Page 21 - HaShofar 5709 1948
P. 21
From Moshe Kallner, Sdei Eliahu, August 4, 1948:-·-
" . . . We are doing as well here as can- be ex- what with the loss of 3 points in Gush Etzion and
pected under the ·circumstances. Periodic exchange the hard blow to Beirot Yitcha:k and a tense situa-
of gunfire or heavier specimen don't really inter- tion around Yavne. (Editor's note: Subsequent to
rupt the cycle of activities, although at times it this letter there were attacks in Tirat Zvi). Our
cost· lives. But the human commodity is 'still very resources are far from what they useg. to be, in the
cheap in these parts of the world, especially when Kibbutz. All in all, we don't seem to have been
you are fighting to set up a Medinah.. All in all, doing too badly as a newly established State.
these past months have been very quiet in the Emek Bverything is running quite smoothly-'- even
Bet Shean in comparison to the rest of the country, though not always_ as we had hoped. . . . "
and for the Kibbutz Dati, that. is a lifesaving fact,
From Moshe Cohn, Kibbutz Hadati, Tel Aviv, July 26, 1_948:-
''These ·are very difficult times for the. entire these many months of attack, only one member of
Yishuv, and especially difficult for the Kibbutz the colony was killed. True, many were wounded
Hadati. We. have lost some of our finest and most and one very critically, but considering the many
devoted Chaverim, and who knows what the future heavy artillery bombardments and attacks of every
will bring? Last Thursday there .was a violent variety, it cannot be understood in any way, except
heavy-artillery attack on .Beerot Yitzchak in the as a miracle." - - - - - - -'- - - -
Negev and our young Chaverim put up an unhe-
Jievably heroic battle, but .14 of .them lost their - --:-- - . Kibbutz Mechora was established on land
lives, until help came ·and the Arabs were routed. of Kfar Yaretz, which, as you know_, is a battle zone.
One matter of joy to us was that, this, Sunday the
Chaverim of Kfar Darom arrived in Tel Aviv after • - - - - - - - - - -. - - -. - - -
having been, from the outset of the· war, December,
1947, until now, under never-ceasing fire fron:1 the --: - - . Kibbutz Shluchoth was established in the
Arabs. It is most diffcult to understand how these Beisan_ Valley, south of Ei~ Hanetziv. This makes
young people. remained for so many months. com- four kvutzot of Hapoel Hamizrachi in that area.
pletely cut off from the rest of the world, without
adequate food or :water, and under constant.attack. . . ,.
There was a double miracle here; first, that, in
general, after so long a period of siege by the .:._ '-- -:-'-. Besides the generator sent to Tirat Zvi,
Egyptian army, our Chaverim were finally able to which is very valuable, more are in need in Beerot
get out ·of the trap at all, and secondly, that in Yitzchak, Sdei Eliahu, and other colonies. The help
of American Chaverim gives added strength and
encollragement, and is greatly valued and appreci-
ated."
From Yitzchak Halevi Levin, Jerusalem; July 1, 1948:-·-·
" .Special mention µiust be made .of the un- rnandof British officers. If loss of life and damage
flinching. stand- of Jerusalem,. once again in the
c_oursy of·.· its ·long and checkered history called .to property has not been greater-and the toll of
u,pon to withstand a siege, . which,. however, despite
the almost overwhelming .superiority of the enemy killed, maimed and wounded numbers many hun-
in armour, numbers and equipment, wa's never
complete for any length of time. Throughout this dreds---:-it is due solely to a Merciful Providence
period, it is now possible to reveal, men and sup-
plies continued to infiltrate and, thanks to the de- and the exemplary conduct of both the Jewish
votion to duty of certain Jewish units, the efforts
of the Arab forces to cut off our City entirely, were civilian population an_d military forcei3 in this try-
frustrated. .ing period. .
"The hollowness and hyprocrisy of the protesta-
"Of the spirit and morale of our defenders you
tions of the veneration i:p. which Jerusalem the Holy
is held by Moslems and Christians was proved by have probably heard from other sources. The for-
the 7-weeks indiscriminate ra.in of shells in which
synagogues, churches, even mosques, and ·lioly titude and bearing of our non-combatants also were
places, sacred to all monotheistic faiths, were ruth-
lessly bombarded by Arab forces under . the com- beyond all praise. Fully conscious of the superi-
ority of the enemy at the very. gates of Jerusalem
and of the fact that only a thin line of ill-equipped
defenders imbued with the spirit of Kiddush Ha-
shem stood between them and a terrible fate, they
made every endeavor to continue their normal
occupations, while those engaged in essential serv- r
ices and passive defense were constantly at their
posts.
OCTOBER, ·1948 ·,l-9
'j ·•
