besiege - lapidut, yehuda

8/11/2019 Besiege - Lapidut, Yehuda

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BESIEGE

Introduction

This book is both a personal account of my experiences as an Irgun fighterand a discussion of the political and military campaign for Jerusalem duringthe 1948 War of Independence.

The first part of the book deals ith the e!ents of 19"#s in $alestine% as seenthrough the eyes of a child and young boy ho as born and gre up in the

country. &rab pogroms against the Jes% and the 'ritish obstruction ofimmigration and of the de!elopment of the (ishu! )Jeish community in$alestine* impelled me to +oin the Irgun ,!ai -eumi )knon as I,- or Irgun*. Idescribe my experiences in the Irgun% first as a ne recruit and then as afighter and commander in the ighting orce. I describe in detail mainly thoseoperations in hich I played an acti!e part% and hence this book should not beregarded as a comprehensi!e history of the Irgun.

&fter protracted struggle against the united forces of the Irgun% the -ehi and

the /aganah% the 'ritish finally e!acuated the country in 1948% lea!ing ascene of total chaos in their ake. They left Jerusalem% their last bastion% on0ay 14% 1948 the folloing day &rab armies in!aded $alestine ith the aimof li2uidating the (ishu! and pre!enting the establishment of a Jeish state.

The second part of the book deals ith the battle for Jerusalem. In describingthe fighting in the city% I go into considerable detail hen recounting the battlefor the &rab !illage of 3eir (assin. With the aid of eyeitness testimony andhitherto unpublished archi!al documents% I refute the accepted myth that a

massacre took place there.

In order to understand the course of e!ents in the battles for the city% one hasto be familiar ith the policy de!ised by the leaders of the (ishu! at that time.It appears that the Jeish &gency% and later the pro!isional go!ernment ofIsrael% led by 3a!id 'en5urion% sought to sol!e the Jerusalem problem bypartitioning the city. &ccording to their plan% only the estern part ofJerusalem ould be part of the 6tate of Israel% hile the eastern sector%including the 7ld ity% ould form part of the &rab 6tate. I belie!e that thisexplains hy% throughout the War of Independence% no serious attempt asmade to liberate the 7ld ity and eastern Jerusalem from the &rab -egion)the army of Jordan*.


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ROOTS

5randfather ,!i0oshe -apidot as born in 18: in the predominantly Jeish!illage of -iska!e in the district of 5rodno in White ;ussia. 5rodno had beenpart of the 5reat $rincipality of -ithuania until 1


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deliberation ;i!ka as summoned and it as lo!e at first sight. 5randfatherimmediately turned to her father and asked if they could marry ithout delay.

&fter their edding they settled in @oso!o% here ,!i0oshe orked as atimber merchant by day and studied gemara at night. @oso!o% in 5rodno

3istrict )knon also as @oso! or @oso!$olsky to distinguish it from the!illage of @oso! in the arpathian mountains in 5alicia* as a !illage of threethousand inhabitants% some tothirds of them Jes. The Jes had settledthere at the end of the sixteenth century and ere artisans and smallmerchants some had small farms to augment their income. rom the 188#sthere ere to rabbis in the !illageC ;abbi 0enahem0endel 6hereshe!sky%ho emigrated to $alestine in 19:: and ;abbi 6hmarya(osef @arlich. ThelatterAs son as ;abbi &!raham (eshayahu @arlich% knon as the /aBon Ishafter his famous book of that name% and one of the greatest religiouslegislators of his generation. /aBon Ish% ho as a neighbor of the -apidotfamily% immigrated to $alestine in 19"< and settled in 'nei 'rak. /is brother%;. (itBhak @arlich%as appointed rabbi of @oso!o after his fatherAs death% andperished in the /olocaust ith his flock.

,!i0oshe prospered in commerce and his ife ;i!ka;achel managed thehousehold and raised the children% three girls and three boys% all of them-apidots. 0y father% (aako!6haul% the fifth child% as born in 19##. Talentedbut precocious% at the age of ten he felt that he had nothing left to learn atheder% and asked to be sent to a more ad!anced school. 6ince there as no

yeshi!a in @oso!o% he as sent to the famed yeshi!a at 6lonim% here hismaternal uncle as a teacher. 6lonim% near @oso!o% as a ellknon ton.7f the 1


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5rodno 3istrict. (oung people recounted stories of the ne settlement in$alestine and tried to in support for ,ionism. &t the beginning of the :#thcentury% ,ionist associations ere set up in 6lonim and its en!irons% the firstof hich as the A6eAu Fess ,iona &ssociationA )'ear the 6tandard to ,ion*.Its leaders took an acti!e part in the early ,ionist ongresses. In @oso!o and

nearby !illages% groups of prosperous people established associations for the+oint purchase of land in $alestine. 5randmother as seiBed ith the desireto emigrate to $alestine and desperately tried to persuade my grandfather tomo!e to the /oly ity. & practical man% grandfather feared the unknon%preferring the familiarity and security of life and ork in @oso!o. &sgrandmother gre more insistent% he ne!ertheless decided to assess forhimself the opportunities of ork there.

5randfather +ourneyed to $alestine in a ship% hich sailed from 7dessa andanchored at Jaffa% the only port in the country at that time. &fter disembarkinghe toured Jaffa and set out for Jerusalem% here he !isited the Western Walland other holy places. ;eturning to @oso!o% he summed up his impressionsin a ord DmidbarD% namely% a desert. The country as then unde!eloped%e!en in comparison ith the Jeish !illages of White ;ussia. 5randmotheras not con!inced and continued her efforts to persuade him. The religiousurge to li!e in the /oly ity as so strong that it o!ershadoed anyanticipated economic difficulties.

&t that time the A0anishe!itB &ssociationA had been set up in the ton of

'ialystok* near @oso!o* for the +oint purchase of land in $alestinegrandfather paid his dues and became a paidup member. When theassociationAs emissary bought a plot of land in @far ?ria% on the road toJerusalem% my grandfather had no excuse to remain in @oso!o. 0y fatheras summoned from 6lonim and after his bar mitB!ah% preparations for thegreat trip began.

>motion had triumphed o!er reason grandfather packed his belongings% tookhis ife and fi!e children )one stayed behind* and set out on the long +ourney

to the $romised -and. &fter a stormy +ourney% the ship reached >gypt andfrom there they made their ay to $alestine by train. When they arri!ed theytried to set up home in @far ?ria% but the local &rabs harassed them% forcingthe group to disband. With their dream shattered% grandfather set out forJerusalem. /e bought an old house in 0ea 6hearim% reno!ated it andbrought his family to li!e there. It as a large apartment house ith se!eralstores at the front. The apartments and stores ere rented out% ith theexception of one% hich the family set up as a grocery store. The income fromrent enabled the family to li!e in comfort and grandmother felt that her dream

had no come true.

When the irst World War broke out the Turks% ho then ruled the country%


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+oined the 5ermans against >ngland and rance. &lthough $alestine as farremo!ed from the frontline% the inhabitants suffered greatly. (oung men ereforced to +oin the Turkish army and the authorities confiscated anything% hichhad possible military use. >!erything as in short supply% and as the ardragged on% the situation orsened. Jerusalem in particular% distant from the

farming regions% as afflicted by famine. inding it increasingly hard to feedthe family% grandfather sent the children to !arious agricultural settlements onthe coastal plain. 0y father% (aako!6haul% as sent to ork at the 'en6hemen &gricultural 6chool% here he recei!ed food and lodging in return forhis labor. /e soon became accustomed to farm ork and found that he liked!illage life. In order not to compromise his principles and eat nonkosher food%he adopted a !egetarian diet. With the money he recei!ed for his ork hebought food% hich he ould then take by horsedran carriage to his motherand younger brother in Jerusalem.

ommunication beteen Jerusalem and the coastal plain as !ery difficult.The post as not operating% and there as no telephone. Transportation asirregular% and it as not alays possible to find horses for the carriages.'efore $asso!er% 191% grandfather decided to !isit his children on thecoastal plain. 6ince no carriage as a!ailable% he made the +ourney on footfrom Jerusalem. irst he stopped off at 'en 6hemen to !isit my father andfrom there he made his ay to ;ishon le,ion to !isit his older children.$asso!er as approaching and he had no time for a long stay. /e bought abottle of kosher ine from the ;ishon cellars here his to daughters ere

orking and headed back to Jerusalem. The route as difficult and the hea!yload sloed him don. With Jerusalem still a long ay off at nightfall%grandfather spent the night in the monastery in the &rab !illage of &bu 5hosh%here he slept soundly beside his large bottle of $asso!er ine.

&s the War continued% the situation in Jerusalem deteriorated. There asfamine and disease in the city. 5randmother% ho ate less in order to feed herfamily% became eaker% contracted dysentery and died on ;osh /ashanah.6he as buried on the 0ount of 7li!es% o!erlooking the Temple 0ount.

5randmotherAs death as a hea!y blo to the familyC her fi!e children in$alestine ere still unmarried% and grandfather too% despite his forcefulcharacter% had been !ery dependent on her.

When the 'ritish con2uered the country and the War ended% life graduallyreturned to normal. Those Jes banished from the country by the Turksbegan to return home. The 'alfour 3eclaration% marking the decision toestablish a Jeish Fational /ome in $alestine% instilled hope in the hearts ofthe (ishu! and the 'ritish ere armly elcomed. The 19:#s ere the

beginning of a period of immigration and prosperity% and grandfather decidedthat the time had come to try his luck in the building industry.


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The 5erman 6chneller orphanage as located not far from 0ea 6hearim.'uilt on a large lot% surrounded by a all% the orphanage also oned manyplots of land in the area beteen 6chneller and 0ea 6hearim. This area asrocky and unsuitable for agricultural culti!ation. The Jes of 0ea 6hearim%not on neighborly terms ith the hristian inhabitants of the area% generally

kept ell aay. 5randfather% hoe!er% made friends ith the 3irector of theorphanage% a 5erman hristian named 'auer% and he agreed to sellgrandfather a plot of land outside the orphanage. 5randfather prepared theground and in 19:" built a tostory house. It as the first Jeish house builtin this area outside 0ea 6hearim. When construction as completed%grandfather tried to rent out the apartments% but no one dared li!e in suchclose proximity to the 6chneller camp% for fear of the &rab bandits hofre2uented the area. /a!ing no choice% grandfather mo!ed his on family intothe ne building% and thus ,!i0oshe -apidotAs family took up residence in an

isolated house beteen 0ea 6hearim and 6chneller.

