Georges Gutelman

Georges Gutelman (born December 6, 1938 near Liège , Belgium , † November 5, 2019 in Israel ) was a Belgian entrepreneur who founded several airlines between 1970 and 2002 . He became internationally known for his participation in Operation Moses .

Private life

Georges Gutelman was born in 1938 to Jewish parents near Liège. His parents immigrated from Poland in the early 1930s . After the German invasion of Belgium , his parents were able to hide him and his brother in 1940 with two Christian families, where the children grew up separately. Gutelman's mother was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp . His father survived the persecution of the Jews and was able to take the two brothers back to himself after the Second World War .

Gutelman was married and lived in Brussels and then from 2015 in Israel .

Professional background

In 1963 Gutelman graduated from the University of Liège with a degree in metallurgy . In the late 1960s, he began to organize charter flights for students and tour groups. This resulted in his first company, the tour operator TIFA . In October 1970 he founded the charter airline Trans European Airways (TEA), which started operations in June 1971. In the 1970s Gutelman was able to win numerous tourism companies as customers and continuously expand his airline. In addition, from November 1974, until Operation Moses became known , he rented his aircraft to airlines from Islamic states, among others, and carried out pilgrimage flights to Mecca for them. In the 1980s Gutelman founded the maintenance company TEAMCO and TEA branches across Europe. He also operated duty-free shops at Brussels-Zaventem Airport . In 1989 Gutelman was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Trends Business Magazine in Belgium . After Trans European Airways had to file for bankruptcy in 1991 , Gutelman moved to the board of directors of Eurobelgian Airlines , which was sold to the British Virgin Group in 1996 . Together with Victor Hasson, CEO of the City Hotels chain , he founded the Belgian airlines City Bird (1996) and Birdy Airlines (2002). Gutelman was arrested in 2004 on suspicion of money laundering , but released a day later. The case is closed.

As of 2006 Gutelman owned a minority stake in the Belgian telephone operator Alma Telecom .

Role in Operation Moses

As a result of the drought in East Africa in 1984, thousands of people from Ethiopia fled to neighboring Sudan , where they were quartered in refugee camps . There were also around 8,000 Falash refugees . Sudan wanted to deport the refugees. The State of Israel decided to take in the Ethiopian Jews. Due to the political situation, the refugees from Sudan could only be transported with the help of a neutral airline. In addition, these flights had to remain secret in order not to endanger the operation. Contacts were made with Georges Gutelman, who had previously carried out arms transports for the Israeli government and was trusted by them. Another positive factor was that its Trans European Airways often carried out pilgrimage flights on behalf of North African airlines, so that the presence of the TEA aircraft in Sudan would not arouse suspicion. Gutelman decided to make his planes available and organize the flights, although this would have a significant impact on his future leasing business and thus jeopardize the continued existence of his airline. Because direct transport of the refugees from Sudan to Israel was politically impossible and for reasons of secrecy, the flights from Khartoum had to take place via Brussels to Israel. This required the approval of the Belgian government. Gutelman was able to win his acquaintance and then Belgian Minister of Justice Jean Gol as a supporter, so that the refugee flights could begin on November 21, 1984 with the approval of the Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens . On January 5, 1985, the flights became known and had to be stopped under pressure from Arab states. Gutelman subsequently received death threats several times. He and his family were then placed under personal protection.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Georges Gutelman était le créateur des compagnies TEA, EBA, City Bird ... Accessed November 6, 2019 (French). 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Haaretz, The Making of History - Operation Georges [1]
3. ^ ^{A b} Leisure Airlines of Europe, K. Vomhof, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2001
4. ↑ Gazet van Antwerpen, February 18, 2004 [2]
5. ↑ Gazet van Antwerpen, August 21, 2006 [3]