KADDISHEL
A Life Reborn
Egyptians — and was shot. When the Palmach realized he was an important dignitary, they rushed him to a field hospital, but I do not think he survived. One of my friends kept his little silver pistol and later turned it over to the Palmach commander. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, U.S. President Harry Truman gave Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, an American Constellation airplane for his official use. This gift was greatly appreciated by the people of Israel. However, one of the Centurion tanks that had been stolen from the British and was desperately needed for its cannon developed engine trouble. It was rumored that an engine was taken off this plane and installed in the tank. This demonstrates how desperate the Israeli defense forces were for heavy weapons. A tragic incident took place in Israel’s early days of nationhood. When the State of Israel was first established, it had very few weap - ons and could not quickly import any. At the same time, efforts were being made to unify the Haganah, Lechi, and Etzel. Etzel inde- pendently arranged for a ship called the Altalena to bring weapons and ammunition to Israel in June. When the ship approached Tel Aviv, it became clear that Etzel was not going to share the weapons and ammunition with the Haganah, which was now the nation’s official army. Etzel was planning to keep the weapons for its own fighters, who were defending Jerusalem. Rightly or wrongly, Ben-Gurion took a stand, saying that weap- ons coming into the country had to be turned over to the central military command for distribution. When Etzel refused to surrender the weapons and ammunition, they were told, “If the weapons are not surrendered to the State, we will fire on the boat.” Eventually, the government attacked the ship while it was anchored outside Tel Aviv at Kfar Vitkin. Several people were killed and most of the cargo of weapons, desperately needed by Israel, was destroyed. This was a shameful chapter in our history, in part because Israel needed the weapons so badly, and in part because the government acted in such a manner. This episode almost sparked a civil war and remains a heavy black cloud in our history.
184
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online