The War of Independence .VO ( move photo of Ben Gurion below) Unfinished...

1946-1948

Hello everyone   

   After the news, about the up coming Vote in the United Nations, regarding an Independent Jewish state in Palestine, the Arabs, sharing this small country, with their Jewish neighbors; became alarmed, fearing that if the U.N, would grant a Homeland to the Jewish people, they will be forced to lave their homes and properties...The Palestinian Arabs, turned to the Muslim countries Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq  Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, asking for help to" Fight the Jews!", in case the UN members, would vote for such a Partition... The British, were scheduled to leave Palestine, six months after the UN's resolution  The Jews, as well as the local Arabs, were holding their breath...

    My father, who was a child during the First World War, remembered the food shortages, during that period of time... One day he came home from work, carrying two huge sacks, full of "Tsnimim”(Hardtack) These were ' dry slices of bread, which was baked for a long time, were "Hard as a Rock" and wouldn't spoil, as fast as fresh bread X and "wouldn't spoil, for a long time!X" This war, may last for many months!" Aba (Dad) was telling our Ima (mother) "I have a feeling, that if the United Nations, will vote YES, for the Establishment of a Jewish Country; the Arabs will start a war! In this case, Jerusalem will be under siege!" X Ima, would have to soak it in water during the night, so it softens enough, to be be eaten the next day.x.."M Besides the bread, my father bought a tall, Tin Container, full of Kerosene, in order to  boil the water we may have to collect...  He and my mother, stood in line for hours, to buy bottles of olive oil, flour, rice, beans and brown sugar."What do we need all of this?! It would only spoil!" Ima said "I can smell trouble!” My father answered. I was only four years old and was wondering, what 'Trouble' smelled  like, so I began to sniff around, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't smell anything... “Maybe only Daddies can smell Trouble"... I told myself, because it seemed that Ima wasn't able to smell it either...

   On November 17th 1947, people all over the world, were sitting 'glued' to their radios, as the United Nations voted for the partition of Palestine, which would give one part of the country, to the Jews and    the other to the Arabs... Even though, the Partition meant that some of the Jewish Holy Places, would      be in the Arab side, the Jews were elated! ", After all, Abraham was the father of bouth; the Jews and    the Arabs!" The Jewish leaders were saying to their Arab neighbors in Palestinian, those,who's homes were in the Jewish side of the partition. Vehicles, with loud speakers,which were driven by Jews, were traveling among the Arabs, asking them 'Not To Leave Their Old Neighborhoods!' Promising, that none  of the Palestinians would be harmed, or chased away, from their homes if they will stay in the state of Israel and would be treated as equal citizens! The Arab's radio, ordered the Palestinian Arabs to flee, so      they will not be mistaken for Jews and would be killed, when the "Mighty United Arab Army"of Seven Arab Countries, will take over, making and make a 'Clean Sweep' of the small Jewish population, which remains in Palestine and Drown them in the Mediterranean Sea! "What chance these few unarmed Jews have to fight against the 'Great, United Force, of All the Arab Countries?"They promised,that theunited Liberating Forces, would be able to select, the best homes and land, of the Fleeting and Dead Jews and    warned that any Palestinian, who does not join our mighty Arab army, would be killed as a Traitor!   

The War of
Independence begins

Evacuating the wounded
and casualties

   Shortly after the U.N voted for a Partition, to Share Palestine between the Arabs and the Jews... A mob of Arabs, attacked Jewish settlements, stores and other businesses in and around Jerusalem, wounding and killing scores of people...My father and his partner Moty, rented their garage from Mustafa, the Arab owner of the property; he hid them in the basement before the shouting Arab Mob arrived which asked for  "The Two Jewish Mechanics, who were working in this Garage! "They did not come today!"X The Arab owner told the Mob...  My father and Moti stayed until they Mob Dispersed and came back home, late at night... I was very young (four) and was oblivious to the Historical Drama, which was playing around me... In the past, I met  Mustafa and played with his children, whenever I came to visit Aba in the garage. Mustafa was always nice! "He gave mw and and his kids candy and sent us to play Outdoors!"Some Arabs are bad, but others are good;"Mustafa is a Good Arab!" I was thinking, trying to clear the confusion from my young brain...

