Page 183 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Days of War and Siege Citizens and Soldiers

Under Fire in the Twentieth Century

The holy wars and the hardships of daily living plagued Jerusalem into the modern era,
perhaps with even greater intensity and cruelty. World War I marked the early years of the
20th century with crisis, deprivation, and extreme hunger that weakened the population
and paved the way for the outbreak of diseases and epidemics. Typhus, malaria, and cholera
killed Turkish soldiers and struck members of all religions and communities. During the
period of the British Mandate, Jerusalem suffered bloody clashes and years of terror and
bombings. In the heavy shadow of World War II, Civil Defense was organized, and during
the War of Independence, Jerusalem experienced siege, destruction, and the expulsion of
a population that was inadvertently caught in the middle of a deadly battlefield.

On the brink of the 21st century, terrorist attacks ushered in an epidemic of violence,
fostering the development of an exceptional proficiency in the field of emergency
medicine. Out of the depths of the darkness of war and violence, Jerusalem’s hospitals
were perceived as islands of compassion and benevolence, healing, and cooperation, in a
sea of dissension and fanaticism.

‫פנקסי הדיווח הממשלתיים על המתים במחלות זיהומיות‬
‫בימי מלחמת העולם הראשונה | אוסף פרטי‬
Government mortality reports
from infectious diseases
during World War I | Private Collection

181 ■ ‫ימי מלחמה ומצור‬