5randfather as on friendly terms ith the residents of 6chneller and hisfamily li!ed there unharmed. 'efore long% se!eral other Jeish familiesagreed to rent apartments in the building. 'efore the year as up% the holebuilding had been bought. Immediately after completing the deal% grandfatherbought the ad+acent plot and started on a second building. & year later thereere tin buildings in the empty area beteen 0ea 6hearim and 6chneller.&s soon as the second building as completed% the -apidot family mo!ed in.5radually more Jes started building in the area and hen it as sufficiently

de!eloped% the inhabitants assembled and proclaimed the establishment of ane 2uarter. 5randfather% one of the chief spokesmen% proposed calling itA5eulaA )redemption*% since he had redeemed the land from the 5ermans. /isproposal as accepted% and the 2uarter has borne the name e!er since.

&fter the irst World War my father returned to Jerusalem and as sent tostudy at ;abbi @ookAs yeshi!a% here he as an outstanding student. Fotdran to the rabbinate% he left the yeshi!a after se!eral years and +oined hisfather and younger brother 0ordechai in the construction business.

5randfather continued to de!elop land in isolated areas. rom 5eula hemo!ed on to ;eha!ia% here he built a house at 19 Ibn >Bra 6treet% and thenat :1 @eren @ayemet 6treet )opposite the current /ebre 5ymnasium*%here the internal staircase as a groundbreaking inno!ation in buildingdesign. &fter completing the houses in ;eha!ia% grandfather turned hisattention to @iryat 6hmuel% then a ne and unde!eloped neighborhood. Therehe and his younger son built to more houses )one at 9 0etudella 6treet theother at 1*. &t this stage my father as beginning to feel that Jerusalem as

too small for him and decided to mo!e to Tel &!i!.

In the same year that ,!i0oshe -apidot started building in Jerusalem% the


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/irshberg family immigrated to $alestine from the ton of -ibau )-iepa+a* in-at!ia. The head of the family% ,!i/irsh% as born into a rabbinical family%hich had been li!ing in -ibau for generations. /is father% 6hmuel% bestoedon his son a large house to enable him to dedicate his life to studying theTorah. When he reached maturity% ,!i/irsh married $essia 'lumenthal% ho

came from a ;ussia. 6he managed the household% looked after the tenantsand ran the grocery store in the front of the building hile her husbandde!oted his time and energy to Torah study. They had three daughters andthree sons. 0y mother% 5olda% as born in 19#".

3uring the irst World War -at!ia as caught beteen 5ermany and ;ussia.&t times -ibau as under 5erman rule and at other times under the;ussians. Three official languages ere in useC -at!ian% 5erman and;ussian. rom being a ealthy family before the War% the /irshbergs becameimpo!erishedC the tenants lagged behind ith rent )some stopped payingaltogether*% and customers of the grocery store bought on credit. 0y motheras forced to lea!e school to help my grandmother run the household andlook after her younger brothers and sisters.

&fter the War the economic situation in -at!ia orsened and% to make mattersorse% the go!ernment introduced compulsory conscription. To pre!ent theconscription of her eldest son% &!raham&bba% my grandmother sent himaay. The main destination of >uropean Jes at that time as the ?nited6tates% but she feared her son ould learn bad habits there% and sent him to

$alestine instead. There he engaged in a !ariety of occupations% from roadbuilding to construction% alays hoping to set up in business. With the arri!alof his family% he began importing medicines from abroad. /e e!entually tookhis younger brother (aako! into partnership% and the business he set up isknon to this day as D/irshberg 'rothersD.

The /irshberg family li!ed in 5ruBenburg 6treet% Tel &!i!% and their neighborsere a young couple% 6hifra and 3a!id @omaro!sky% ho ere friends of the-apidot family from Jerusalem. 3uring the $asso!er festi!al% shortly after their

arri!al in $alestine% my mother set out ith her younger sister% /anna% andolder brother% &!raham% on an organised trip to /ebron and Jerusalem%guided by ,ee! Gilnai. The @omaro!skys also took part and suggestedpaying a !isit to the -apidot family. This as the first meeting beteen myfather and the /irshberg girls. /e later related that he as attracted to theyounger daughter% /anna% but in accordance ith the custom of the time%began to court the older sister. In 19:< (aako!6haul -apidot married 5olda/irshberg. &fter their edding% the young couple mo!ed to the second housebuilt by grandfather -apidot in the 5eula 2uarter.

0y mother kne nobody in Jerusalem% and it as not easy for her to adapt toher ne situation. 'ut the communal atmosphere in the -apidot household


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eased her integration. To years later% hen about to gi!e birth% she tra!eledto Tel &!i! to be near her mother. Thus my older sister% ;i!ka;achel% asborn in Tel &!i! although she as a true Jerusalemite. & year later the storyas repeated% and I as born in Tel &!i!. The story goes that I did not stopcrying until I as taken to Jerusalem. The next in line as my brother &ryeh%

to hom fate as kinder he as born in Jerusalem.

We li!ed in a toroom apartment next to the 6ukenik family. The father% 3r.>lieBer 6ukenik% ho had come to $alestine from 'ialystok% as anarchaeologist )in 194=% as $rofessor of &rchaeology at the /ebre ?ni!ersityin Jerusalem% he came into possession of part of the Humran scrolls and asthe first to realiBe their !alue and to begin to decipher them*. The mother%/assia% ran a kindergarten in the ,ikhron 0oshe neighborhood. They hadthree mischie!ous little boysC the oldest% (igael (adin% later hief of 6taff ofthe Israel 3efence orces% folloed in his fatherAs footsteps and became aorldfamous archaeologist the second% (ossi (adin% became a renonedactor% and the youngest% 0atti% as a pilot killed in the War of Independence.

TEL AVIV

&lthough I spent my early childhood in Jerusalem% my family mo!ed to Tel&!i! hen I as +ust fi!e. In those days% the 19"#s% it as customary to li!e in

rented apartments. ontracts ere usually dran up for a year% after hichtime the tenants usually mo!ed out.

7ur first apartment in Tel &!i! as on ;othschild 'oule!ard at the corner of6heinkin 6treet. The building had recently been completed% and asconsidered modern for the time. It as a fourroom apartmentC to roomsere occupied by my motherAs parent% and e li!ed in the other to. 7neroom as allotted to the four children )my sister /anna as born in Tel &!i!*the other as both a dining room and li!ing room% and at night doubled up as

my parentsA bedroom. 7!ernight guests slept in my parentsA room in interand in summer on the large balcony.

We didnAt ha!e a great relationship ith our grandparents. or a start thereas the language barrier. 5randmother as incapable of learning /ebre%and spoke only (iddish til the day she died. >!en the &rab ho came to sellus eggs learnt to communicate ith her in (iddish. 5randfather% an asceticho de!oted his life to studying the Torah% refused to use /ebre other thanin prayer. /e as a remote and austere character and I onder if e ouldha!e been able to communicate much ith him e!en had he spoken /ebre.

;othschild 'oule!ard as not pa!ed in the thirties and tra!el as by horse


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dran carriage )droshke*. The carriage station as opposite our home andthe &rab dri!ers ould take ater from our courtyard to gi!e to their horses.We thought e might be gi!en preferential treatment because of this% but eere lashed +ust like the other children hen e hung onto the back of thecarriages for a ride.

&t six I started the religious 'ilu 6chool% hich as initially housed in aooden hut in 'ilu 6treet% and later mo!ed to a permanent home in an ornatebuilding facing ;othschild 'oule!ard. We recited the morning prayerstogether% studied a great deal of Torah and Talmud and ere se!erelypunished for any misdemeanors. We kept the same class teacher from firstgrade to graduation. I remember one incident hen our teacher% 6himon0onson% slapped a child ho as creating a disturbance in the courtyardduring recess. The pupil as hurt% both physically and emotionally% and ranhome at once. &n hour later% he returned ith his older brother ho burst intothe classroom during a lesson and asked 0onson to come out into thecourtyard to clear the matter up. 0onson refused and tried to push him out. &!ociferous argument ensued% in the course of hich the boy hit 0onson infront of the hole class. We ere stunned and feared he ould start on usafter he as done ith our teacher. 'efore this could happen% the principaland se!eral teachers rushed in and thre him out. &fter this incident allcorporal punishment temporarily ceased.

7n 6aturdays e used to pray in the school synagogue. 0ishori% the

principal% as !ery strict about order and discipline and did not allo us tocon!erse during prayers. & professional cantor% accompanied by the schoolchoir% conducted the ser!ice. &s a member of the choir% I took part in theprayer ser!ice from beginning to end% but sometimes a group of us ould slipaay before the end of the prayers. 7ne 6aturday four of us left thesynagogue to play ball in the courtyard. We did not notice 0ishori on thebalcony and ere caught redhanded. The folloing morning e eresummoned to his office and informed that e ould not be alloed to returnto school unless e brought in our parents. 6ince e did not dare tell our

parents hat e had done% e continued to lea!e home each morning as ifon our ay to school% but ould go to the (arkon ;i!er and sail boats untilschool as o!er. &fter four days% the principal sent letters to our parentsin!iting them to school to discuss the fate of their sons. When my fatherasked me the meaning of the letter% I told him the hole story. /e asked me ifanything else had happened% since it did not seem feasible to him that pupilscould be expelled from school for such a minor offence. The folloingmorning e ent to school together. 0y father ent into the principalAs officehilst I aited impatiently in the corridor. The principal asked my father to

punish me% but my father replied that he could see nothing rong ith myconduct on the contrary% he felt the principal should be admonished forsuspending pupils for no good reason. The outcome of the meeting as that I


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as reinstated and felt proud that my father had come out in support of me.

INITIAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE IRGUN

In &pril 19"% an inflamed &rab mob attacked Jeish bystanders in Jaffa.Fine Jes ere murdered and more than fifty ere in+ured. The folloing day&rabs attacked the Jeish neighborhoods ad+acent to Jaffa% murdering sixmore Jes and in+uring doBens. Thousands fled to the center of Tel &!i!% butthere as insufficient housing to accommodate e!eryone and makeshift tentshad to be erected in a little park at the end of 6heinkin 6treet. Witnessing thescene as a boy of eight had a profound effect on me. I could not imagine hatthe refugees had done to make the &rabs kill them indiscriminately. 'ut hatmost upset me as the fact that the Jes had not succeeded in defending

themsel!es or retaliating. &s children e alays reacted hen attacked itseemed inconcei!able that adults ould not do the same. The folloing dayall the neighborhood children grouped together and dro!e aay the &rabshepherds ho graBed their sheep in the empty field beside the go!ernmentoffice building at the end of 6heinkin 6treet. 7ur excuse as that if Jesere dri!en out of Jaffa% e ould not allo &rabs to graBe their flocks in Tel&!i!.

The bloody incidents continued for many months% and at home there as

continuous discussion of the attacks on Jeish settlements throughout thecountry. The &rab attacks% knon as the A&rab ;e!oltA% ere directed against,ionist achie!ements in $alestine. The &rabs demanded a halt to immigrationand a ban on the establishment of ne settlements. The (ishu! began toorganiBe to defend itself against &rab onslaughts% and inhabitants of borderareas ere exhorted to !olunteer for guard duty. In addition to the !olunteersho operated ithin the frameork of the /aganah% the authorities set up a6pecial $olice unit% a kind of cross beteen army and police.

@iryat 6efer 6treet in Tel &!i! as a border area here residents set up alook out post to deter attackers. We children liked to !isit the guards at theirroof top post% and in return for the sandiches and coffee e brought them%e ere alloed to operate the searchlight. 7ne e!ening fire as opened onthe neighborhood% and e ere asked to smash the street lights so the &rabsould not kno here to aim their attack. We fulfilled our task ith greatrelish and Beal.

In those days% the Jeish &gency policy as to display restraint in the face of&rab attack and to act only in selfdefense. &ttacks on &rab !illages ere not

permitted and initiati!e lay solely ith the &rabs. The Irgun ,!ai -eumi% hichhad seceded from the /aganah in 19"1% ob+ected to this policy% arguing that


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acts of deterrent ere a necessary tactic of ar.

7ne day a car as attacked in the 5alilee hile en route to 6afed. our Jesere shot dead% including a child and to omen. The murder aroused astorm of protest among members of 'etarAs -abor 'rigade located at ;osh

$inna.1Three members of the 'rigade% &!raham 6hein% 6halom Jurabin and6hlomo 'en(osef )Tabachnik* decided to retaliate. They made their ay tothe road linking 6afed to ;osh $inna and fired on an &rab bus as it passedby. Fone of the passengers ere hurt. They immediately left the spot and ranto hide in a nearby building. 6potted as they ran% all three ere arrested andlater tried by a military tribunal in /aifa. They ere charged ith unlafulpossession of eapons and ith intent to cause death or in+ury to manypeopleD% both of hich carried the death sentence. 'etar leaders tried to sa!ethe three and hired $hilip Joseph and &haron /oter(ishai as their defensecounsel. They suggested that Jurabin plead mental instability and thatdocuments be produced confirming 6hein as under eighteen. The threere+ected this defense strategy% and announced that they intended to turn thetrial into a political platform% at hich they ould openly proclaim their !ies.In the end% the court did indeed pronounce Jurabin unstable and he as sentto a lunatic asylum. 6hein and 'en(osef ere sentenced Dto be hanged bythe neckD. They accepted their sentence ith extraordinary e2uanimity andstarted singing the anthem A/atik!aA. The military commander confirmed 'en(osefAs sentence% but later commuted 6heinAs sentence to life imprisonmenton account of his youth.

When 'en(osefAs sentence became knon% political leaders in $alestine andabroad tried to persuade the 'ritish go!ernment to commute it to lifeimprisonment% but to no a!ail. 7n June :9% 19"8% 6hlomo 'en(osef preparedfor his final hour. /e took off the crimson garments of the condemned man%put on shorts and a shirt% laced his high ork boots and aaited the arri!al ofthe guards. /e ent to the gallos ith his head held high% singing the 'etaranthem. 7n the all of his cell% he had ritten in his halting /ebreC DWhat isa homelandE It is something orth li!ing for% fighting for and dying for too. I

as a ser!ant of 'etar to the day of my deathD. /e also rote a line fromJabotinskyAs poem Dto die or to con2uer the 0ountainD.

I as a boy of ten and profoundly shocked by 'en(osefAs execution. I asparticularly enraged by the charge of unlaful possession of arms% for hichpunishment as death by hanging. 3id the go!ernment not kno that the&rabs had formed fighting units in order to murder JesE Was it not clear thatthe Jes bore arms only in order to defend themsel!esE

The folloing day I happened to be in &llenby 6treet in Tel &!i! and foundmyself in the midst of a mass demonstration protesting the execution of 'en(osef. I as standing on the sidelines atching the e!ents% hen suddenly


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policemen e2uipped ith truncheons attacked the demonstrators% hitting outin all directions. Wounded people% blood streaming from their heads% lay inthe road ithout medical attention. I fled for my life and as haunted by thescene for many years to come.

'en(osef had immigrated illegally to $alestine in 19"8 from $oland% in anoperation organiBed by the Irgun and 'etar.

7n Tel &!i! beach in the summer of 19"9% e ere greeted by the unusualsight of a ship% some 1## meters from the shore% hich had hit a sand shoaland as listing on its side. The A$aritaA had brought 8


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&s if the suspension of immigration ere not enough% the document limitedpurchase of land by Jes to certain specified areas. 0oreo!er% since the tosides had not agreed to this plan or to any other plan% the 'ritish 5o!ernmentannounced it ould implement it at its on discretion.

The White $aper% intended to destroy ,ionist gains in $alestine% as greetedith strong criticism not only by Jes% but also by leaders in 'ritain and>urope. The 0andate ommittee of the -eague of Fations declaredune2ui!ocally that the White $aper as a di!ergence from the aims of the0andate% namely the establishment of a national home for the Jes in$alestine. The matter as transferred to the -eague of Fations ouncil% butas ne!er discussed because the 6econd World War broke out at the sametime.

In $alestine a mass demonstration as held against the White $aper. Iatched from the sidelines and listened to the speeches. I did not understanda great deal that as said% but suddenly there as a commotion% andhundreds of policemen% some mounted% burst onto the demonstrators. Thecrod as !iolently dispersed the mounted police hitting out brutally and I ranhome as fast as I could.

Whereas in the 'en(osef affair% the 'ritish had acted as mediators beteenJes and &rabs% in the case of the White $aper% 5o!ernment action asclearly antiJeish. This as a Jeish'ritish dispute and not a dispute

beteen Jes and &rabs.

The Irgun as 2uick to respond and the eapons% hich had been usedagainst the &rabs% ere no directed against the 'ritish. The 0andate5o!ernmentAs immigration offices ere set alight% and at midnight mines eredetonated to destroy telephone booths. I did not hear the explosion% but thefolloing day e rummaged among the rubble to find the coins% hich hadbeen used to operate the telephones.

7ne morning I heard se!eral shots folloed by a commotion in the courtyard.0y father% ho used to lea!e early for ork% remained at home that day. Itturned out that se!eral young men had fired on a bus taking &rab orkers tothe nearby 5o!ernment 6ur!eyors 7ffice% and had fled through our courtyard.6hortly afterards% policemen appeared in the courtyard ith tracker dogs. Idid not understand hy my parents ere so ner!ous or hy my father hadstayed at home% since he clearly had nothing to do ith the affair. 7nly manyyears later did my father tell me that he had a pistol hidden at home and thatthe 0andate 5o!ernment had issued emergency regulations according to

hich possession of arms as punishable by death. 0y father had fearedthat the 'ritish might search our home% had aited until the uproar had dieddon and had thron the pistol into a cesspit.


14/197

COMMENTS1. 'etar as a youth organisation affiliated ith the Fationalist mo!ement.0embers of 'etar arri!ing in the country ere re2uired to spend to years ina A-abor 'rigadeA% here they orked during the day and trained in the

e!ening for future ser!ice in the Irgun.

THE IRGUN GETS A NEW RECRUIT

The 6econd World War broke out on 6eptember 1% 19"9. 5ermanycon2uered $oland% /olland% 'elgium and 3enmark by the A'litBkriegA method.The 'ritish and rench armies ere surrounded and ere pushed into the3unkirk encla!e in rance% hence they ere e!acuated to >ngland in small!essels and shipping boats. &ll their hea!y eapons ere abandoned andseiBed by the 5ermans.

In June 194#% ith 5erman !ictory imminent% Italy declared ar on 'ritain andrance. 6hortly afterards% rance surrendered% and 'ritain remained alonein the struggle against 5ermany and Italy. The Italians concentrated theirforces in Forth &frica and made their ay to >gypt.

The proximity of the Italians to $alestine enabled them to dispatch aircraft to

bomb strategic targets. & month after Italy entered the ar% /aifa asbombed% ith the aim of putting the refineries and port out of action. 3oBensof people ere killed in the raid and many others ere in+ured. 6trict blackoutas imposed on all tons and settlements% and ci!il defense measures ereadopted against the air raids.

