Roni Zuckerman
Encyclopedia
The first female jet fighter pilot for the Israeli Air Force
, Roni Zuckerman, received her wings in 2001. Zuckerman is the granddaughter of Zivia Lubetkin
and Icchak Cukierman
(also known as Yitzhak Zuckerman) whose nom de guerre was "Antek". Her grandparents were among the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
during World War II
and among the 34 fighters who survived. They were founding members of Lohamei Hageta'ot ("the Ghetto Fighters' kibbutz"), which was established near Haifa in the late 1940s by survivors of the ghettos, and it was there that Zuckerman was raised.
Although women had served as pilots during the Israeli War of Independence
and a few years thereafter, the Israeli Defence Forces had, until 1995, denied women the opportunity to become pilots. After the prohibition was lifted, the first female graduate was F-16 navigator "Shari" in 1998, followed three years later by Zuckerman, the first female jet-fighter pilot in IAF history.
Another Israeli woman who took the course at the same time as Lt Zuckerman, but failed to qualify, described to a reporter the training as "mentally and physically exhausting." She stated, "I did 100 push-ups a day, which is difficult for a woman. Of the women on the course, only Roni qualified."
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
, Roni Zuckerman, received her wings in 2001. Zuckerman is the granddaughter of Zivia Lubetkin
Zivia Lubetkin
Zivia Lubetkin was one of the leaders of the Jewish underground in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and the only woman on the High Command of the resistance group Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa .-Pre-World War II:...
and Icchak Cukierman
Icchak Cukierman
Icchak Cukierman , also known by his nom de guerre "Antek", or by the anglicised spelling Yitzhak Zuckerman, was one of the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II.Cukierman was born in Vilnius, Lithuania into a Jewish family...
(also known as Yitzhak Zuckerman) whose nom de guerre was "Antek". Her grandparents were among the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and among the 34 fighters who survived. They were founding members of Lohamei Hageta'ot ("the Ghetto Fighters' kibbutz"), which was established near Haifa in the late 1940s by survivors of the ghettos, and it was there that Zuckerman was raised.
Although women had served as pilots during the Israeli War of Independence
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
and a few years thereafter, the Israeli Defence Forces had, until 1995, denied women the opportunity to become pilots. After the prohibition was lifted, the first female graduate was F-16 navigator "Shari" in 1998, followed three years later by Zuckerman, the first female jet-fighter pilot in IAF history.
Another Israeli woman who took the course at the same time as Lt Zuckerman, but failed to qualify, described to a reporter the training as "mentally and physically exhausting." She stated, "I did 100 push-ups a day, which is difficult for a woman. Of the women on the course, only Roni qualified."