 

The Castel in the past

 In Israeli hands

   Since 1000 BCE, after King David concord Jerusalem   The Castel, which was a strong and Massive Fortification    stood on top of a high mountains, which surrounding the city, looked like some kind of a Big threatening Monster! Whoever held this strategic fortress,was able to prevent    the vital supplies of food and drinking water, from  arriving to the  city..By doing so,the Arabs hoped to eventually force  an Eventual Surrender...Throughout history, the inhabitants of Jerusalem gathered rain water, storing it in cisterns... If the rain was not strong enough, during the winter and the supply of water in the cisterns dried up, the people would collect water from the many Springs outside the city...

 

    Right after the United Nations declared Israel as 'Legitimate Country' and Home of the Jewish people  Five Arab countries, got together in a war against the Newborn State of Israel... The Palestinian Arabs who until then lived peacefully, with their Jewish neighbor,  were told that if they do not join the United Arab Army, they would be killed as Traitors!  They also warned to 'starve' the 150,000 Jewish people in Israel: Men, Women, Children and the Elderly... The Arabs were convinced, that within a short time of withholding Medicine, Food and Water, in addition of bombing the city day and night; the Besieged     City would eventually have to surrender...

Water rationing

Sandbags protection

   The first move the Arabs made, was to take over the Castle in order to prevent supplies of food, medicine and arms, from arriving to the besieged city... The small amount of supplies left in Jerusalem, was rationed: Each person was given two slices of bread a day,with a measured amount of drinking water.The water was distributed by small trucks and donkeys and carts, to the people who were waiting with buckets and cooking pots, to collect each every precious drop of water...The  women of Jerusalem went to the open fields, to collect wild vegetable named "Chubeza", so they could feed their hungry families...They were   trying to avoid the non stop shooting which was directed at them... Some made it and others did not...

 

The chubeza "fruit"

Wild chubeza

   The Air Raid sirens were going on and off, as the city was bombarded day and night... My dad was busy in the garage, fixing the cars, buses and few motorcycles for      the Jewish soldiers... My mother wouldn't let me or my brother get out of her sight and was taking us with her       to collect the small amount of bread each family recived My brother and I were always by her side: “I don't want to go on living, if my kids would be hit by a shell, or become  Orphans, growing up without a mother... If we have to die, we are going to die together!" Ima said...

    After being cooped up inside the small apartment, my nine years old brother Rami, became restless   and rebellious... In spite of Ima's warnings, he would escape and run to join the neighborhood's boys    who were exchanged "Shrapnels" (remains of a bomb) they collected from the streets. Rami was often spanked by our usually calm and loving mother, who never before  raised a hand to hit us, X"you may be killed by a shell?!” I remember her screaming hysterically."I could be killed by a bomb right here, in this apartment, not only on the street!  I am already 'Dying of Boredom' in this Dungeon!” My brother said... One night when the Air Raid siren went off again, my mother was carrying me in her arms down the stairs, to the "safe" apartment of our neighbors, when a tiny flash of fire, zoomed about three inches from me... I could hear my mother's heart beating wildly, as she screamed with terror, squeezing me to her  chest.  As far as I  can remember, this would be the last time I will experienc this kind of fear! From that moment on, my family and friends began to be call me "Fearless Shira", I was never afraid again...

 

Supply convoy
to Jerusalem

Destroyed armored

 

truck

   As the months passed by, the siege began to take its toll... Several people in Jerusalem died from starvation and others from lack of Medicine... The 'Hagana' members tried again and again to take over the Castel, in order to bring food for the besieged people of Jerusalem; but were pushed back with heavy losses...Convoys of trucks, loaded with medicine and food, tried time and again, to get to the Besieged city, driving through a canyon called 'Bab El Wad', were attacked by the Palestinians villagers, who opened fire from the surrounding mountains.Young brave men and women, were risking their lives, time and again, in order to relieve the suffering of the 'Besieged city' by bringing the necessary Food, Medicine,Water and Ammunition to Jerusalem, but it was difaclt to do... 