These measures pro!ed useless% hoe!er% hen Tel &!i! as bombed in fulldaylight. I as playing ith friends near home hen e suddenly heard loudexplosions. 'efore e could grasp hat as happening% the Italian planes

ere on their ay back to base. The entire bombardment had lasted only afe seconds% catching us unaare and lea!ing us no time to get to the shelterin the center of the neighborhood. rom con!ersations around us% eunderstood that many people had been in+ured. I immediately ran home toreport that I as safe and then ent to see hat had happened. The Fordiya2uarter )here the 3iBengoff enter no stands* had been hea!ily hit thehuts ere in ruins% and among the debris lay the dead and in+ured. /ere andthere a fire had broken out. 3amaged cars and agons blocked the roaditself. In the middle of the road lay a dead horse% hit hile still harnessed to aagon. I gaBed at the horror around me. 7f hat strategic importance couldthis residential area ha!e beenE


15/197

& mass funeral as held for the 1#= men and omen ho had died in thebombardment. The funeral procession left from the 'alfour school and I stillrecall the coffins lying in ros on the trucks en route to the Fahlat (itBhakcemetery. The lesson learned from this terrible raid as that our earlyarning systems had to be impro!ed to enable us to take shelter in good

time. /oe!er% many Tel &!i!ians decided on a different solution and left thecity for a safer place. &mong them ere my parents ho% after much familyconsultation% decided to mo!e to ;amat 5an% a 2uiet suburb of Tel &!i!% hichas of no interest to enemy aircraft. 0y father bought a mediumsiBed plot ofland on 6alameh 6treet )no 'en5urion 6treet*% beteen ;amat 5an and;amat(itBhak% and re!erted for a brief period to his pre!ious occupation ofbuilding contractor. /e built a small fourroomed house ith a large cellar%hich ould ser!e as a shelter if necessary.

I as thirteen hen e mo!ed to ;amat 5an% and spent my last year ofgrade school *eighth grade* in the 7hel6hem /igh 6chool in ;amat 5an. Itas a school ith tel!e grades% here boys and girls studied together agreat inno!ation for me. The standard of teaching in the humanities asmuch higher than in the 'ilu school in Tel &!i! and the transition as noteasy. 7hel6hem as a pri!ate school )oned by the @oller family* and theatmosphere as liberal% but orderly and disciplined.

7n arri!ing in ;amat 5an% I made friends ith a classmate% (osef @inderlerer(aldor. (osef had been born in $oland and in 19" his family immigrated to

$alestine. They li!ed in a hut near the ;ama cinema. /is father orked in the>lite chocolate factory and his mother ran the household and raised chickensand pigeons in the courtyard to supplement the family income. It as a armand elcoming home. When e graduated from the eighth grade% (osefmo!ed to the 0ontefiore ;eali 6chool in Tel &!i! and I continued my studiesat 7hel6hem% but e remained firm friends.

The year 194" as a turning point in the course of the 6econd World War.The Italians and 5ermans ere dri!en out of Forth &frica% and the 'ritish

army% together ith the &mericans ho had +oined the ar effort in 3ecember1941% in!aded Italy. 7n the ;ussian front the 5ermans ere defeated at6talingrad% and the ;ussian forces launched a ideranging offensi!e. Thefront mo!ed further aay from $alestine% and the threat of bombing asa!erted. 7n the other hand% catastrophic nes as reaching us from FaBi>urope. /itlerAs extermination machine as becoming increasinglystreamlined% and those Jes ho had succeeded in escaping the deathcamps had nohere to go% since the 'ritish had stopped all immigration to$alestine. The (ishu! faced a cruel choiceC on the one hand% the desire to

help the &llies in their ar effort against the 5ermans on the other hand'ritainAs treachery and indifference to the systematic extermination of theJes made collaboration a distinctly unattracti!e prospect. 'en5urion


16/197

summed up the situationC DWe must help the 'ritish in their ar effort as ifthere ere no White $aper% and fight the White $aper as if there ere noar%D but this as clearly impossible since the to ere irreconcilable.

In summer 194"% no aged fifteen% I felt that I could no longer remain

indifferent to e!erything happening around me. 0y closest friends felt thesame and together e pondered the contribution e could make. The idea of!olunteering for ser!ice in the 'ritish army as immediately dismissedbecause of our youth% but there remained the possibility of +oining one of theunderground mo!ements the big 2uestion as hich one.

&s ill be recalled% the /aganah had set itself the aim of defending the li!esand property of the (ishu!% and in the 19"#s% at a time hen the &rabs ererioting against the Jes% it had adopted a policy of selfrestraint )/a!lagah*.The Irgun ,!ai -eumi as opposed to this policy and launched a series ofdeterrent attacks on &rab targets.

&fter publication of the White $aper% the Irgun had launched a second frontagainst the 'ritish. The command had decided that illegal immigrationacti!ities should continue concomitantly ith attacks on 'ritish 0andatetargets% in order to express the strong ob+ection of the Jes to the ban onimmigration and on the limitations imposed on their purchase of land in$alestine. When ar broke out% hoe!er% the Irgun declared a ceasefire. Itsleaders concluded that the FaBis ere the main enemy of the Jeish people

and that it as essential to collaborate ith the 'ritish in the ar against5ermany.

In late 194"% ord of the li2uidation of >uropean Jery had already reachedthe (ishu!% hich as poerless to rescue the sur!i!ors. The 'ritish not onlyfailed to help the sur!i!ors% but actually pre!ented the rescue of those hohad succeeded in fleeing the /olocaust. The reaction of the Irgun as areneal of the struggle against the 'ritish rulers of $alestine.

In this period% as noted abo!e% my friends and I ere trying to arri!e at adecision as to hich underground organisation to +oin. I as approached by5a!riel Tri!as% a ellknon figure in ;amat 5an% ho proposed that I +ointhe /aganah. The /aganah as then concentrating on training the youngergeneration to defend the (ishu! in the e!ent of an &rab attack. Tri!as in!itedme to a 6aturday meeting in an orangegro!e% here adolescents and adultsere practicing handtohand combat ith sticks. The passi!ity of /aganahpolicy did not% hoe!er% appeal to me and training ith sticks seemed absurd.I felt it as dangerous to reconcile oursel!es to the 'ritish presence and as

con!inced that the only ay to implement ,ionism as to dri!e the 'ritishout.


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I reported my impressions to my close friends% including (osef @inderlerer(aldor and 3a!id ohen% and e agreed that the /aganah as not the placefor us. 7ur decision as reported to &ki!a ohen )3a!idAs older brother*% hoas a member of the Irgun% and se!eral days later he contacted me toexplain the IrgunAs ideology. &ki!a said that the ay to sol!e the Jeish

2uestion as to establish a Jeish state in $alestine% and in order to achie!ethat it as essential to get rid of the 0andate rule. 6ince the 'ritish ere notready to lea!e of their on free ill% e had to fight them and force them tolea!e. &ki!a sore me to secrecy and I had no idea hether he had alsocontacted my friends. &fter se!eral more con!ersations% &ki!a in!ited me toappear before the IrgunAs selection committee. The meeting as held in thecigarette factory shelter at the end of 6alameh 6treet% hich as set apartfrom the residential buildings of ;amat 5an and 'nei 'rak. >ntering theshelter% I as daBBled by the beam of a flashlight and as asked by the

person holding the flashlight if I kne hy I as there. I replied in theaffirmati!e and explained hat I kne about the Irgun and its methods. Wetalked about the means to be used to fight the 0andate authorities% and there+ection of the indi!idual terror policy ad!ocated by the -ehi. I as told of thedangers entailed in underground acti!ity% including the possibility of arrest%in+ury and e!en death. inally% I as asked if I ould be ready to carry out anyorder I recei!ed% un2uestioningly. I replied that I understood the importance ofdiscipline% but that I did not think it should be blind. I as% of course% ready tofollo orders% but not ithout 2uestion. This sparked off a debate% and it asexplained to me that failure to carry out an order ould undermine thestructure of the underground mo!ement. I replied that I felt I had tounderstand the order and accept it% otherise I could not carry it out. Weparted% agreeing to disagree% and I as asked to think about all the things Ihad heard so as to be ready for the next meeting. 6ince I as cautioned notto tell anyone about hat I had seen and heard% I could not discuss the issueshich had been raised ith my friend (osef. The 2uestion of blind obediencetroubled me deeply% since I could not en!isage carrying out an order% hichseemed rong. Interestingly% I as not troubled by the thought of the manyhaBards entailed in underground acti!ity perhaps because they did not seem

real to me or perhaps because I deluded myself that nothing could happen tome on account of my youth.

6hortly afterards% &ki!a contacted me again% and after a long con!ersationlasting ell into the night% I as summoned to the committee. This time thecon!ersation as more relaxed and the issue as hether there could becircumstances in hich it as not essential to follo orders. &fter a longdiscussion e arri!ed at an understanding% and after I had declared myselfready to +oin the Irgun% I as told that I should ait to be contacted. -ater I

disco!ered that I had been gi!en especially considerate treatment% since allthe other candidates ere brought before the committee blindfolded so thatthey ould be unable to identify the place.


18/197

I kept my secret and told nobody hat had happened. The eagerlyanticipated contact as made and I as summoned at a predetermined dateto the same hut at the cigarette factory at the end of 6alameh 6treet. It as adark night% but still I glanced behind me to make sure nobody as folloing

me. The shelter itself as pitch black% and hen the commander lit candles Ias amaBed to disco!er old friends there. &mong them ere (osef@inderlerer% 3a!id ohen% 6hmuel &!erbuch% 'aruch Topro!er% and &mos5oldblat. Tension as high% and the commander% ho as introduced to usby his underground name alone% explained the rules of conspiracy. >ach of usas gi!en a code name% and as the ne names ere distributed% the tensionas dispelled by a burst of laughter. I took great pride in the name gi!en tomeC A&!shalomA% and identified ith it completely.

