"A Kaleidoscopic Study of Illegal Immigration Operations, Aid, Rescue, and Intelligence Activity by the Yishuv’s Right-Wing Circles Before, during, and After World War II"
Professional Background
Dr. Tuvia Friling earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Jewish history from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and his B.A. in general and Jewish history from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. During his fellowship at the Museum, he was a Senior Research Fellow at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. For his David and Fela Shapell Family Foundation Fellowship, Dr. Friling researched his project, “A Kaleidoscopic Study of Illegal Immigration Operations, Aid, Rescue, and Intelligence Activity by the Yishuv’s Right-Wing Circles Before, during, and After World War II.”
Dr. Friling was Chief Archivist for the State of Israel and head of the Ben-Gurion Research Center and Archives. He served as Vice President, with Dr. Radu Ioanid and Professor Mihail Ionesco, of the Wiesel Commission on the Holocaust in Romania. Dr. Friling is the author and editor of several books and dozens of articles. His book, Arrows in the Dark: David Ben-Gurion, the Yishuv Leadership and Rescue Attempts during the Holocaust (University of Wisconsin Press, 2005 in English; 2001 in Hebrew), won the Mordechai Eish-Shalom Prize. Dr. Friling has received several other awards and prizes for his work from Yad Ben-Gurion; Yad Vashem; Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In 2001, Dr. Friling won the Prime Minister Prize from the State Public Council for Commemoration of Late Presidents and Prime Ministers in Israel.
Fellowship Research
While in residence at the Center, Dr. Friling focused his research on the Revisionists and their role in illegal immigration operations to Palestine on the eve of the war; their rescue efforts during the Holocaust; and their role in strengthening the Yishuv’s military force after the war. He used Museum archival collections from Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Italy, and the Czech Republic and other countries where the Revisionists engaged in their underground activities.
Dr. Friling was in residence at the Mandel Center from October 1, 2006 to May 30, 2007.