My XYL, Karen, is reading Spies of No Country, Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel, a book about Israeli spies in Arab countries before the official establishment of the State in 1948.  Our conversation about this book reminded me that this is the 3rd anniversary of the death of Amnon Bar Gioria, 4X1DF.  Amnon was my guest in Episode 8 of the QSO Today podcast. 

 

Amnon was one of the first hams at the Israel Amateur Radio Club to befriend me.  I visited him many times in his QTH where he shared his experiences, showed me his prize Morse code key collection, and talked about ham radio. He was anxious to tell his story about his fleeing Europe as a teenager to join the Hagana, become a radio builder and operator through the pre-state and new state era.  Amnon was instrumental in the establishment of the amateur radio service in Israel and one of its first licensed operators.

 

Amnon was also a spy for the Mossad for many years and was involved in finding Nazi officers, including the Doctor of Auschwitz, Joseph Mengle,  who fled to South America after the war.  His timeline of his activities and contributions is on his show notes page.

 

When I started the podcast, Amnon volunteered to be one of my first interviews.    I am grateful to have known Amnon, and remember him to you, if you have not heard my interview with him be sure to play it.  Keep in mind I was a beginner podcaster in 2014. Hi Hi.

 

My guest this week is Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, who just recently was interviewed on Ham Nation.  See the links in this week’s show notes.  Fred and his wife Anita, while relatively recent licensees, have taken to recruiting new hams with a vengeance, making their ham radio club, the Nashua Area Radio Society, an active and exciting club.  Fred shares that putting new members first in their activities has boosted their membership to over 200 members in four years.  Fred says that he learned in the startup world, to fail fast, they try something else.  This has allowed the Kemmerer’s to create very successful programs.