&t that time% I had +ust read about the Fili group organised in $alestine duringthe irst World War under the leadership of &aron &aronson to transmitimportant information to 'ritish Intelligence on Turkish army mo!ements. Ihad been particularly impressed by &!shalom einberg% a man ith greatleadership poers and the mo!ing spirit behind the organisation. ontact iththe 'ritish as maintained through a ship anchored off the &tlit coast hich%after recei!ing a preagreed signal % ould send a small boat to shore torendeB!ous ith the Fili members. When contact ith the 'ritish ship asse!ered% &!shalom decided to make his ay to >gypt through the 6inai3esert to rene the contact. /e and his friend (osef -ishansky set off% but

after a short time -ishansky returned ounded% explaining that hen they hadreached the 'ritish frontline% they had been ttacked by 'edouin and that&!shalom had been killed. -ishansky as handed o!er to the Turks bymembers of /a6homer )ho ere opposed to FiliAs acti!ities* and ashanged in 3amascus for espionage. or many years &!shalomAs deathremained an enigma. $eople did not belie!e -ishanskyAs story and suspectedthat he had been in!ol!ed in the death. In 19=% ith the help of a local'edouin% &!shalomAs bones ere unco!ered near ;afiah and reinterred in the0ount /erBl military cemetery in Jerusalem. It transpired that &!shalom had

indeed been murdered by &rabs and that% at the time% he had a handful ofdates in his pocket. &fter his death% a date palm gre from one of the stonesin his pocket and the 'edouin kne that this tree marked the place here hehad been murdered.

FIRST ACTIONS AGAINST THE BRITISH

3uring our basic training e used to meet on to e!enings a eek and on

6aturday morning. &t the e!ening meetings e held discussions in hich ourcommander instilled in us something of the ethos of the underground. /e toldus about the de!elopment of the Irgun% the breach of /a!lagah on Fo!ember


19/197

14% 19"=% and about the heroes of the organisation. We ere deeplyimpressed by (aako! ;aB% ho had been caught by &rabs hile carrying adisguised bomb in the market near the Fablus 5ate in Jerusalem. &rabs hadstabbed him and hilst still bleeding% he had been seiBed by the police andtaken under hea!y guard to the go!ernment hospital. There he as

interrogated by the 'ritish police. When he felt that his strength as runningout% and feared that he might lose control and inad!ertently gi!e aayunderground secrets% he tore off his bandages and died of loss of blood.

The main sub+ect discussed at our first meetings as clandestine conduct%the rules of conspiracy and confidentiality. 7ne of the most important rulesas to kno only hat as essential% so that e!en if se!erely tortured% ecould confess only the little that e kne. We ere taught not to arri!e at ameeting place in groups and to use only code names. The most importantthing as to obser!e normal beha!iour and to assume that all ourcon!ersations ere being o!erheard. We learned the difference beteen apro!ocateur infiltrated into the ranks% and an informer ho listenedAinnocentlyA to extract secrets.

&fter se!eral meetings% our commander tested our ability to cope ith fear.We met on 0ount Fapoleon near ;amat 5an% in one of the hollos dug byarchaeologists. >ach of us as re2uired to make his ay alone to the 6e!en0ills on the (arkon ;i!er% ten minutes aay% to buy a portion of felafel in theneighboring &rab !illage of Jamusin. It as a 2uiet !illage and the people

ere friendly% but to alk alone at night through the orange gro!es% far fromany Jeish settlement% scared e!en the bra!est among us. 7ur commandertaught us &!raham 6ternAs poem AFameless 6oldiers%A the anthem of the Irgunbefore it as replaced by JabotinskyAs 'etar song. The falafel feast andsinging created a spirit of camaraderie and bonding beteen us.

&t our 6aturday meetings e drilled and learned topography. To add apractical element to our studies% e explored the neighborhood and did fieldexercises. The tours of exploration ere led by &haron 6hohat% commanding

officer of the AgundaA )platoon consisting of se!eral units*% ho accompaniedour exercises ith 'etar marching songs. &lthough e !ery much en+oyed thefield exercises% e ere disappointed not to be learning about eapons. Idisco!ered later that the reason for this as simply that there ere notsufficient pistols in ;amat 5an to train the ne recruits. Instead e did targetpractice ith air guns in the 'etar youth mo!ement hut near the main road)no Jabotinsky 6treet*% close to the 'etar football field. In order not toarouse suspicion% e posed as enthusiastic 'etarites% making as much noiseas e could during firing practice to conceal hat e ere doing.

When e had completed our six months of basic training% e ere tested atan impressi!e ceremony. 7ne by one e ere brought into a room here


20/197

three commanders sat around a table co!ered ith the national flag% a pistoland the 'ible. The examination proceeded ith 2uestions related to thematerial I had studied% and continued ith issues of Irgun ideology and myreadiness to take part in Irgun operations. The tense atmosphere at theoutset gradually receded% as the interrogation became more of a

con!ersation. 'y the end of the meeting% e ere rankandfile Irgunmembers.

The first task assigned to us as to paste placards on buildings. The logisticsere by no means simple. irst% e had to find a place here e could mixthe glue% then find the spare time and a suitable method of a!oiding disco!eryand identification. (osef @inderlerer sol!ed the glue problemC ad+acent to hishome an isolated building housed a bookbinderAs orkshop hose oner%,alman TBi!lin% e kne and sometimes helped out. /e as knon tosypathise ith the underground and agreed ithout 2uestion to our re2uest toboil up starch and ater on his premises. We generally ent out in threes onpastingmissionsC one in charge of the glue and the brush% the second ith aparcel of placards and the third as lookout. 6ometimes% hen the orkloadas particularly hea!y% e ent out in pairs instead of threes. We had to beon our guard all the time. 7n one occasion% toards the end of a longoperation% our attention momentarily lapsed. 6uddenly to policemen% an>nglishman and a Je% emerged from a courtyard and alked toards us.We fled% +ust managing to leap onto a passing bus ith the police in hotpursuit.

We soon became highly skilful placard gluers and strategists% careful tomodify our route each time to pre!ent ambush. 7ne placard% issued onebruary 1% 1944% the day on hich the Irgun declared a re!olt against 'ritishrule in $alestine% particularly impressed us. The placard as large and printedin blue% and read% in partC 1

To t! "!#i$ %!o%&! d#!&&in' in (ion)

*...+ Son$ o, I$r-!& "!#i$ /out)

)e are now in the last stage of the war! )e face an historic decision on

our future destiny!

The armistice proclaimed at the beginning of the war has been breached

by the *ritish! The rulers of the country have chosen to disregard

loyalty$ concessions and sacrifice+ they continue to implement their aim,

the eradication of sovereign -ionism!!!

)e will draw our conclusions unwaveringly! (n armistice no longer

prevails between the "ewish people and "ewish youth and the *ritish


21/197

administration in Palestine$ which is handing over our brethren to Hitler!

)e are at war with this administration$ war to the bitter end!!!

And ti$ i$ our d!0-nd)

Power will immediately be handed over to a provisional "ewishgovernment!!!

The establishment of a "ewish government and the implementation of its

plans . this is the sole way of rescuing our people$ ensuring our survival

and our honor!!!

"!#$)

/ur fighting youth will not shrin0 from sacrifice and from suffering$

from blood and affliction! They will neither succumb nor rest until we

renew our past glory$ and promise our people a homeland$ liberty$ honor$bread and justice!!!

Irgun Zvai Leumi

The first Irgun actions ere limited in scope% it ha!ing been decided that aslong as the ar against /itler continued% attacks ould be directed onlyagainst the ci!il administration in $alestine and not against the 'ritish military.The first assault as launched at the Immigration 7ffice% and thereafter at the

Income Tax offices. These operations% directed solely against property% erecarried out in the three large cities simultaneously )Jerusalem% Tel &!i! and/aifa*. The IrgunAs next targets ere the Intelligence 6er!ice% the I3)riminal In!estigation 3epartment* centers in the three cities. The ob+ecti!eof these attacks as tofoldC to undermine the prestige of the 0andatego!ernment and to destroy the files of Jeish suspects.

&fter the a!e of arrests% hich folloed these actions% it as decided toexpand the ranks of the fighting units. 0y unit as conse2uently transferredfrom the /&T&0 );e!olutionary $ropaganda ?nit* to the /7@ )ightingorce*. We ere !ery proud of this redeployment% since e ere finally totake part in the fighting operations of the Irgun and could lea!e placardpasting to others. We ere assigned a ne commander% D(ehoyadaD)(eshayahu &!iam@leiman* from 'nei 'rak% ho had considerable battleexperience. 0y first task in the /7@ as to stand guard for a unit% hich ascleaning eapons after the attack on the 'eit 3agan police station. It as thefirst time that I had been entrusted ith a loaded pistol% and I as ordered touse it in the e!ent that the police arri!ed. This as a hea!y responsibility andone that carried the risk of arrest and imprisonment. I stood in the orange

gro!e% alert to e!ery rustle among the trees and after about half an hour%(ehoyada called me inside to see the boys in action. It as a small packing


22/197

house at the end of one of the 'nei 'rak orange gro!es% knon by the codename A6heinkinA . The indos ere co!ered ith sacking )to pre!ent thelight from escaping* and on the floor ere eapons% mainly re!ol!ers andse!eral submachineguns. There ere also grenades and explosi!es. Theatmosphere as cheerful as people related stories about the attack on 'et

3agan. &s I listened% gaBing at the heap of eapons% I suddenly realised thatI felt I had become an organic part of the ighting orce.

I took a more acti!e role in the next operation% held se!eral days later.'ecause of the ar% foodstuffs and !arious other commodities ere undergo!ernment control and rationed. The Irgun command decided to confiscatesome cloth hich the go!ernment as storing in Tel &!i! and to sell it on thefree market to finance the struggle hich as daily becoming more costly.The operation as planned for a riday afternoon% hen the Fahlat 'en+amin6treet area% here the stores ere located% as empty of people. 7n 7ctober% 1944% during the intermediate days of the east of Tabernacles )6uccot*% aunit of the ighting orce took o!er the stores. The fighters took all the clothand loaded it onto se!en trucks% hich had been confiscated that day. >achof the truck dri!ers had been hired that morning% ostensibly for a routine +ob.7nce outside ton% an Irgun member ordered the dri!er to abandon the!ehicle and ait in a nearby orange gro!e. The dri!ers ere told to report thetheft to the police in the e!ening% and ere promised that the !ehicles ouldbe returned after the operation. >!erything ent according to plan. 0ost ofthe dri!ers cooperated and ere compensated for loss of income. 0y task

as to direct some of the trucks to a large building% hich had been preparedin ad!ance in ;amat 5an. It as a packing house in one of the orangegro!es near 0ount Fapoleon. The &rab guard recei!ed a generous sum fromus to place the storehouse at our disposal. 6ince the citrus season had notyet begun% there as no danger that the oners of the gro!e or otherunexpected !isitors ould arri!e. The &rab guard as cautioned that if he toldthe police about our acti!ities% he ould be se!erely punished. When thetrucks arri!ed at the rendeB!ous% I directed them to a dirt track leading to thestore. We immediately began unloading the goods% but soon disco!ered that

portering is not the easiest of occupations. &fter completing the +ob% elocked the store and I kept hold of the key.

