Chapter 28 - The Meeting in Haifa and Meir’s Continuing Journey
{Read the Hebrew original here}
In accordance to their plan, Amikam and Meir left their base for the weekend vacation on Friday afternoon, driving to Haifa. Amikam reserved a room for himself and his wife Tamar at a hotel on Hadar Ha-carmel 1, and he suggested that Meir should also stay at the same hotel since it offers a nice, sizeable discount for soldiers. Meir agreed, and when they arrived to the hotel, they went to their rooms for a short break, planning to leave shortly to Yaakov Silver’s parent's house to meet their friends.
At the scheduled time, they went up the mountain, and when they arrived to Yoachim Silver's house, they found the whole family there. Yedidya and Korin arrived shortly earlier with Korin’s parents. Despite the long and tiring drive from Jerusalem, Korin’s face was beautiful and happy, and although her pregnancy was apparent, her lovely body continued to be well-carved and fresh, as always. She mingled and spoke with many guests, while her mom, Helen, was obviously watching her and monitoring her pace, and kept reminding her that she needed to rest. But Korin answered her Mom with an understanding smile and a small movement of her head that said: “I am feeling well, so why should I avoid the joy of speaking with my friends and relatives?”
Yedidya and Kurt were not in the house because they went to the hospital to visit Shoshana. On the other hand, Shoshana’s parents, David and Shulamit, together with their son, Yoram, who came earlier to Haifa, had already managed to visit their daughter and return to their in-law's house. All the visitors were happily welcomed by Yaakov and his parents, who stood at the entry to their house. Amikam and Meir were also gladly welcomed when they entered the house. Yoram, who was standing at the corner of the living room, ran to meet his best friend Meir, and they both shaked their hands and were very happy to see each other. Amikam asked Yoram if he saw his wife Tamar. Yoram told him that Tamar was planning to leave Jerusalem after them in the same car as Smadar and Arnon, and they are likely to arrive shortly. After they enjoyed some appetizers, Yoram and Meir went to the garden, sat on the bench, and began to tell one another what had happened to them since they last met.
Yoram described the progression of his studies, and stated that he was soon going to take the Matriculation examinations 2. However, Yoram said that he was jealous of Meir, who was taking part in the military efforts, and he assumed that Meir’s life must be exciting and full of action. Meir answered:
“The fact that I am performing a certain military job gives me some satisfaction, and in the army I get the opportunity to meet many people and visit new places. In fact, a short time ago, I visited Beirut, Lebanon where I met a Jewish girl named Mazal, and we became very friendly. The friends over there call her Fortuna3, and from the time I arrived there, she noticed me, and we went out several times. She is a very nice girl with a good heart, and the men over there were quite jealous that she preferred me over them. About a month ago, I was sent back to a job in the north of Eretz Israel, and I am serving in the same unit as Amikam. However, in few weeks, I am planning to return to Beirut, and I am looking forward to being close to Mazal again. In spite of all of these things, I have to admit that there are many disadvantages in the military service. First, the fact that I am so far from home most of the time is quite depressing. You have no idea what a badly it feels when you find yourself for several weeks, and sometimes, even several months, away from home, away from the family and friends, living in military bases, in long buildings and huts, and sometimes living in simple tents. The military bed is actually built from flat pieces of wood that are placed on two stands, which have a rough mattress over them with a few blankets and nothing more. I miss the warm, nice bed I have at home, with its white sheets and white pillows! During the first phase of military service, you do not have this feeling of lonliness, because you are still full of excitement for the new military experience and the curiosity for the unknown. However as time passes, you miss your home more, the initial excitement is lost, and instead, you begin to feel disappointment and hopelessness.“
“And here, “ Meir continued, “I am reaching the second main disadvantage, that is amplifying the first. It is also possible to say that without this second disadvantage that I will shortly describe, it would have been easier to overcome the first disadvantage with some ease. The second disadvantage is the lingering feeling of uncertainty that what I am doing in the British Army is advancing our national interest in Eretz Israel. We have to admit, we are serving in the British Army and not in our own Israeli Army! The British, as it is well known, are limiting our progress, and they even closed the gates of the country to the Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi monster. How can you suffer the inconvenient military life when you lack any compensating feeling that you are doing some good for your own people? This is the reason that I am now looking for ways to help our people in a more direct way. But let us forget my negative thoughts I have mentioned for the moment and return to a happier issues. Tell me, how does your sister Shoshana feel after her first birth?”
