May 30 A trip to 3 sites involved with the 1948-9 war of Independence

We traveled with a group from PARDES  to 3 sites involved with the Jerusalem battles  starting in March 19948 2 months before Israel declared its Independence and Statehood on  May 14, 1948. The Arabs had attached Jerusalem from 4 sides cutting off all road traffic from the west at Tel Aviv and all the Jewish towns to the west. This was     the critical fight of the war because even though Jerusalem was going to be an International city under the UN agreement, which the Jews had accepted but the Arabs rejected, the survival of the 100,000 Jews in Jerusalem was paramount. The best the Israelis could hope for was a finger like projection of the west leading to Jerusalem. The planned to attack from 3 sides in stages to open a supply route intoo Jerusalem that was cut off for food and even water. The first attach was on a hill in the northwest area 3.5 miles from the Old City on a hill top Arab village called Nebi Samuel. This name  means the site where the Prophet Samuel was buried or so the legend has it. The story begins actually in the Bible where many things happened on hill tops described in the Books of Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah, Macabees where Samuel, Saul, Jeremiah and Judas Macabee respectively all  were all here identified perhaps  by its height and  and  location to the Temple. So when the Crusaders came here in the 1099 traveling from Acco they fell to their knees and wept in joy. They built a fortress and had the bones they thought were Samuel's brought from Ramla near present day Tel Aviv brought here and reburied.  Jews and Muslims still believed  the tomb is Samuel's and the Sephardic Jews pray here 24/7. Muslims  pray here also. There are ruins of a Arab village from 12 C have been uncovered. The Muslims destroyed the Crusader stuff and built a Mosque on the site , which was destroyed in 1917 in a big battle here between British and Turks that England  won,  starting the mandate period. To get good will of the local Arabs, England rebuilt the Mosque for the few families that lived here and in fact 20 Arab families still live here. They new Jewish towns are a few mile to the north. The Shas party of Sepharic Jews control many religious sites including this one.
 Meanwhile in 1948, the Jews attacked here and lost the battle resulting in that this area although in West Jerusalem(!!)  was in Arab hands till 1967!!

Second site was The Castel National Park located 10 miles due west of Jerusalem. So since Jerusalem couldn't be resupplied from the northwest, due west was the only option. Opening a supply route was critical and Ben Gurion gave the order that this hilltop, which once had been a French Crusader  castle , hence name 'Castel'. Of course the Castle was long destroyed by the Muslims.  Many Jews died taking and defending this hilltop over 5 days of fierce fighting.   After this there were  other battles to open a new road to bring in convoys that stretched 17 miles bringing food and water to Jerusalem, where people were starving and fighting at the same time.    Before the road was finished 300 men carried heavy packs of food thru a goat trail 12 miles every night to supply Jerusalem. It was heroic times of truly Biblical dimensions.

The third site was 'Machal' , which stands for 'Volunteers from Abroad' not too far away which is an honorarium and memorial to the 4500  volunteer fighters that came from 49 countries to help Israel survive. Many died and about a hundred names are on a wall, including Roberta's camp counselor, Leonard Cohen (he didn't die). He was one of 40 men who made up the Navy of Israel.   A  big concrete memorial with the 3 letters of Machal in Hebrew in a flame shape representing a yahrzeit candle is in front. It was very moving to think that so many men who had fought in WW2 left their homes to come and fight again so the Jews could survive this war of Independence;  but more importantly losing would have unleashed a second (or continuing?) genocide of Jews.

All in all in was a very informative and moving day and anyone who thinks miracles don't happen needs to rethink, of course  many Jews had to die and get wounded ( 2% of the population ) for this miracle and the survival of the Jewish people of Israel to happen!!