Michael Columbus is a Canadian who was born and raised in Waterford, Nova Scotia.
An article by Columbus in Spring 2009 edition of The Atlantic Jewish Council’s Shalom magazine states, “A week after the six day war I and two other Young Judeans from Cape Breton were among the first group of volunteers to go to Israel and we worked on a Kibbutz in the Negev for three months. I fell in love with the people and country. I made Aliya in March 1974 and attended an Ulpan on Kibbutz Hamadia in the Bet Shan Valley and also became a member of Hamadia.”
Columbus goes on to write, “In 1976 I did training in the artillery core in the IDF. […] I was offered an instructors position at the IDF’s sniper school and spent two years as a sergeant-major 1979-80.”
Columbus notes that he then got married in Israel and had three children, all of whom also served in the Israeli military. He also continued in “defense work” in Israel after finishing his own service.