“She feels great,” answered Yoram, “And she is very happy. She has such a beautiful and glamorous baby girl! On Sunday, she plans to leave the hospital and return to her home. Tomorrow we will all go to the synagogue, where Yaakov will perform an Alyia4 to announce the name of his newly born daughter. After the prayer, we will go to the hospital to visit Shoshana. Meir, I suggest that you will come with us to the hospital, and you will have an opportunity to see how sweet the baby is. Shoshana will be very happy to see you.”
Meir accepted the invitation, and after they talked some more about their mutual friends, Meir left for his hotel, and Yoram accompanied him up until the external gate of the house. He tried to keep his friend from leaving, but Meir said that he had to visit some friends in Haifa. At that time, Tamar (Amikam's wife), Smadar and Arnon arrived at the house. Meir said hello to Tamar, and Yoram introduced him to Smadar and Arnon. Meir then went on his way. Musiya and Gideon arrived from their Kibutz a short time after Meir’s departure.
The next morning, Meir went to the Synagogue, where all the family members and friends came to participate in the prayer. In accordance with the customs, Yaakov took the Aliya, went to the podium to read the bible, and after the blessings, he announced the name that he gave to his daughter: Carmela. After the closing prayers, there was a Kiddush for all who were present, and then they received a light meal. Everyone went to bless Yaakov, Yaakov’s parents and Shoshana’s parents with the traditional Mazal Tov. Afterwards, the family members and all the friends went to the hospital to visit Shoshana and the baby. She was in a great mood and shook hands with all the visitors with a happy smile on her beautiful face. She was very happy to see all the friends who came from far away, and she was also happy to see Meir, who arrived in his military uniform. After a short while, the nurse brought the baby girl and everyone was impressed with her glamorous and fine beauty. She had blond hair like her father, and her face was similar to her mother's, who held her proudly. The guests warmly congratulated the family and left on their way.
During the celebratory meal in the afternoon at the Silver family house, the members decided to make their meeting at 4pm at Yaakov’s house, which was not far from his parent's house. At the set hour, they all convened, including Meir and Yoram. Yedidya opened the discussion and said:
“Friends, this time we are convening in Haifa, since our discussion today is important and urgent, and we wanted all the members to participate in this discussion. The opportunity of this happy occasion at Yaakov and my sister's house has allowed everyone to meet here, with the exception of my sister, so we can start now.”
“Well, the main issue in the agenda is our attitude toward the revolt by the Irgun and Lehi underground against the British occupation. I want to emphasize at the start of the discussion that we are not planning to determine a common position regarding the participation or non-participation of each one of us in the revolt. It is quite clear and without the smallest doubt, that every one of us has the individual right to act on this matter in accordance with his or her own understanding and conscious. The question we want to discuss here is what we think should be our attitude, and in fact, the attitude of the entire Yishuv regarding the revolt. Recently, there were many rumors that the Haganah is suppressing the Irgun and Lehi, and even collaborating with the British against the fighters of these underground organizations. I am not sure that these rumors are true, but it is very important that we determine our position on this issue.”
After Yedidya’s opening statement, Smadar raised her hand, and after she was acknowledged, she said:
“I agree with Yedidya that the decision about joining or not joining the Irgun or the Lehi must remain an individual decision of each one of us. Furthermore, the membership in any of these organizations his very secretive, and our group, who has set long-term goals, well beyond the current struggle, is not the appropriate forum for this discussion.”
“What we do need to discuss here is determining a common position, as Yedidya said, regarding the proper attitude that the Yishuv needs to adapt regarding the underground operations. As far as I remember, we have already determined, in one of our meetings a few years ago, that we have a positive attitude toward and good understanding of the activities of the IZL. I think it was Yedidya who said that the Irgun actions comprise a kind of arrowhead that travels before the people, and provides guidance for the people as a whole. Now, as World War II is coming to an end, and we can see the imminent collapse of the Nazi forces, we are facing the betrayal of the British, who follow the White Book policy to close the gates of Eretz Israel in the faces of the holocaust refugees. The British work hard to suppress our remaining national aspirations, so it is quite clear that we must be supportive of the struggle of the underground revolt and their fight against the British. While it may make sense that the Haganah does not need to take part in the revolt at this time due to political or strategic arguments, it is absolutely correct that they are not allowed to suppress or stop the revolt of the other two organizations. I am quite certain that in due time, the Haganah will have to join the military revolt against the British occupation, like the revolt of the Irgun and Lehi, because otherwise we will not be able to fulfill our political aspirations and obtain our national independence in Eretz Israel. These objectives will be achieved only after an immense fight without any compromise of our national rights.”
