Father of Danny OpatoshuHis dark, balding, slightly swarthy features made him a versatile character player, either the perfect ethnic villain in crimers or the epitome of saintliness in bible stories. He was often utilized playing wise, often beleaguered Jewish pops.Delivered the evening news in Yiddish on New York radio during the war years on WEVD.Received his start in the New York Yiddish theater. His first film, The Light Ahead (1939), was all-Yiddish.Father-in-law of Anne Spielberg .Son of Joseph Opatoshu , a prominent Yiddish novelist and short-story writer.Won an Emmy for Best Performance in a Dramatic Series for an episode of "Gabriel's Fire" (1990).Made his Broadway debut with the Group Theater in 1938, appearing in 'Golden Boy' and 'Night Music' by Clifford Odets.Served in the U.S. Air Force in the South Pacific during World War II.
The theme is the founding of the state of Israel. The action begins on a ship filled with Jewish immigrants bound for Israel who are being off loaded on Cyprus. An Intelligence officer succeeds in getting them back on board their ship only to have the harbor blocked by the British with whom they must negotiate. The second part of the film is about the situation in Israel as independence is declared and most of their neighbors attack them.