   I remember the day I came home after playing with my friend Leora who lived downstairs, and saw  my cousin Lea husband Yosi, from Tel Aviv... I was staring in disbelief, as he was emptying boxes, on top of our table and  sofa: Fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, oil, sugar, tea, coffee, cocoa, sardines and jars of olives, jam and honey and other canned food...Yosi was one of the drivers who risked their lives, driving under heavy fire, on a dirt road named Bab El Wad, situated between the two tall mountains from were  the Arabs were shooting... Besides the food,Yosi and the other drivers, risked their lives by bringing fresh Ammunition to the besieged and hungry city of Jerusalem! There were also packages of food, sent to my  parents, Rami and me, which were given to him, by our worried and concerned family members from Tel Aviv, Givat  Ada, Benyamina and Ramat- Gan...There was also a big foot ball for rami and a doll for me!

  

   I was standing near the door, watching with astonishment, the 'Mountain of plenty'  which was growing higher and higher and was looking up at Yosi, as if he was a Magician or some kind of a God! “Ima, may I have an apple?” I whispered in my mother's ear.. Yosi who heard me, picked up a red apple, wiped it on his shirt and with tears in his eyes handed it to me... "My God!" He said to Ima,"Who would believe that a day would come when we see our children go hungry?..."

 xxx 

David Ben Gurion

Bab el Wad Memorial

   All throughout the war and siege, the people of Jerusalem took comfort from our admired Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, whos voice on the radio was full of courage and national pride and hope, to the besieged people of our city and the rest of the citizens of our New Born Israel...  Ben Gurion was able to infuse everyone with strength! Mainly the new immigrants,who lost their families, in he Gas Chamber before arriving in Israel, our old beloved Biblical Homeland...

 

   While the war was still raging, an old abandoned road, leading to Jerusalem, was discovered and the 'Hagana' fighter, began to widen and clear it, in order to bring more Food, Medicine and Ammunition to the besieged city...  It was named the 'Burma Road'. Soon, trucks and armored buses, were driving at night connected Jerusalem, with the rest of the country... After several mounts of siege, a short 'Cease Fire' was declared and families, which were separated for a very long time, were able to reunite! My father insisted that Ima would take my brother and me, to her family in Rechovot, away from Jerusalem... Aba was unable to join us, busy fixing the few old cars, trucks, Jeeps, Buses and Motorcycles, which the Hagana members used for the war...  I will always remember the bumpy ride of the bus, on this unpaved 'Burma Road' and how 'Ima' was telling Romi and me to bend down, whenever we were passing close to an Arab village, in case they spot our camouflaged bus and shoot at us...I could tell that Ima was very scared and so were the rest of the passengers, who were mostly Mothers with Children...

"Our" tank

 Orange grove

   It was in Rechovot, where I celebrated my fifth birthday while the War of Independence was raging on three fronts of our newly born tiny country. Israel was fighting for its life.There was barely enough ammunition, to train the new born 'Jewish Army' which consisted mainly of Israeli born men and women("Sabras") and those who survived 'Hitler's Concentration Camps' and managed to reach the shores of 'Palestine' (present time Israel) Most of these newcomers, who lost their entire families, in the Nazis    'Gas -Chambers', were given a gun and joined the small, newly born Israel's army, fighting against the combined forces of Seven Arab Countries...

    I have very few memories from the time we spent in Rechovot... One of my memories is playing 'Hid and Go Seek' in an orange grove, with my two cousins;Yosi and Amnon. We  played 'War' in a rusty old skeleton of a Turkish tank, from the First World War, which stood in an open field, not too far from the Locksmith shop of my Grandfather (my mothers dad) We were running barefoot on the warm earth, playing "WAR" throwing at each other the oranges, we picked from the trees... I also recall the day when the three of us were playing at home, when the Air Raid Siren went off!  Everyone was running to the shelter in the basement, except for me and Amnon, my three years old cousin... I was standing and laughing  uproariously, as I watched him trying to hide inside the Armoire in his parents bedroom when our mothers come running and started to drag the two of us in to the shelter...

  As far as I can remember, I was always fearless and laughing, when others next to me, were 'scared to death'... I was often wondering if my 'Lack of Fear', began after that night in Jerusalem, when my mother was holding me in her arms, rushing down the stairs, to the shelter and a Bullet past by me. Ima screamed  and was holding me tight, close to her chest....Was it my 'lack of fear or some kind of a 'Higher Power which protected me, by changing the Fear of a four years old child, into Laughter? Is this the reason why years later I would have no fears at all?  Whatever the reason is; I would rather be Laughing!

With Love and Light, 
Shira