6e!eral days later I ent off to school one morning as usual. >n route Ihappened to meet one of the teachers% (israel &rtBi% and e continued the+ourney together. &rri!ing at school% my friend (osef informed me that I as togo immediately to the storehouse% here a customer as interested in buyingthe cloth. The customer% a shred businessman% examined the cloth andclassified it by 2uality and siBe. /e had recently arri!ed from $oland and% as

he orked% he set certain lengths of cloth aside% mumbling to himself in(iddishC

DThis ill make a good suit for my ife% and this one for my motherinla.D


23/197

When I sa that he as procrastinating% I hispered that he should hurrybefore the police arri!ed. 0y urging bore fruit% and to hours later I as backat school% beha!ing as if nothing had happened. 3uring one of the lessons%&rtBi came into the classroom% and began to read out names from theregister. When he reached my name% he peered at me and asked hy I as

recorded as ha!ing been absent from the first to lessons. I gaBed at himith an innocent expression and reminded him that e had alked to schooltogether. The AmistakeA as rectified.

This as the first action in hich I took an acti!e part nobody in theorganiBation ould ha!e dreamt that it ould be the last in a series ofoperation% hich had begun in ebruary 1944. The organiBation as facing asixmonthAs lull folloing the assassination of -ord 0oyne.

COMMENTS1. 'egin% In The ?nderground% 1% p.:1

THE HUNTING SEASON

-ord 0oyne% knon to be an anti,ionist% as appointed 0inister of 6tate inthe 0iddle >ast% and from his residence in airo as in charge of

implementing the White $aper. The -ehi% holding 0oyne responsible for theexpulsion of immigrant !essels )including the A6trumaA% hich ent don atsea ith =# of its passengers*% plotted to assassinate him. To members ofthe organisation% >liyahu /akim and >liyahu 'et,uri% ere sent to airo todecide on a plan of action and to carry it out. This they did on Fo!ember %1944.

Fot surprisingly% the assassination caused an uproar throughout the orld.Fot only as -ord 0oyne a 0inister of 6tate% but he as also a personal

friend of the 'ritish $rime 0inister% Winston hurchill.

The folloing day the Jeish &gency >xecuti!e con!ened and published thefolloing statementC

TO THE ISHUV

Together with all the civili1ed world$ the "ewish community has been

shoc0ed to hear of the despicable crime of murder of the *ritish

Minister in the Middle 2ast . a crime rendered more despicable by thefact that the *ritish people have been engaged for the past si# years with

great heroism and supreme effort$ together with their allies$ in a life.


24/197

and.death struggle with the 3a1i foe!

This terrible crime$ carried out outside the borders of our country$ and

whose circumstances have not yet been clarified$ demonstrates once

again the increasing threat of the terrorist gangs$ which still e#ist in this

country!

Terror in this country can stifle the prospects of our political struggle

and destroy our inner peace! The 4ishuv is e#horted to cast out of its

midst all members of this destructive and ruinous gang$ not to succumb

to their threats and to e#tend the necessary aid to the authorities to

prevent acts of terror and to eradicate its organisation$ since this is a

matter of life and death for us!

56igned7 The Jewish Agency Executive

It is interesting to note that this statement as published before the identity ofthe to young men arrested in airo became knon. 0oreo!er% it contains%for the first time% an appeal for cooperation ith the 'ritish authorities in thefight against underground organiBations.

& eek later% my teacher (itBhak 6taretB came into the classroom% hisexpression e!en gra!er than usual. & colorful figure% forceful and strict% heas also armhearted and alays illing to help. /e as a superb teacher

and taught mathematics ith an enthusiasm e pupils gre to share. /eannounced that day that the ,ionist >xecuti!e had decided to hold a specialcon!ention ith representati!es of Jeish youth% to discuss the ne situationarising from the actions of the AporshimA )dissidents% i.e. the Irgun and -ehi*.,ionist youth mo!ements had been in!ited to attend% as ell asrepresentati!es from high schools. >ach school as to send four delegates6taretB proposed that e elect our delegates and hold a discussion after thecon!ention. To my surprise and pleasure% I as chosen to represent my class%and the folloing day four of us from the 7hel6hem high school set out for

the Jeish &gency in ;eha!ia% Jerusalem )my sister ;i!ka as also adelegate*.

&t the entrance to the building stood a guard armed ith a longbarrelled0auser re!ol!er. /e directed us to a small room% here e underent acareful body search before being permitted to enter the auditorium. 7n theplatform% at a long table% sat the ,ionist leaders% among them the $resident ofthe ,ionist 7rganisation% 3r. haim WeiBmann )ho had arri!ed in $alestinese!eral days before the assassination in airo% after an absence of fi!e

years*% the hairman of the Jeish &gency >xecuti!e in Jerusalem% 3a!id'en5urion% and the hairman of the $olitical 3epartment% 0oshe 6harett)6hertok*.


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The meeting as opened by haim WeiBmann% ho explained in halting/ebre the political damage inflicted on ,ionism by the acti!ities of the Irgunand -ehi. 'en5urion then deli!ered a long speech% hich concluded ith hisscheme for aging ar on the dissident organisations. The scheme included

four main elementsC expelling them from places of employment and fromschools depri!ing them of refuge by forcing them out of their homes refusingto succumb to their threats and handing them o!er to the 'ritish $olice.

&fter 'en5urionAs speech% there as a general debate% in hich most of thespeakers ob+ected to collaboration ith the 'ritish authorities. The mainargument as that e!en if the struggle against the dissidents ere +ustified%the 'ritish ere the real enemies of ,ionism because of their implementationof the White $aper. The debate gre heated and 'en5urion ad+ourned themeeting to the folloing day.

We made our ay to the /immelfarb /otel in /asolel 6treet% here e erelodged four to a room and continued to argue until after midnight. We decidedunanimously not to sign any manifesto% hich ad!ocated collaboration iththe go!ernment. The folloing morning e again underent the securitychecks and the discussion as taken up from the preceding day. 'en5urionattacked all those hom he thought sympathiBed ith the underground% andat a certain +uncture saidC

D&nd I kno that e!en in this auditorium there are representati!es of thedissidents% ho are trying to influence the debate.D

& tremor ran through me. I feared that they had checked the list ofparticipants ith the /aganahAs Intelligence 6er!ice and that he as referringto me. When the general debate ended% the youth organisation delegationsere summoned% one by one% to a side room. 6urprisingly enough most ereeasily persuaded to sign the manifesto. /oe!er% this did not ork ith theschool delegations% the great ma+ority of hich refrained from signing.

The folloing day a press release as issued on behalf of this extraordinarygathering of representati!es of ,ionist youth% held on Fo!ember 19% 1944% onthe initiati!e of the ,ionist >xecuti!e. It readC

A #-r o, "!#i$ /out -'-in$t t!rror -nd it$ %!r%!tr-tor$)

The savage terror of the 8porshim8 and those who have cast off the

yo0e!!!which is ostensibly directed against the *ritish authorities and

their institutions$ in practice causes harm primarily to our own suffering

people and to the future of our -ionist hopes!!!

Those who aid the enemy . are themselves enemies9


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The perpetrators of terror$ who denote themselves the 3ational Military

/rgani1ation 5:rgun -vai ;eumi7 and


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organiBationsA% but ith one addition. 'en5urion called on the >ducation3epartment of the Jeish &gency to instruct all schools to +oin in the fightagainst terror% and in particular to appeal to those schools hich had notsigned the manifesto at the Jerusalem con!ention.

&ntiIrgun action had begun before the assassination of -ord 0oyne in airo.&s early as &pril 1944% 'en5urion had passed a resolution on the methodsto be adopted against the Irgun and the -ehi. In accordance ith thisresolution% a idespread information campaign as launched to isolate theunderground mo!ements measures ere taken to check the recruitment offunds from the Jeish public. /oe!er% /aganah forces refrained fromhanding o!er Irgun fighters to the authorities and from kidnapping and torture.When it became clear that Irgun acti!ities ere gaining momentum% pressureas stepped up and !iolent measures introduced. The operation as gi!enthe codename AThe 6easonA% a reference to the hunting season.

&t a fi!ehour meeting held on 7ctober "1 beteen the /aganah)represented by >liyahu 5olomb and 0oshe 6neh* and the Irgun)represented by 0enahem 'egin and >liyahu -enkin*% both sides analysedthe political situation and made predictions for the future. &s anticipated%neither side could persuade the other that their ay as correct and toardsthe end of the meeting 5olomb began to utter threats. /e demanded theimmediate cessation of all military acti!ities against the 'ritish% andthreatened to use force against the Irgun if it did not comply.

'egin dismissed 5olombAs threats and added that Irgun eapons had ne!erin the past and ould ne!er in the future be directed against Jes. The tosides parted ithout reaching agreement.

