David Ben - Gurion’s statement that his participation in 1945 meeting hosted by Rudolf Sonneborn was the most important day in the history of Israel, while hyperbolic to some, was clearly not an exaggeration. Out of that meeting was born the secret movement that became the American arm of Haganah - called the Sonneborn Institute - which raised the initial millions to arm the budding Jewish forces within Palestine. Ben - Gurion, as Israel’s prime minister, told the Israeli cabinet in 1953 that without this jump - start, Israel might not have been able to successfully repulse the Arab invaders when they stormed across Israel’s borders immediately following their proclamation of independence.
The story of weapons procurement has been told. So, too, the story of how Israel purchased its navy - various ships which transported thousands of displaced European Jews to Palestine following World War II. There have been sketches of the Institute and its successor, Materials for Israel, but the story has always been of Israel.
Now we have a defining look at the life of Rudolf Goldschmid Sonneborn, from family roots through his education, an early exposure to Zionism to business acumen and attainment, his many women friends with three marriages including that to New York Post publisher Dorothy Schiff, and the 1930’s effort to support emigration by youthful family members from Nazi Germany to Palestine. Next came the Institute and its initial focus on purchasing an obscure steamboat to be renamed Exodus 1947.
Author Charles Behrend Sonneborn never met Rudolf, a distant cousin. Researching his family genealogy he became fascinated bysketches of this man who lived a full and explosive 88 years as business tycoon and Jewish benefactor.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Rudolf was educated at Johns Hopkins and then serviced on the historic Zionist Commission. Travel to his German ancestral homeland during the rise of Nazism brought him face -to- face with the horrible struggles of many cousins and led to his family’s strong commitment to Henrietta Szold’s Youth Aliyah program. Today, dozens of these family members - spirited away from the forthcoming Holocaust to a life in Palestine - refer to themselves proudly as Sonneborn boys or girls. Here they recount their stories. Hugely successful as president of the L. Sonneborn Sons petroleum business, Rudolf Sonneborn was asked on June 25, 1945, to bring together similarly motivated industrialists for a meeting with Ben - Gurion. Several dozen were hurriedly contacted. They came, they met, they responded. Exodus 1947, one of their earliest purchases, was the ship that spawned a nation. Their meeting was called the most important in the history of the founding of Israel. Rudolf Sonneborn was the catalyst for this and many other events including Bonds for Israel. A truly remarkable individual.
