This movie will inspire you. It is a well made movie about the 1948 Israeli war, and the difference that each individual can make to an entire country's destiny.I do not like war movies - but this is a movie about survival and ingenuity. There is no drama in this film. It is about people who made a difference. It lets you understand how the nation of Israel came to being - without any help from the entire world.It is a war movie, but not about guns and planes - it is about people. There is humour in the movie and there is gravity. You may not like Israeli people - but you will understand why they were made tough, and have to stay tough. Hats off to Nancy Spielberg for documenting a vital part of history that would have simply been forgotten. Highly recommended.

At 90 minutes this film crams the 1948 war of survival or as the world called it Jew /Palestine Arab"Civil War"into a coherent timeline to set the stage for the story of Israelis birth of its own Air Force in a riveting tale as told in interviews with serving pilots as well as films from that time.I learned a LOT as well as I was again fascinated by this thrilling story of struggle and perseverance.A must see for History buffs. The story of How cargo airplanes were bought in the US as surplus for 5 thousand dollars is spellbinding. The first fighters were patch work ME 109's from Checksolvokia which were dissembled and flown into Israel in those cargo planes,and on and on. The story of the air raid in Cairo was also new to me.

Above and Beyond is a most moving documentary, telling the true story of how US (and other foreign) volunteers, and Israelis, used unimaginable courage and ingenuity to build the foundation of the Israeli Air Force, and how against all odds they won the Arab war of 1948 to drive the Jews into the sea and eliminate the new State of Israel. With stunning visuals, the film makes the point that when the Arabs were tired of fighting they could simply go home, but the Jews had no such choice because they were fighting *for* their home. Impossibly outnumbered and out-gunned, the Jews knew that if they didn't win the war being waged against them by five invading Arab armies, they would be slaughtered in another Holocaust.I defy anyone to watch this film with a dry eye. Dani Shapira, a young Israeli pilot, receives his wings after the war, as he emotionally says: "In the Israeli Air Force. In my air force. In my country." Leon Frankel, an American Jew who'd fought in the second world war, says with equal emotion: "We have a great word in Yiddish, that's 'bashert.' It's fated. It's meant to be. Maybe God spared us in World War II so that we could come to Israel and help the remnants of our people survive . . . I knew then and there that was the reason that I came."Above and Beyond is available on Netflix.

What is life? If you have no soul are you then a machine? These Americans knew the hopelessness and the tenacity of the Israelis. They did what they felt must be done. The Arabs outnumbered the Israelis but this was going to be our last stop. Thank G-D for the Americans that helped. Much more can be done with we as opposed to I. Is living doing what you believe in? A heard about this movie through a temple that I usually go to. I saw this film in Westchester, only one movie theater was screening it at the time, it should have been everywhere. I recommend Above and Beyond to anyone who is interested in history and documentaries.This is one of my favorite movies of all time, go see it!