Reluctant Entebbe hero on a mission in diaspora

JORDAN MOSHE

It was unusual circumstances four years ago that led this son of Holocaust survivors and a native of Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan to go public about being in one of Israel’s elite units, and his role in this renowned mission.

Ever since then, Sherman has devoted himself to travelling the world to share his story after becoming increasingly aware of the significance of the famed operation among diaspora Jewry.

The former operations officer is coming to South Africa next week to share his experience in the acclaimed 1976 operation when an Air France airliner was hijacked and rerouted to Entebbe with several Jewish passengers onboard.

“I never wanted a part in publicising the operation like so many others did,” Sherman told the SA Jewish Report in a phone interview from Ghana before his trip to South Africa, where he will be a hosted by Sydenham Shul.

“I’m a shy person by nature, and I just got on with my life after my service. I became a physiotherapist, working with the Israeli Olympic team, and left the operation behind me.”

Following his initial interaction with journalists, Sherman chose to stop talking about Entebbe.

“They [journalists] adapted it to their own purposes, and put words in my mouth,” he says. “What they wrote wasn’t wrong, but they had their own agenda, narrative, and point of focus. I wasn’t interested in this, so I chose to keep to myself.”

Sherman maintained his silence until 2016, the 40th anniversary of the Entebbe operation, when he received an unexpected phone call from the rabbi of Chabad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“He asked me if I’d come share my story with his community,” says Sherman. “I had told an Israeli friend of mine who lives in Denmark that we were preparing a book for the anniversary, and he had told the rabbi about me.”

Sherman had been planning to visit his friend, so he accepted the rabbi’s invitation. To his surprise, he spoke to more than 200 people in shul over Shabbat, all of them eager to hear his first-hand account. After the trip, Sherman thought the event was a once-off opportunity, and he would return to daily life as before.

However, captivated by Sherman’s story, the Copenhagen rabbi recounted it to the Chabad Rabbi of Malmo, Sweden. Sherman was invited to Sweden.

“In Malmo, I understood that the story is greater than the operation itself,” he said. “It was there that two 85-year-old Jews taught me a lesson I couldn’t learn in Israel – that the Entebbe story is actually about a network of connection between Israel and Jews around the world.

“For Jews outside of Israel, the Entebbe narrative offers a unique platform to connect to Israel. It’s a door to a conversation whose significance is far greater than a military operation. It’s a story that connects people anywhere and everywhere for further discussion.”

Sherman then set out to share his story and connect with as many audiences around the world as possible. His travels have taken him from Scotland to New Zealand, the Far East, the United States and across Europe in a world tour which connects people anywhere and everywhere. From haredi to secular communities, Jews to non-Jews, he shares his story with every audience alike.

“People are always amazed by the story,” says Sherman. “Communities around the globe hear about my lecture by word of mouth, and I get invited to various places. They all take something different from what I say, and I’m always curious to hear why they’ve chosen to attend.

“I’m curious about why people choose to hear about a mission they know so much about already,” he says. “They know how it begins and ends, so I wonder what they want to take from the lecture. You don’t go to hear something you’ve heard before.”

Sherman says there are two primary elements he wants to impart to Israeli and Jewish audiences. “At a time where there is so much criticism levelled against Israel, the story of Entebbe gives us reason to look in the mirror and feel proud,“ he says.

“We need to appreciate that Israel, its soldiers, and its government took enormous risks for one reason only – to save lives. If anything should make us proud as Jews and human beings, it’s this.

“Current politics make us forget that we achieved something extraordinary as people. We need to remind ourselves of this simple fact – we achieved something remarkable.”

The second element, he says, concerns the centrality of Israel in the lives of diaspora Jewry.

“I realised at some point that it’s not always easy to identify with Israel when you don’t live there,” he says. “The importance of the Jewish state lies in its unique ability to connect Jews from around the world, and Entebbe is a point of connection. It makes you realise that Jews need a Jewish state, no matter what your definition of ‘Jewish’ may be. It means different thing to different people, but ultimately it plays the same role.

“If there were no connection between Israel and Jews around the world, I wouldn’t have been sent to Entebbe, nor would Israel have rescued Jews from Ethiopia in later years. The Entebbe story illustrates our unique bond, one which continues to exist.”

• Sherman will be speaking at various events in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. Contact Rabbi Yehuda Stern at SydShul on 011 640 5021 for details.