War of Independence Tiyul
On Wednesday, Kitat Maayan visited several places to learn about the War of Independence and how Israel became Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel.
On November 29th, 1947 the UN voted for the partition of Palestine which Jews happily accepted but Arabs denied. The next day, the Palestinian Arabs attacked us and the War of Independence, or in Arabic, Al Nakba, "the catastrophe" began. The War had two stages. During the first stage, we were only defending ourselves from our enemies and in the second stage, we became offensive and created Operation Nachshon that reminded us to stop just defending but to start taking action and defeating. When the State of Israel was established, we had a more connected and united nation.
We got the privilege to see and sit in the same room in which Ben Gurion declared independence of the new State of Israel. We listened to a recording of the meeting, and most importantly, we sang Hatikvah and that was when I got goosebumps.
We then went to the secret underground bullet factory in Michon Hayalon to see how they made bullets to fight the war. The people who worked there were some members of the kibbutz and kept it a secret from the other members. They had a secret entrance underneath their washing machine and washed clothes the entire day so it will produce noise and no one would suspect or hear anything else going on. What I found fascinating was those people worked there for so many hours a day without even taking a break to rest, and if it wasn't for their modesty and heroism, we would have lost the war.
Later, we went to a very important spot during the war: Latrun. We fought 5 battles there losing them all, but Ben Gurion didn't give up because of the strategic importance of the place. What inspired me the most was the uniqueness of the tanks of Latrun: the engine is in the front instead of the back, and the reason why was if something happens to the engine on the tank, the army would rather lose a tank than a life.
Many people say that we won the 1948 war because of a miracle. We lost 6000 people which was 1% of our population, and it was a tragedy for us, and the reason we won was because we built strategies, but most importantly, we had David Ben Gurion who wouldn't put his hands down and give up, and we were a united and connected to each other nation that wouldn't give up on the land we've been dreaming of for the past 2000 years.
Now, my question for Kitat Maayan is: what was the most meaningful part of the War of Independence for you?
Sara Grin
I am so upset that I couldn't make it to this tiyuul! To me, the War of Independence shows the unity of the Jewish people. There is so much significance to me that there was a state for the Jewish people right after (around 20 years) the holocaust (but I do not think it is a direct effect of the shoah). It shows that even after an all time low, the Jewish people are still strong as an Am. And it also kind of kicks Hitler in the behind a little bit :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, the most meaningful part of the war is how our new small Jewish country went against 5 Arab countries which were all surrounding us. I am proud of the courage and strength the Israelis had and I think it makes our win the most meaningful
ReplyDeleteI was not able to go on this tiyul and I'm super disappointed about that :(. However, what stands out to me most was the unity that held us together. It directly shows the values of Israel and it's army and people of today. To be able to see these values of people and unity now shows me that this war was not in vain and helped the Jewish people grow.
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful part of the War of Independence for me, was knowing that after coming out of WWII and the Holocaust we were able to still come together and fight for a Jewish nation. Not only that but still today we fight for the recognition of a Jewish state and we continue to push boundaries. I think that it's incredible that almost everyone played some kind of role in the establishment of Israel and risked their lives to do so.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the war was meaningful but for me it was because we were able to unify with the help of Ben Gurion. His attitude and persistence is what kept us together and motivated. We stuck together even when armies were closing in left and right and I think that's important.
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful part of the war for me was the fact that if people made it to Jerusalem with supplies for the people, they would come back, reload with supplies and try to go back in. I think that that really shows how the people never gave up and how strong they were when together.
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful part of the war for me is just what Israel was fighting for, and that we even had the real opportunity to fight for our independence at all. By the end of the war, we had an established military- something which probably seemed like a far off dream to jews in the past.
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful part was the human stories of emotion we heard during the Tyiul. One that I think about a lot is the story of supply drivers who would deliver supplies to the Jews of Jerusalem while under fire. Every time they drove they considered why they were risking their own lives, but after seeing the happy Jerusalemites when the supplies were delivered, they swore to continue. The need to preserve human life was very meaningful.
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful part of the tiyul was the Room of Tears in the museum. It seemed like a fit memorial for the many people who perished during the war. The room was a perfect square with rusted metal all the way up to the ceiling and below was a glass floor. Sometimes the slots in the top leak water as the tears of the country. It feels like you're trapped which could be like the geographical location of Israel - trapped with surrounding hostility.
ReplyDeleteFor me the story of the silver platter was very meaningful. Whenever I think about it I get a chill through my spine. The dedication and sacrifice shown by soldiers just a few years older than I am is awe-inspiring. I am so incredibly thankful that such brave men and women have served Israel and paid the ultimate price for her safety.
ReplyDeleteFor me the most meaningful part of learning about Israel’s independence was understanding how the people came together. It is a really incredible thing to be able to unite a people in a time of crisis. This is exactly what the Jews did. Despite everything going on around them they were able to pull through and work together for their common goal; the Jewish state. It was special to see how each individual person contributed. Whether it was on the battle field or making bullets in a factory, everyone had a hand in the victory.
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