After Tamar finished, Amikam raised his hand to speak and said:
“I think that Smadar rightfully expressed everything that all of us, or maybe most of us, believe and feel about this issue. Regardless how each of us decides about his or her own participation in the revolt, it is quite clear that we all need to treat kindly and have great respect for all the young men and women who are placing themselves in mortal danger, without any personal gain, and sacrificing themselves for the war on independence of the Jewish people against the British occupier. We have just witnessed the two messengers of the Lehi, Eliyahu Chakim and Eliyahu Beit-Zuri, who went on the mission of their organization to assassinate Lord Moyne, who was responsible for both the policy and implementation of the British betrayal and oppression of the Zionist movement and the closure of the gates of Eretz Israel in the faces of the Holocaust survivors. Even if we have some reservation regarding the assassination of Lord Moyne, we cannot avoid the feeling of appreciation for both the way they accomplished their mission, and their proud and brave demeanor during their trial, and their fearless walk to the gallows. In that way, they became the followers of Shlomo Ben Yosef, who gave the first example of the proud Hebrew warrior – who knows what he is fighting for, and for what he is sacrificing his life. Among other people, the actions of such heroes are praised by the people and become national heritage. I am certain that we will also commemorate our heroes in the future. After all, don't we praise the action of Judith who killed Holofernes? Therefore, I say that the Haganah must not disturb or suppress the actions of the Irgun and Lehi, and without any doubt, they should not, under any circumstances, collaborate with the British occupier to suppress the revolt.”
Now Gideon, the member of the Haganah, raised his hands, and everyone listened very carefully to hear his words which were delivered in a moderate voice and with deep thought:
“To start, I want to completely deny all the rumors that the Haganah is collaborating with the British administration to suppress the underground operation. To the best of my knowledge, this is totally not true, and it also does not make any sense. Even though we do not agree at this time that there should be a revolt against the British because we must first let the political efforts work and strengthen our hands, none of us will decide to stand up and fight our own brothers and sisters or deliver them to the British occupiers. It is true that the British exiled 250 members of the Irgun and Lehi to East Africa, I am certain that this is not because the Haganah collaborated with the British occupiers. And if someone claims that it is the fault of the Haganah, then he is absolutely wrong!”
“As to our opinion regarding the underground revolt, I believe that their actions are premature, because we have not yet exhausted all the political maneuvers, and the world war is not yet over, although its end is close. After all, we did achieved some important goals with the establishment of the Jewish Brigade, that is fighting against the Germans along the allies under the exclusive command of Jewish officers. The British army provides an excellent school for the tens of thousands of our Jewish men and women soldiers that serve there. I think, therefore, that we must be patient, and in the meantime increase our power and get ready for the proper time of action.”
At this point Arnon was unable to hold himself, and without waiting to be acknowledged, he stood up and said:
“Gideon’s demand that we will be patient is outrageous. Has Gideon never heard, like everyone of us heard and continue to hear every day, about the huge disaster that fell on our brothers in Europe, about the destruction and the murder that Hitler brought on all the Jewish communities throughout Europe, and about the miserable Jewish survivors of the holocaust who somehow manage to reach the shore of Eretz Israel, and the British capture them and send them back to the same slaughter house from which they escaped? Until when, I ask, we should be patient? Until, god forbid, there will be nothing left from the entire Jewish community of Europe? Is it not us that history will surely blame because we were patient and did nothing to raise the conscious of humanity, if such conscious is remaining?”
Musiya came to the help of her boyfriend Gideon and said:
“We are not saying that we need to be quiet and not protest against the Nazi’s horrors. We just say that the time is not ripe for a war against the British occupiers. First, what is our power? Can the few warriors we have in Eretz Israel fight the British lion? Second, as Gideon said, it is still possible that we may achieve our goals with political means, and we should not lose hope?”
