Angelinos Mourn Moshe Alon

Family, friends and a number of dignitaries flew from Los Angeles to Israel over the past week to pay their last respects to the legendary Los Angeles-based security expert Moshe Alon, who died Sept. 9 in Haifa.  He passed away suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 66.

Alon was assigned responsibility for the safety of the Israeli team at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, a key posting for a country still traumatized by the murder of 13 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

While Alon was known for his many years of providing personal security for movie star Elizabeth Taylor, his record of service began first as an army officer in the Israeli army.  He later served in the Israeli Secret Service and then as the head security official for the municipality of Tel Aviv. Alon was assigned responsibility for the safety of the Israeli team at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, a key posting for a country still traumatized by the murder of 13 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

The previous year Alon founded and served as president of Professional Security Consultants (PSC) in Los Angeles, which would become one of the largest privately-owned security agencies in the country.  PSC is known to provide security for celebrities and some Fortune 500 companies, including Arm and Hammer, as well as El Al Airlines.

Alon usually stayed in the background but couldn’t avoid media attention when he commanded a large private security detail, many of them Israelis, tasked with keeping gate crashers, pesky reporters and hovering helicopters from celebrity events and from sneaking onto Michael Jackson’s 2,700-acre Neverland ranch.

As mentioned, Alon provided personal security for Elizabeth Taylor for years, both here in the United States and when she traveled around the world for appearances at international events such as the Cannes Film Festival.  

The Journal contacted long-time friends to learn more about Alon. Many were too shaken by his sudden passing to face an interview. However, one friend offered, “The thing to understand about Moshe is that he was the original Zohan.  He was larger than life and he leaves a giant-sized hole in our hearts.” 

Another close associate is Uri Gal.  In an interview, Gal drew a picture of Alon as a life-affirming, open-hearted personality and bon vivant, ready to help whoever needed it.

“If I were in any difficulty, Moshe would be the first person I would turn to,” Gal said. “He liked to meet new people and would talk to anyone he came across or met on a plane.”

Nobody mistook Alon for a shrinking violet.

Nobody mistook Alon for a shrinking violet. “Moshe was always the highlight of any party and made sure that everybody had a good time… and he loved to go out on his motorcycle to get more refreshments,” Gal recalled.

Later in life, Alon graduated to an RV and took his family on long trips. He loved Israeli music and the pop tunes of the ‘70s and ‘80s, particularly the Beatles.

While he enjoyed life and people, Alon worked hard and built a successful business. Today, PSC has employees across the United States and for some time operated a branch office in the United Kingdom.

“Moshe couldn’t stand still for a minute,” Gal observed. “He was always in the midst of a number of projects. He would also talk to anyone, even strangers on the phone.”

Moshe Alon was married twice. He is survived by his wife, Nadia Pinksi, his three children Liat, Robert and Ariele and their mother, Moshe’s first wife, Ilene Alon. 

Funeral services were held in Israel on September 14.