Producer Nancy Spielberg premiered the documentary "Above and Beyond" for the Twin Cities in October at the Riverview Theater – in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) and the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival. The documentary is receiving strongly positive reviews (See TC Jewfolk, 20th Century Aviation Magazine, and SSN reviews). The Riverview Theater screening was sold out with 700 people in attendance.

B'shert – "fated" – is a word which Leon Frankel uses in the documentary "Above and Beyond" to describe the remarkable set of circumstances which brought him to Israel during its War of Independence.

Indeed, Leon's journey to the 101 Squadron in 1948 began with a chance meeting with his friend "Red" Fogerty at Bilbo's Pool Hall in St. Paul who convinced him to enlist in the Navy instead of the Army Air Corps in the summer of 1942.

Even the venue for the Twin Cities premiere of "Above and Beyond" – the Riverview Theater (hard by the grain silos and spur lines of an earlier south Minneapolis era) – sounded in a certain "kizmetry."

The architects of the Riverview – Liebenberg and Kaplan – were Jewish and known, among other things, for their designing of movie theaters. The Riverview opened December 30, 1948. This date corresponded with the IDF's "Operation Horev" (also known as "Operation Ayin") offensive which was the last phase of the 1948 war. This operation, which drove the Egyptian forces from the Negev desert, was notable for the effective integration of the Israel Air Force (IAF) bombers and fighters with the ground offensive of the Israeli Army. Indeed, according to Shlomo Aloni's "101 – Israeli Air Force First Fighter Squadron" (a picture of Leon appears on page 18 of the book), the IAF shot down two Egyptian planes on December 30, 1948. As "Above and Beyond" relates, six months earlier the IAF and the 101 Squadron had been nothing more than the Haganah Air Service with a few Piper Cubs and a small number of (Yishuv) Palestinians who were veterans of the Royal Air Force.

Marquee at Riverview Theater (Photo: Erin Smith Photography)

This b'shert quality was also seen in the presence of three Machalniks ("volunteers from abroad") at the screening of "Above and Beyond" – a remarkable "concentration" given the passage of 66 years and a relatively modest (in numbers) Twin Cities Jewish population. Joining Leon Frankel were Bucky Bacaner, an Aliyah Bet sailor and World War II merchant marine; and Jason Fenton, the youngest Machalnik who came from Britain at age 16 to join an IDF anti-tank unit. It was a great honor, in the presence of Nancy Spielberg, to introduce all three to the sold out audience of 700 for the kavod (honor) they richly deserve. If nothing else, premiering "Above and Beyond" for the Twin Cities provided an opportunity for the photographing of an indelible portrait: Leon, Bucky and Jason with Nancy Spielberg – three heroes and the cinematic immortalizer of the Machalniks of the 101 Squadron whose cinematic mitzvah will carry forward to all of the Machalniks, whether air, sea, or land.

From L to R: Bucky Bacaner, Nancy Spielberg (standing), Leon Frankel (seated), and Jason Fenton (Photo: Erin Smith Photography)

Great thanks, of course, are owed to Nancy Spielberg for bringing forth this wonderful documentary. Her original connection to the 101 Squadron was b'shert in the sense that the obituary of Al Schwimmer – which described the founder of Israel Aerospace Industries also as the father of the Israel Air Force – happened to catch her eye.

The imagination, verve, energy, and determination of Nancy Spielberg to make "Above and Beyond" are only part of the story. The other part is Nancy's unalloyed graciousness. She made it her business to attend the Twin Cities premiere in the midst of a national and international tour of the premieres of "Above and Beyond" which is an exhausting schedule. Ms. Spielberg was unfailingly accommodating, friendly, flexible, and grateful for the support she was receiving in Minnesota which brought her to tears. (Who didn't love Ms. Spielberg filming the audience at the premiere to show her mother and father?)

Another critical part of the story of the premiere of "Above and Beyond" was the opportunity for collaboration with the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival to bring the documentary to the Twin Cities. The film festival is itself, a collaboration of the Jewish Community Center of the Greater St. Paul Area and the Sabes (Minneapolis) Jewish Community Center. That is a collaboration within a collaboration – resoundingly "Better Together" – for two outstanding community agencies and the astonishing range of "Big Screen" Jewish content brought home to us – and thanks to the film festival for partnering with the JCRC for the "Above and Beyond" component.

700 in attendance at the regional premiere of "Above and Beyond" (Photo: Erin Smith Photography)