The outrage at the airo assassination as exploited by 'en5urion toexpand the frameork of antiIrgun action and to gi!e the names ofunderground fighters to the 'ritish authorities. It is interesting to note that theA6easonA as directed exclusi!ely against the Irgun% although it as the -ehi%

hich had assassinated -ord 0oyne. The reason behind this lay in thesettlement arri!ed at by 5olomb and the -ehi leaders% according to hich-ehi guaranteed to suspend its acti!ities against the 'ritish for the time being.There ere e!en cases in hich -ehi people kidnapped by the /aganah erereleased after tentyfour hours ith an apology.1

In preparation for the A6easonA% the /aganah recruited more than "## people%ho ere paid a full age% in order to follo Irgun members. In parallel%se!eral detention centers ere set up in large tons and on kibbutBim. The

first stage of the A6easonA as the kidnapping of Irgun commanders. 7n3ecember 11% >liyahu ;a!id% the IrgunAs chief storekeeper% as kidnappedand interrogated. Fext to be kidnapped as 3aniel (ano!sky% ho as kept


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blindfolded throughout his detention. /e as folloed by ;aanan )0ordechai@aufman;aanan* of $etah Tik!a% hose interrogation as accompanied bytorture )after his release% ;aanan as transferred to Jerusalem and duringthe War of Independence% as Irgun 3istrict ommander in the city*.

With all the /aganah detention centers filled% suspected Irgun members erepassed to the 'ritish. The first to be handed o!er ere >liyahu -enkin%6hlomo -e!i and (aako! 0eridor% all members of the /igh ommand. &fourth member% (aako! Ta!in% as not handed o!er% but kept in detention at@ibbutB &in /arod. /e as the head of the Irgun Intelligence 6er!ice% and the/aganah people hoped to extract information from him about members of theIrgun and about the hiding place of 0enachem 'egin. Ta!in as held indetention for six months and as interrogated and tortured. /e as releasedonly ith the begging of DThe ?nited ;esistanceD% established in 6eptember194< )see later on*.

There are no accurate figures on the number of people kidnapped and thenumber handed o!er to the 'ritish $olice. The historian (ehuda 'auer ritesthat Dithin a brief period some 1## Irgun people ere handed o!er to the'ritish the addresses of additional people ere gi!en% and they eresubse2uently arrested by the 'ritish.D:In DThe /istory 'ook of the /aganahDe find the folloing detailsC"

&ccording to one source% :# people ere kidnapped by the /aganah for

interrogation and 91 ere interrogated ithout being arrested... some =##names of indi!iduals and institutions... ere gi!en to the $olice% and some"## people ere arrested on the basis of these lists. & 6pecial ommitteeas appointed to discuss the problem of the highschool students ho ereacti!e in the Irgun% and it decided to expel "# students from !arious schools.

I as one of the students hom the 6pecial ommittee determined should beexpelled from school. The decision as con!eyed to the school principal% hothen informed my father. Walking ith my father to the bus stop one morning%he suddenly turned to me and asked hether I as a member of the Irgun. I

naturally denied I as. -ater I learned that he had demanded that theprincipal con!ene a meeting of the school board to discuss my expulsion. &tthe meeting the principal explained that I had been seen pasting Irgunposters. 0y father had re2uested that the itnesses be brought before theboard so that they could be 2uestioned. The principal% ho as a member ofthe /aganah% explained that there as no ay he could do this since theycould then be identified and a!enged by the Irgun. 0y father summed up bysayingC

D0y son is being charged by to anonymous people% ho refuse to appearhere. 0y son utterly denies the charges. What are e to belie!e anonymousinformation or my son% ho is knon to be a decent and honest personED


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&fter a brief discussion% the board dismissed the principalAs re2uest% and Istayed on at school. The next day% hoe!er% the principal turned to me andsaidC

D(ou can tell stories to your father% but I ant you to kno that I kno thetruth...We ill catch you some day.D

& different response came from 6taretB. /e came o!er to me in recess andtold me that he had fought against my expulsion% regardless hether I as amember of the Irgun or not.

I decided to be more cautious in the future and to sleep aay from home. 0yuncle as li!ing in an isolated !illa at the time in ;amat 5an. In addition tothe family apartment% there as a small basement apartment hich nobodye!er used and hich had a separate entrance reached from the courtyard. I

explained my situation to my uncle and asked permission to use thebasement from time to time in order to e!ade arrest or kidnapping. To myutter amaBement he flatly refused% explaining that as an importer ofpharmaceutical drugs% he had commercial connections ith the /istadrut/ealth Insurance und )@upat /olim*. The /aganah had approached himith a re2uest for a donation and had asked him not to donate to the Irgun./e as told explicitly that in the e!ent that he refused% the /istadrut /ealthInsurance und ould stop purchasing drugs from him. 0y uncle% abusinessman% made a simple arithmetic calculation and decided not to lose

the larger client. /e told the /aganah representati!es that he had decided tocollaborate ith them. When the Irgun also asked for a donation% he refused./e as afraid that if the /aganah disco!ered an Irgun member li!ing in hishouse% they ould regard it as a breach of the agreement and ould carry outtheir economic threat.

The /aganah made e!ery effort to pre!ent the Irgun fighters from carrying outanti'ritish actions and sometimes succeeded. 7ne of these cases asconnected to the apprehending of four Irgun fighters )three men and aoman* ho set out to blo up the &ngloIra2i pipeline% hich con!eyed oil

from Ira2 to the /aifa refineries. The four ere tied up and brought to nearby@ibbutB (agur% here they ere interrogated and e!entually handed o!er tothe 'ritish police. This operation as recalled years later at a party at thehome of 3a!id /acohen in Jerusalem in honor of the publication of 5eulaohenAs book AThe 6tory of a ighterA )3a!id /acohen as the printer*. Theparty as attended by former Irgun% -ehi and $almach fighters and by the+ournalist >li >yal% ho rote about it in /aAaretB on 3ecember 1% 191. /erote% among other thingsC

>!!!? Hayim Gouri 5a famous :sraeli poet7 tells a story,8 one 6aturday$when he was duty officer at 4agur$ the intelligence officer of the

-ebulun sector arrived$ a big$ curlyheaded fellow$ and said that word


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had reached him that on the following day the :rgun intended to blow up

a church on Mount @armel$ while senior *ritish officers and their

families prayed! The officer declared that if the e#plosion too0 place and

*ritish officers were 0illed$ it could be a catastrophe$ and as0ed that five

men be sent to sei1e the :rgun people while they were bringing the

e#plosives to a house in Kfar (ta! Gouri assembled a group of youngpeople$ appealed to their sense of national responsibility and e#plained

that the intention was to prevent the murder of innocent people! *efore

considering whether they agreed to the operation$ they as0ed for the

officer's word of honor that the :rgun people would not be handed over

to the *ritish! The intelligence officer promised! Towards morning three

young men and a young woman from the :rgun were caught and Gouri

remembers how they were forced to the ground$ their hands tied behind

their bac0s! Ten hours later they were all handed over to the *ritish!

The man sitting to my right$ advocate 4aa0ov 3ehushtan$ tapped me

gently on the elbow, you 0now who was among those young peoplewho were arrestedA . The man sitting ne#t to you!!!! Guuri heard him

and went pale! /thers were very moved!!!

The Irgun ne!er intended to blo up a church% and the intelligence officer ofthe $almach kne that they in fact intended to blo up the oil pipeline. 'ut atthat time )0ay 194


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It as a difficult decision. We had alays been opposed to the policy ofha!lagah )selfrestraint* ho could e no be expected to accept thecontrary standpointE 'egin cited to reasons for his approachC firstly% if eresponded e could plunge the (ishu! into a ci!il ar% thus putting an end to

the struggle against the 'ritish. 6econdly% it as not desirable to exacerbaterelations ith the /aganah since he belie!ed they ould soon +oin us in ourfight. I must admit that at the time I as not con!inced by his arguments% butin retrospect there is no denying that he as right. It as one of the mostcourageous and important decisions he e!er took. (ehuda 'auer ritesCD...the Irgun emerged from the A6easonA ith an aura of nationalresponsibility...D4

0eanhile the number of Irgun arrests as groing% its ranks ere dindlingand it had become almost totally immobiliBed. 7f the se!en members of theentral ommand% fi!e had been arrested (aako! 0eridor% >liyahu -enkin%&ryeh 'en>lieBer% 6hlomo -e!i and (aako! Ta!in. The remaining to erethe ommander in hief% 0enahem 'egin% and the 7perations 7fficer%(eruham -i!ni )>itan*. In the districts as ell% many officers had beenarrested% and sources of financing had been affected. 'ut reco!ery as sift%and young people took the place of the arrested !eterans. Fe commandersere appointed% both in the central command and in the districts% and Irgunmembers ent into e!en deeper hiding.

COMMENTS1. (. -apidot% The /unting 6eason% p. 11 )/ebre*2. (ehuda 'auer% 3iplomacy and ?nderground% p.:81 )/ebre*3. The /istory 'ook of the /aganah% $art "% p.


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ha!e been chosen from all the candidates% and ere ell aare of the hea!yresponsibility that rested on our shoulders. The armories ere the heart of theorganisation and e ould be re2uired to exercise great discretion. orsafetyAs sake my code name as changed% and I no became A,efaniaA.

3uring the A6easonA% the /aganah had succeeded in seiBing large amounts ofeapons from the Irgun armories. $etah Tik!aAs main arm cache% containingthree tons of explosi!es% re!ol!ers and ammunition% had been found in anorange gro!e% and in /aifa the /aganah had emptied all the IrgunAs arsenals.&fter these setbacks the caches ere relocated to ;amat 5an% here eere assigned the task of digging the ne sites. The armsA caches% codenamed A/aystacksA% ere contained in milk churns% hich could behermetically sealed. We placed each churn in a large can% hich e thenburied. )The garbage cans ere AborroedA from a local park% the churnsAappropriatedA from a local dairy*. 6ince it as impossible to do the AborroingAand digging on the same night% e used to hide the cans and churns indisused and empty ater tanks on 0ount Fapoleon. The folloing e!eninge ould climb into the tank in order to mo!e our loot to the orange gro!e.&fter choosing a suitable spot under a tree e ould start digging. The holehad to be 2uite deep% ith at least half a meter of soil o!er the cache. Whenthe ork as completed% e filled sacks ith the freshly exca!ated soil andscattered it at a safe distance. We then carefully placed the can in the hole%first making se!eral holes in its base for moisture to trickle out% and finally eplaced the churn in the can. The most difficult part as the camouflaging of

the area. The digging left a conspicuous patch de!oid of !egetation. Topre!ent this% e co!ered the patch ith grass% hich e brought ith us.

