Lou Lenart

Lou Lenart was born in 1921 in Hungary

Lenart was born in 1921 as Lajos Lenovitz to a Jewish farming family in Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary. In 1931 the family moved to the United States and settled in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His parents ran a small store there, and as a boy he faced antisemitic abuse.

After high school he joined the US military and later trained as a pilot. He was badly hurt in a crash during training. He flew the F4U Corsair in the Pacific in World War II, including at Okinawa, and left service as a captain.

After learning that relatives had been murdered in the Holocaust, he volunteered in 1948 as a pilot through Machal. He flew the Avia S-199 in the 1948 war. On May 29, 1948, he led 4 fighters against an Egyptian column heading toward Tel Aviv, and the Egyptian force halted.

After the war he flew for El Al and took part in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, which brought Iraqi Jews to Israel. He produced films, including Iron Eagle and Iron Eagle 2, and was general manager of the San Diego Clippers. He kept homes in Israel and Los Angeles.

Lenart settled in Israel after retiring. He died in Ra'anana in 2015. His daughter Michal also served in the Israeli Air Force.