, Hanan
	Zack, Yisrael
	Zaid, Yochanan
	Zakai, Avraham
	Zeira, Menachem ("Katoni")
	Zisling, Hannah
	Zisling, Yuval