Russian Corps
After studying at the Leighton Park School, he went to Roscoff, France, where he earned a scholarship to spend the summer in an Israeli kibbutz. It is mentioned that he had written a letter to Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, who intervened to arrange a passage for Maschler from Marseille to Haifa. He went on to spend the next three years travelling across the US, working in a tuna cannery, and assorted construction jobs, while writing for the "Los Angeles Times" and "The New York Times". He returned home and worked as a tour guide, and did national service as a part of the Russian Corps of the Royal Air Force.