Musiya’s words engaged Tamar to respond, and she said angrily:
“Look how blind you are! Have you not yet reached the conclusion, that in the cruel world we are living in, there is no use for verbal protests that are not supported with suitable violent actions? And with who you are basing your hopes? In the “wise and fair” British people? After all, the British betrayed us and tore to pieces for everyone to see all their Mandate obligations to build the Jewish homeland in Eretz Israel. They locked the gates of our country in the face of all the holocaust refugees, who knock in vain on our gates while they have no other place to go.”
“As to your claim, Musiya, “what is our power,” I will answer you that the warriors of the underground do not demand, at this time, that all the Yishuv will turn into an open revolt against the British rule. All they ask for is that the best of our youth will be able to join the underground to fight and destroy the property of the foreign occupier, until they will be forced to change their betrayal policy, and enable us to be free and be nationally independent without further delay. And from the Haganah they ask only for non-interference, so that they, the underground organizations, will be able to perform their job as best as they can!”
As Korin saw that the atmosphere of the meeting heated up, she quickly said in a relaxed and quieting voice:
“I do not think that there is any difference of opinion on the main issues. After the denial we heard from Gideon, it turns out that all of us agree that there should be no interference with the revolt actions of the underground organizations, which are doing dedicated and efficient work for our common good. And since those who strongly support the action of the underground organization do not demand that the Haganah will join the revolt now, we have a current situation in which the Irgun and Lehi fight the British, while the more official Haganah organization takes the path of preparation and getting ready for future fight that we are facing. This current situation is not only good, but I dare say it is optimal, from strategic considerations. On the one side, the Irgun and Lehi will fight the British and weaken its resolve and desire to stay in Eretz Israel, and on the other side, the official leadership of the Yishuv will fight the British politically and force them to change their policy.”
When Korin said these arguments, Yedidya was smiling to himself, since he remembered the first class in Chess that he gave Korin and explained to her the difference between tactical and strategic approaches. It seemed that Korin captured the lesson and following her study of Chess, she developed her analytical skills for military issues. Once Korin finished, Yedidya concluded the discussion in line with her arguments and the meeting ended. Yedidya and Korin went on a stroll for some fresh air along Yefe Nof street, and the other members of the group went home.
It was already dark, and Amikam and Meir, after they drove Tamar, Smadar and Arnon to the car going to Jerusalem, they took their military Jeep back to their camp. Amikam drove the Jeep and Meir sat near him. For a while, they drove silently along the Haifa bay road, as the sea breeze gently caressed their faces. Suddenly, Amikam started to talk:
“Meir, I thought about you, and I reached the conclusion that for now, it will be better that you not join the Irgun officially. Based on the group discussion you have just witnessed, I am sure that you have learned that all of us support the Irgun actions, and I am sure that you can guess that some of us are active members of the Irgun. However, I think that at this stage, you can bring many more benefits to the Irgun without becoming an official member. Your help may be in the form of helping bringing weapons and ammunition and other equipment to the Irgun from the British military and from other places outside Eretz Israel. I will give you the address of one our friends in Beirut, who will provide you the equipment we need, and your contact in Jerusalem will be Smadar, the red-head. I know you as a very smart young man, but you will need to be very careful when you carry the equipment, and you will need to watch whatever you say. I know that we can rely on you.”
For months now Meir appreciated the seriousness of Amikam, and his words made the needed strong impression. Therefore, he fully accepted Amikam’s proposal, and for the remainder of their trip to their base, Amikam explained to him in great detail how to fulfill is mission, and Meir was very happy to enter his new role. His first action occurred after a few weeks. It was after the British army returned him to his main unit near Beirut. According to Amikam's instructions, he needed to be very careful in his contacts with the Irgun people, so he decided to go to his first meeting with the Irgun people in Beirut accompanied by Mazal, in order to avoid the suspicions of the military commanders. He explained to Mazal that he needed to give a personal message to a family member of one of his close friends from Jerusalem, and he asked her to walk with him to the entry of the house. So they strolled to the address that Amikam gave him, while their arms were crossed together. It was a dark night, full of stars, and the light wind from the sea gently stroked their faces. Mazal was of moderate height with brunette hair that was gently flying in the soft wind. From time to time, Meir slowed down and he kissed Mazal on her cheeks and lips. Mazal, who was already deeply in love with Meir, placed her body close to Meir's tall body and returned warm kisses and hugs. When they reached the address, Meir asked her to wait at the entry of the house for one or two minutes until he finished delivering the message. He intended in this first meeting to just initiate contact and schedule the place and method of future contacts. He rang the bell and the door was opened by a man in his thirties who motioned him to enter. The man closed the door and Meir immediately mentioned Amikam's name. When he heard the name, the man’s face lit up and he invited Meir to enter the guest room. Meir briefly described the mission that Amikam gave him and said that since his girlfriend is waiting outside, he just wanted to arrange the method of their future meetings. The man specified the Café House where they could meet and he told him his Irgun code name: Gvaryahu. The two shook hands and set up a meeting at the Café House within few days' time. Meir left the house and continued his night stroll with Mazal.
