Yeshayahu Harsit was born in 1934 in Warsaw, under the name of Stasio Porcelina to aged parents. On September 1 1939, Stasio’s childhood is brutally interrupted forever by the German bombers overhead. Thus begins his odyssey of escape, starvation, poverty, loss, and the incessant struggle for survival in the Asian steppes of the Soviet Union. After World War II, he makes his way through DP camps, meeting General Eisenhower and making his way to Israel, a new land under a new heaven. Now known as Yeshayahu, the protagonist joins the nascent Israeli Air Force.Yeshayahu’s achievements, professional and personal, highlight a life story that is rich and full of action. He writes down his story lovingly, tearfully, yet with a smile; his family stands as a solid rock of safety, a protective oasis to be left for posterity.
Above all, this book shines with Yeshayahu’s great love for Israel– the only land he can call home — a place to protect, cherish, cultivate and make better. Yeshayahu Harsit came to Israel in 1948. An Israeli Air Force navigator, he took part in Israel’s wars and in many operations, some of which are still secret. He held senior positions in the IAF, such as Deputy Wing Commander, Air Attaché in the UK and Scandinavia, and Chief of Organization and Planning. He is currently an active volunteer in several fields, including the Resurrection to Heaven program, which he helped found. He is married to Zipi, father of Anat, Dafna, and Irit, and grandfather of nine.