FEATURE
REMEMBERING TWO JEWISH WORLD WAR II AIRMEN SAMUEL MEYER LEVINE & NORMAN YAFFE BY DR. JOSEPH B. GLASS, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
When you visit the Tiferes Israel Cemetery in Moncton, one gravestone stands out. It is smaller than most, and light grey coloured as compared to the predominantly black or red granite monuments. Most monuments in the cemetery have the abbreviation pay nun ( )נ’ּפin Hebrew script, meaning “here lies” and a Magen David (Star of David) at the top of the moment. These markings are missing from this distinct gravestone. In addition, unlike other surnames which repeat themselves on a few gravestones in the cemetery, the surname Yaffe is unique. On close inspection, this military gravestone marks the resting place of Aircraftman 2nd Class 1673290 Norman Yaffe of the Royal Air Force (RAF). He died on June 30, 1943. The marker is stylized like all others maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Below the name, rank, serial number, and date of death is a Magen David with the Hebrew letters—tav, nun, tzade, bet, hei ()ה ב צ נ ת, which is an abbreviation of the Biblical verse, “May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life” (I Samuel, 25:29). At the foot, where personalized texts were allowed, is the inscription “Deeply missed and mourned by his parents, sisters, and brothers and friends.” It is the only World War II military grave in the cemetery. On my visit to the Tiferes Israel Cemetery, I wondered why this RAF soldier was laid to rest in Moncton. I questioned whether anyone knew who he was? I pondered as to whether anyone pays tribute to him each Remembrance Day. This year, I would like to remember Norman Yaffe as well as Samuel Meyer Levine. The latter was born in Montreal and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He died when his plane crashed during a solo training flight. I would like to highlight these two overlooked men who died during their military service on Prince Edward Island, 14
Shalom
F A L L 2020
and share their tragic stories that resulted in the ultimate sacrifice. While researching the Jewish history of Prince Edward Island (see: Shalom Magazine, Spring 2019, pp. 20-5) I was able to identify over thirty Jewish men and women in the military, who served and trained on the Island. Most were Canadians but there were Jewish men from the United Kingdom, the United States, Czechoslovakia, and Norway. Most underwent training at the RCAF bases in Summerside, Charlottetown, and Mount Pleasant and then continued to the European warfront. Others were instructors, mechanics, radio operators, and clerks whose sojourns on PEI extended from months to years. Some were accompanied by their respective spouses. Some of these Jewish airmen died while serving on PEI. Prince Edward Island was the location of five different RCAF training schools which operated for various lengths of time during the war. In Charlottetown, there were the No. 31 General Reconnaissance School and the No. 2 Air Navigation School; in Summerside, the No. 9 Service Flying Training School (later moved to Centralia) and the No. 1 General Reconnaissance School, and in Mount Pleasant, the No. 10 Bombing and Gunnery School. The aerodrome and training school near Charlottetown was originally opened on May 1, 1941 by the RAF under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Training in the air force has its inherent dangers. Some airmen paid the supreme sacrifice, perishing in training accidents, other mishaps or due to illness without leaving Canadian soil. During the war, 856 servicemen and servicewomen either died or were seriously injured while at air force training schools across Canada. The discussion opens with Samuel Levine who died in a flight training accident in 1941 and is followed by Norman Yaffe, who died in a ground mishap in 1943. theAJC .ca
Gravestone of Norman Yaffe in the Tiferes Israel Cemetery, courtesy of Alexander Egorov
SAMUEL MEYER LEVINE (1914-1941) Samuel (Sam) Meyer Levine, the third son of Aaron and Ida Sarah Levine, was born in Montreal in 1914. His Russian born parents arrived Canada in 1905. In 1921 his father was a commercial traveler in the clothing business. His annual income of $1,500 supported his family with five boys ranging in age from twelve to three years old. They lived in a rented apartment in a row house in Outremont. Sam graduated from Strathcona Academy, a school of the Protestant School Board in Outremont. He was a well-known tennis player in Montreal having won the championship at the North Branch YMCA. He also won a championship in Summerside in the summer of 1941. He appears to have been very athletic. When he enlisted,