On the evening of the set date, Meir arrived to the Café House and Gvaryahu was waiting at one of the tables on the balcony that faces the Mediterranean sea. It was a quiet café that catered to the middle class. Gvaryahu ordered coffee and some cakes, and they started to discuss their plans in low voices. Meir told him that he is due for his tri-monthly vacation within one month, and that he had plans to visit his home in Jerusalem. They decided that Gvaryahu would give Meir some materials for the Irgun in Jerusalem and that they would meet again just before he leaves to Jerusalem so that Meir can get the materials and the instructions. In the meantime, until his trip to Jerusalem, Meir went out a lot with Mazal, and their relationship grew stronger. They explored Beirut with Mazal’s girlfriend, and they saw many places.
In the evening before his trip, Meir came back to Gvaryahu’s house. This time he went by himself, and before entering the house he was carefully looking around to verify that no one is following him. He knocked on the door and Gvaryahu immediately opened the door, and they went promptly to pack the materials, which included several pistols and bullets, as well as a large number of fake British soldier identity cards, all placed neatly inside a large straw basket. They placed a layer of potatoes over the materials, and then they placed another layer of eggs and newspaper. They decided that Gvaryahu would send the straw basket with a delivery boy to the train station to give to Meir before he boards the train. Meir would need to hold a book in his left hand as a sign to the delivery boy. After they finished these arrangements, Meir departed with a warm handshake and went to meet with Mazal.
The next day, at the set hour, Meir stood at the train station holding a book in his left hand, and he immediately noticed the boy that came with the straw basket. The boy was looking in all directions, and when he saw Meir with the book, he quickly came to him, and after Meir mentioned his name, the boy gave him the straw basket, nodded and went away. Meir went into the train car, sat at the corner near the window, put the straw basket near him on the floor, and started to read his book. There were other people in the car that all had their own luggage and they did not pay any attention to the straw basket. The train started to go south and progressed toward Eretz Israel. When it reached the border at Rosh HaNikra, a British border guard went into the car and started his routine inspection. When he reached Meir, who was wearing his British military uniform, he asked him what he had in the basket. With fabricated indifference, Meir answered: “Eggs for my house”, and he lifted the newspaper. The border guard smiled and continued to the next person.
When he arrived to Jerusalem, he first hurried to his house to see his family. His mother Bella, was very happy to see him, since she had not seen her youngest son for several months. When his brother Binyamin asked him what he had brought in the straw basket, he answered with a smile and a wink of his eye: “eggs.” There was a serious shortage of eggs in Jerusalem, so these eggs were very welcome. But Binyamin was wondering why Meir winked, which hinted some potential secret. This wondering did not last long, because after Binyamin and Meir moved the eggs and potatoes to the Frigidaire, the other contents of the basket were revealed. Meir told Bella and Binyamin that he must hurry to deliver the materials without further delay. After he had dinner with his family, he went to Smadar’s house to deliver the materials.
When he arrived at her house, he knocked on the door and Smadar herself opened the door. She immediately recognized Meir and invited him to come in. Meir gave her the straw basket with the materials and greetings from Gvaryahu. Smadar brought some coffee and cakes and the two started to talk for a while, and Meir told her about life in Beirut. Meir was deeply impressed with Smadar’s dynamic personality as well as with her amazing beauty and pleasant demeanor. Her eyes jumped from side to side with much passion and beauty, and it was clear that everyone who saw Smadar fell for her beauty and youthful magic. Meir told Smadar that he was going back to Beirut in few days and she asked him to carry her warmest regards to Gvaryahu. They said a very warm goodbye to one another and Meir went to see his friend Yoram. Yoram told Meir that Smadar and Arnon have been engaged to be married for several years, but they pledged not to marry until the end of the national fight and the establishment of a Jewish state.
