In October 1935, Mordecai Pickholz arrived by ship in Jaffa, Palestine. Twenty-one years old, fluent in five languages, he joined thousands of immigrants who help build the future Jewish State. He would never see his beloved parents again.During the years before Israel gained its Independence in 1948, Mordecai worked in the orange groves around Yavne and founded a catering business focused on British Military Bases. But he led a double life. His energy was also devoted to four missions for the Jewish State. One in Tehran. One in Baghdad. In 1947 and 1948, he was sent to the United States on two covert missions to assist in the formation of the Jewish State.In 1949 Mordecai started the Allon family with his American wife, Geraldine. He poured himself into establishing industry after industry in a land that was once just orange groves and military bases. In his 60s, Allon immersed himself in creative pursuit, becoming a colorist expressionist painter, and later exhibiting in Israel, Europe, and the United States.Oranges to Easels is told by his son, who became a tenacious detective, and assembled a complex mosaic of sources, to understand the enigma of his own father. There is pain, humor, and romance—a story of perseverance and faith, covering some of the significant turbulent times of the twentieth century.