In the milk churn e concealed re!ol!ers% submachineguns )dismantled*%explosi!es and ammunition. 'ullets hich ere to be stored for lengthyperiods ere placed in bottles% and the aperture as plugged ith ax. Thestorage of rifles as trickier. The base of one of the churns as remo!ed inour orkshop% and it as then elded to another churn% creating a receptaclelong enough to hold rifles.

7ur task as complicated by the ban on making lists of any kind. We ereobliged to remember by heart not only the site of the cache% but also itscontents. The simplest ay of marking the site as by counting the number oftrees on either side. &s an additional aidememoire% e ould car!e aseemingly innocent mark on a tree trunk. We usually had no problems findingthe hidden eapons% but once a cache simply A!anishedA. We counted thenumber of trees once and then again% but found nothing hen e dug up thearea. We ere perplexedC if the /aganah had !isited the spot% they ould at

least ha!e left the can there. When e recounted for the third time% e finallyunderstood here e ere going rong. 7ne of the trees had been uprootedand had thron our counting scheme into confusion.


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The rapid disappearance of garbage cans from the local parks promptedmunicipal inspectors to chain them to pillars. This still did not deter us esimply brought along pliers to break the chains.

&s the 2uantity of arms in ;amat 5an increased% e began to constructlarger caches. Instead of milk churns and garbage cans% e used largehermetically sealed barrels% hich ere stored in ooden boxes made ofplanks hich could be fitted into one another. The planks and the barrelsere obtained from a orkshop in Tel &!i! and all that as left for us to doas to bury them deep in the ground. The exca!ation ork as no tooarduous for to laborers and e ere assigned se!eral reinforcements. Itas not difficult to dig up the soft soil% but disposing of it as problematic andtimeconsuming.

7ne inter night e set out to replace arms in a cache in a 'nei 'rak orangegro!e% near the abandoned D6heinkinD packinghouse. &fter the +ob asfinished it started raining% and Josef and I debated ho best to return home.(osef anted to alk to nearby 'nei 'rak and from there to take a bus to;amat 5an% hile I anted to go across the fields% here I ould be lesslikely to encounter anyone. We ent our separate ays% the rain peltingdon. The dark of the fields as impenetrable and I could barely see aheadof me. &fter hitting a tree% I stumbled onto a building site and promptly fell intoa limepit. Initially stunned by the fall% I soon began to think ho on earth I

ould get out. &t first I tried to ade through the lime% but got nohere. Thethought of the orkers arri!ing the next morning and finding my corpse%spurred me into reneed action and I began to mo!e my arms and legs insimming mo!ements. I finally reached the edge of the pit% craled out andstarted on my +ourney home% thankful that the rain as ashing the lime offmy clothes. When I arri!ed back home% soaked to the skin% my sister ;i!kaas startled% but ithout asking superfluous 2uestions helped me remo!e myclothes and dispatched me to the bathroom. I took a cold shoer hile sherinsed the lime out of my clothes. 0y brother &ryeh% aakened by the noise%

brought me a glass of cognac and I soon craled under the arm eiderdonof my deliciously in!iting bed.

The A/aystackA personnel had to ma+or tasks in the IrgunC the first to prepareeapons for action% to clean them and return them to the cache afterards.The second% more mundane task as to supply eapons for training theighting orce. It as our +ob to remo!e the arms from the cache and handthem out to representati!es of the !arious units. -ater the same night eould return to the meeting place to replace them in the cache. It as boring

and dangerous ork% but !ery important.

We had a special problem ith 6aturday morning training. 6ince e could not


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!enture near the cache in daylight% e had to ork under co!er of dark% storethe arms elsehere temporarily and hand them o!er in the early morninghours. 7n a small mound near 0ount &rna!ot% hich as concealed from!ie% e buried a small can% hich ser!ed as our A6aturday armoryA. Geryearly one 6aturday morning e arri!ed and% confidant that there as nobody

in the !icinity% took out the eapons e had buried the pre!ious e!ening.ontrary to our usual custom% e left one re!ol!er in the can for securitypurposes. That afternoon% I made my ay there again to collect it% and asstunned to disco!er that the can as empty. I as shocked. 6canning thearea% I spied an &rab shepherd ith his flock. /e roused my suspicions% but Ias afraid to go o!er to him in case he as armed. I atched him ith hisflock until the e!ening dre in.

I disco!ered that the flock belonged to &bed% the atchman of the 0uslimcemetery on 6alameh ;oad )no an army camp*. &rmed ith thisinformation% I ent to meet (ehoyada to report on the e!ents. /e recei!ed thenes gra!ely% but agreed to gi!e me time to find the re!ol!er before takingaction. The same night I collected se!eral of my friends% and together e!isited &bed and his family% ho ere on peaceable terms ith their Jeishneighbors. I oke him from his sleep and demanded that he return there!ol!er. /e denied any connection ith the theft. We asked all the family tocome out of the tent and conducted a careful search of his home. When Iasked him hich of his sons had been out ith the flock that day% he repliedthat the shepherd as a relati!e from a nearby !illage and promised to talk to

him the next day. I explained that e ould be back in to daysA time andad!ised him to make sure the re!ol!er as found. We shadoed him to makecertain that he did not contact the police% and returned after a fe days onanother nocturnal !isit. &bed told us that the shepherd totally denied thecharges and this time e conducted a careful search of the family and theirbelongings. I told &bed that e ould return e!ery night until he ga!e backthe re!ol!er. /e promised to talk to his relati!e again and e arrangedanother meeting. &t the scheduled time% I hid behind the bushes and afterchecking that the area as clear of police% ent o!er to &bed ho as

aiting patiently for me. This time he had nes for me he told me that theshepherd had confessed to taking the re!ol!er% but claimed that he had sold itto someone else and spent the money. &bed asked me if I ould be illing topay to ransom the pistol. &t first I refused% arguing that the gun as mine andI did not ha!e to pay for it tice o!er% but then I changed my mind anden2uired ho much as in!ol!ed. &bed replied that he did not kno% but asilling to find out. In the end I suggested that he bring the re!ol!er to our nextmeeting and I ould pay. The next day e met again% but I still did not recei!ethe gun. &bed explained that there ere still some difficulties% but promised

that to days later I ould find it back in its place. I as bitterly disappointedthe prospect of its return seemed to be rapidly diminishing. Fe!ertheless% atthe appointed time I ent to the mound and carefully remo!ed the soil% hich


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co!ered the can. I opened the can cautiously and to my great surprise% foundthe gun rapped in a silk stocking. I as delighted. I took it out% remo!ed theclip% and disco!ered that it as loaded exactly as it had been on the day itas taken. I put the clip back% stuck the re!ol!er into my belt and descendedthe mound ith a light heart. 6uddenly I felt a tap on my shoulderC I pulled out

the re!ol!er and pointed it at the person standing behind me. It as &bed%ho congratulated me on finding my property. /e told me he had paid to get itback from his relati!e and had aaited my arri!al. I put the re!ol!er back andexplained to &bed that his relati!e had done something !ery serious. Fot onlyould I not pay him but he should be happy that I as not asking him to paydamages. We parted as friends and I ran to tell my friend (osef hat hadhappened. 7n the ay% I sa (ehoyada sitting in a cafe and hispered to himto +oin me in a nearby building. &fter reprimanding me for coming o!er to himin public% he noticed the re!ol!er in my belt and congratulated me.

'efore I had time to reco!er from this ad!enture% I as itness to anotherincident connected ith my task as armorer. It as a clear inter day% and thepupils of the municipal school on the corner of (ahalom 6treet )presentday@riniBi 6treet*% ere playing marbles during the break. 3uring their game% oneof the marbles rolled into the bushes in the school courtyard. 7ne of thechildren ran to look for the lost marble and as he scrabbled in the damp soil%he suddenly encountered metal. /e scraped off some of the dirt% and afterlifting the lid% found a tightly sealed milk churn. The boy called his friends andthey pulled the churn out of the ground and brought it into the gymnasium.

Together they managed to open it% and found inside to submachineguns%cartridges and ammunition. The story spread through the school like ildfireand e!eryone rushed to see the find. &mong those ho came as (ehoshua'ornstein% the school +anitor. (ehoshua% a member of the Irgun% as aarethat there as a cache among the bushes% and kne that it had beenexposed after the hea!y rain of the pre!ious night. /e kept calm and informedhis colleague% 6hlomo &ppelbaum. 6hlomo arri!ed siftly% piled the eaponsinto a sack and made his escape% hotly pursued by an intrigued group ofchildren. 6hlomo as more agile than they and slipped into the nearby

0oslem cemetery. rom there he made his ay through Gictory $ark)presentday &braham $ark* and reached ,!i @ollerAs home safely. /e threthe sack onto the balcony and made his ay to @ollerAs office to arn him ofthe strange parcel on the balcony of his home. When night fell% the sack ashanded o!er to us and e placed it in a safe hiding place.

RECOVERING FRO6 THE SEASON

&bout six months into the A6easonA% the Irgun began to reco!er from the


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setbacks. (oung commanders ere appointed to replace the !eterans hohad been arrested and the ranks ere filled ane. The armsA suppliersmanaged to bring in ne eapons to replace those seiBed by the /aganah%and plans ere made for the reneal of acti!ity. 7ne of the first acti!ities%hich marked the reco!ery of the Irgun as the manufacture of primiti!e

homemade mortars% hich ere used against 'ritish targets. The idea asconcei!ed by 5idi )&mihai $aglin*% one of the IrgunAs best officers. Working inhis parentsA orkshop% 5idi succeeded in constructing a mortar out of a 1:inch pipe% ith shells made of metal containers filled ith explosi!es. Themortar as not accurate and could be used only for short ranges% but it madea terrific noise and symbo

besiege - lapidut, yehuda

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