When Meir returned to Beirut, he resumed his military duties, and occasionally met with Gvaryahu to plan additional transportation of materials and documents for the Irgun. Since his military duties required him to frequently visit the British bases at the north of Eretz Israel, the same base where Amikam was assigned, Gvaryahu gave Meir many missions that he performed perfectly. At the same time, Mazal started to hint to Meir that she want get engaged with him to be married. Their relationship was very strong, and Meir liked her a lot because of her great demeanor and good heart. However, he told her that they were both very young and that it was too early to talk about engagement. Mazal told Meir that her father immigrated to Brazil and he is doing quite well over there, and soon he might be able to send them visas to join him. If Meir agrees, they could get married immediately when his military service ends, and they could move together to Brazil and start new life over there. Her father wrote about the beautiful life in San Paulo in Brazil, and on the many opportunities to settle over there. On that, Meir answered her:
“My dear Mazal, immigration to Brazil is totally out of the question for me. As much as Brazil may be a wonderful land with tremendous opportunities, I am connected with my heart and soul to our Eretz Israel, the land that my late father went to in his early youth, to fulfill the biblical sentence “To the house of Yaakov we will all come.” Our holy land was promised to our patriarchs via divine command, as was told to Yaakov: “The land that you are lying on I will give to you and to your descendants.” Even while we were exiled from our land, our prophets predicted the return of Zion, and throughout the time of exile we prayed: “and our eyes will see when you return to Zion with your mercies.” We are now in the heart of the process of returning to Zion, and we are fighting hard for the fulfillment of the Balfour declaration and the Mandate conditions for the establishment of an independent Hebrew state in our Eretz Israel. So how can you, Mazal, suggest that I will leave all this behind me? That I will turn my back on the future of the Jewish people, to my brothers' and sisters' struggle, and emigrate with you to Brazil? No, Mazal, this is not possible and it will never happen.”
Mazal, who was quite alarmed from Meir's bluntness, quickly responded:
“Dear Meir, you did not fully understand me. I did not mean to suggest that we go to Brazil. I did not know that you are so committed to Eretz Israel. I just talked about it because I thought that soon you will be released from the army, and we have the opportunity to get married and go to Brazil, if it is acceptable to you. But of course, if the trip to Brazil is not suiting you, there is no need for that.”
Meir cooled down, and smiled with affection and said:
“Lovely Mazal, unfortunately, I think that my release from the army is not so soon. It may take one year or perhaps even more. However, as I told you before, we are both very young, so why should we bother with serious decisions now? Let us continue our beautiful relations like before, and leave these worries to the future. What do you think, dear?”
Mazal answered with a smile, and Meir hugged her and kissed her cheek. They continued, after this conversation, to go out together as before, and Mazal never brought up this issue again. After a few months, Meir was transferred to Eretz Israel for a long period, and their relationship began to weaken. Mazal sent him a letter stating that she was looking forward to his quick return to Beirut. However, fate provided Meir with a different destiny. After serving few months in the north of Eretz Israel, the British army sent Meir for a long service period in Egypt.
In the meantime, the big event of the end of World War II arrived. The armies of the Western Allies met with the Red army in Berlin, and the Nazi animal was finally destroyed. All the world was very happy, happy with the great victory and happy with the end of the bloody war. However, only for one group of people, the Jewish people, who fought with the Western Allies, the happiness was mixed with immense sadness: the sadness from the terrible Holocaust that happened to the Jews of Europe, which was fully disclosed now for the first time with its unbelievable horror – the murder of six million European Jews in the gas chambers and the Nazi concentration camps: and great sadness that the Jewish people did not receive the promised fruit of victory: the gates of Eretz Israel remained closed for Jewish refugees, and the dream of a national state remained far from happening.
