El Al’s biggest fan
He may have been born before its founding, but over the years Marvin Goldman has become El Al’s number one fan and the biggest collector of the company’s memorabilia; ‘I think the world can be divided into two types of people: those who are collectors and those who like to throw things out’
Marvin Goldman’s New York apartment is completely draped in blue and white. The former international lawyer, now a retiree, has become Israeli airline company El Al’s greatest fan, with his collection of El Al memorabilia including over 40,000 items.
During an interview with CNN on Monday, Goldman shared that his appreciation of the airline company began in the 70s, due to his frequent business trips to Israel. He began by collecting items from his various flights, no easy feat for someone living outside of Israel. “I liked it because it was quite a challenge,” he told CNN.
According to Goldman, his collection includes items that the company itself no longer possesses. Over the years, Goldman has contacted different senior El Al personnel, who he claims have provided him with pieces he has safeguarded for decades. “I was able to save many historical items from the hands of the thrower-outers,” said Goldman.
“I think the world can be divided into two types of people,” said Goldman. “Those who are collectors and those who like to throw things out.” Among many others, his collection includes beret pins that were in use during El Al’s first year of operation, following which they were replaced. His collection also holds the company’s safety manuals printed in English, Hebrew, French and even Yiddish.
Recently, Goldman has begun donating certain items to different institutions that deal in El Al history. He is not planning on expanding his collection further, but rather on making it more digitally accessible. “These days, computerization of a collection is extremely important,” explained Goldman. “I now have tens of thousands of images of different items and I share them with other institutions.”
Through its digitization, Goldman hopes to preserve his collection for future generations. “You never know what will happen to hard items, but at least this way I get to spread them out for many people to enjoy.”