The underground continued relentlessly to attack the government offices in Eretz Israel, to sabotage the phone and telegraph lines between the cities, bombing of bridges and raids on British military bases for confiscation of arms and weapons. The heads of the mainstream Jewish National Agency in Eretz Israel, had hopes in the new socialist government in Great Britain that had just come to power. They thought that the new government would adopt a new policy to help the Jewish Yishuv, whose official leadership was also socialist, and that they would return to the notion of fulfilling the Mandate conditions – to build a national home for the Jews in Eretz Israel. Unfortunately, after a short time, all these hopes were shattered: the new Etlee-Bevin socialist government continued to implement the policy of the White Book, and continued to close the gates of the country to the Jewish refugees. The disappointment was very bitter, and the official leadership of the Yishuv finally acknowledged that there must be an armed combat in order to obtain independence from the foreign rule, and achieving a Jewish national independent state in Eretz Israel. It was decided, therefore, that the Haganah organization would particpate in an armed fight against the White Book policy, and in the fall of 1945, an operational agreement was reached among the three Jewish military organizations: the Haganah, the Irgun and the Lehi, for a combined struggle. This is how the national “revolt movement” started. After November 1945, the attacks on train stations, British military bases, airports, bridges, and other military installations were greatly intensified. The fight increased rapidly from week to week, and unlike the past, now the mainstream Haganah was a major player in these operations.
Meir, who was transferred by the British army to Egypt, far away from Eretz Israel, continued to assist the Irgun in different ways, but he was very upset that even after the end of the World War, he had to continue to serve in a foreign army, of a country that obstructed the rights of the Jewish people. In a letter he sent to his mother on January 1946, he wrote:
“Dear mother,
A big hello to you,
I am sitting by myself in my tent and writing this letter to you. You have asked me
to write to you when I safely arrive to my base, and I am sorry that I am a few days late.
I remember our military train traveling away from our country minute by minute, carrying Hebrew soldiers from their country to a foreign land. I was watching the mountains of Judea from my window, knowing that in few minutes I will not see them again for three months. I am looking inside the train and thinking: again being away for three months! And maybe even more? At that time, I am looking at my fellow Hebrew soldiers sitting around me in the train and I am telling myself that I am sharing their sadness – my sadness. Within one minute, one of the soldiers sitting in front of me made a big sigh and said: “Until when? God of the universe, when will be the end of these wanderings? Until when, or more correctly, how many more times will we need to go away and come back to our country? During the war, we could have understood these wanderings, but now, the war is over, what do we have with army? Is it not enough that I had three years of wanderings with this army? Yes, three bloody years!”
“And I, three and a half years!” Said another soldier.
And then another soldier asked me when I will be released. I answered him that my release is due in a year and a half, but he did not believe me, because it looked to him that I answered very casually. At the same time, there was a group of English soldiers sitting at the corner of the train car, singing a lousy song. It looks like they are already going home to be released from the army, and we are quite hopeless.
As for myself now, I am healthy and whole5, and I have everything I need. How are you at home?
I hope everything is OK there. Goodbye and please answer me quickly.
From your loving son,
Meir.”
Despite the sadness of being so far away from his home and country, Meir found a way to be content by reading a lot of books and studying whenever he had free time. In particular, he liked to read Hebrew fine literature, and in one of his letters to his brother Zvi he asked him to send him more Hebrew books, as he wished to be an author in the future, and he wanted to be prepared for that task. In his letters from that time he described the views of the Egyptian desert and the life in the military tents and the British bases. During his service in the Western Egyptian desert, he suffered a severe accident when a military motorcycle on which he rode while on duty suddenly turned over and he broke his hand. His hand was put in a cast and he was hospitalized for one month, without telling his mother and brothers, as he did not want them to worry about him. Only three months later, when Meir was finally released from the British army, his family learned about this accident.
This is how the young man Meir was, who within a few more months would enter the fateful year of his life, his prime year of supreme elation and bravery, a fateful year at which end he was destined to return his pure soul to his creator and ascend with a thunder to the heavens.
Notes for Chapter 28
- 1. Hadar Ha-Carmel - A famous scenic neighborhood on Mount Carmel of Haifa.
- 2. Matriculation examinations - the final standardized high school examinations, similar to the SAT in the USA.
- 3. Fortuna - Mazal (Luck or fortune in Hebrew) in Spanish.
- 4. Alyia - reading the Torah blessings on the Bimah (podium) during the Torah reading. It is an important honor, and it is common to give Alyia to the father of a newborn for the naming of the baby.
- 5. Healthy and whole - a common phrase in Hebrew when you tell someone that you are fine. Translated literarily to keep the original letter's flavor.