Walter Cohen

Posted 1st Feb 2023 with grateful thanks to Darrold Smith.

19th Feb 2023 – obituary and additional photographs posted below – sent with grateful thanks by Darrold Smith.

Transcription of Walter Cohen’s Journal entries August 1948-April 1949 Volunteer service in Israel’s War of Independence transcribed by his nephew, Darrold Smith, Austin, TX  Aug, 2008

ALL CAPS are comments about spelling or difficulty reading handwriting

August 11th, 1948

Sailed from New York aboard the “Marine Jumper,” a converted troop transport.  13, including Palestinian in our group.  Trip uneventful–spent most time sleeping, playing cards, bull sessions–raiding galley.  I should make mention of Ralph Freidman, a Jew boy working aboard ship–he gave a talk on Wallace’s 3rd Party Convention at Philadelphia–a devout Progressive–one of the best, persuasive & most sincere speakers I’ve ever heard.  His talk resulted in arguments on Political Philosophy which lasted half the nite–he has made all his fellow-crew members Progressive.

August 19th, 1948

Arrived at Cobh (QUEENSTOWN), Ireland–anchored in harbor–First impression:  Beautiful countryside, cultivated lands, rolling green hills.

August 20th, 1948

Arrived at Plymouth, England–Not too impressed–anchored in harbor–Left for Le Havre–Docked same day.  Amazed at remaining ugly evidence of War–The French seem to have done nothing to clean up the debris & wreckage.  Depressed by all this & the many signs of  French filth & poverty.  Took train to Paris that evening–Railroads intensely overcrowded–We travelled 3rd Class–2 compartments for us–2 1/2 hour trip–Diner not bad but train otherwise filthy–Toilets deploreable–no paper–Lucky we brought some–arrived Paris–went to cheap hotel–11:00 before we went out for nite-life,so didn’t see much–Caught last 20 minutes of “Follies Bergere”–Very good–Lot of naked women.  Went to Pigalie Place (“Pig Alley”) nite club & red-lite district.  Saw Arch of Triumph, Eiffel Tower, & Napoleon’s Tomb.–

August 21st, 1948

Left Paris for Marseille–overnite trip–No sleep–arrived Marseille and taken to camp at St. Jerome–Very depressing sight–Filth abundant, & no inclination to improve–No supervision.–Poor organization–I can imagine how long the American Army would tolerate such a mess.–Inspiring, however, in the respect that of the 100 or so present, there must have been 50 different countries represented, & an equal number of languages spoken.  Included were the U.S.A., Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Germany, France, Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Switzerland, Norway & Hungary.  D.P.’s & volunteers like us for Haganah.–Food lousy, Kitchen stinks–We Americans, led by Bernie, started a few improvements, & the second day it looked 100% better, but still room for improvement.  I got sick once–Didn’t eat for 24 hours.  One trip back to Marseille–Am convinced that these Europeans are a crummy, lousy lot.  Hate to admit it, but the few Germans I’ve met showed more signs of culture than any of them.  Should mention the acquisition of “Puisch,” a little terrier 6 wks. old which Ralph bought in Paris–we’ve made him our mascot–cute pup!  

August 24th, 1948

Some of the group pulled out by ship–Included was Hillell–Aaron was supposed to go, but let Hillell go in his place–Practicing my Spanish on all the Latin-Americans.  

August 26th, 1948

About 10 of us, me included were told, in the evening, that we could fly to Israel if we wanted to–Then they had to knock one off the list–we drew #’s & Goldstein lost out–Shike & Dave had already been removed because of technicalities on Passports–Final group included me, George & Bernie, 4 English & 1 South African.  Packed & got ready to leave the following morning.

August 27th, 1948

Truck took us to airport–Plane arrived from Paris–Pan-African Airlines–must have been chartered–Full of Jews bound for Eretz.  Flew to Rome–ate in nice airport restaurant–They paid–then to Athens.  Got there about 2:00 A.M.–Landed at Haifa at 7:30 A.M.–

Beautiful city from air–Shmoe that I am, I declared my cigarettes to customs & had to pay $8.00 duty–U.N. Observers, including one plane & U.S. Marines all over the joint–

August 28th, 1948

Took us on truck to camp near Mt. Carmel–actually, a D.P. camp–Not unbearable, tho’, & certainly better than St. Jerome–Jake (“Yakov”) in charge, took us & other new arrivals on bus tour to 2 Kibutzim on Mt. Carmel–The first, Bet Oren, was very impressive–a poor settlement financially but coming up–one of the first experiments with mountain Kibutzim–ate delicious grapes to our hearts’ content– plenty of vineyards & orchards there–they grow everything here–tobacco, corn, apples, plums, etc.  The second Kibutz was a rich one–Lots of cattle & modern farm implements.  These people all seem happy with their restricted community life–It’s not for me tho’–too much work–Fine view of Haifa, the harbor, Acre & Nazareth from Mt. Carmel.  Saw an Arab village completely destroyed by Hagannah–No Arabs around–Saw a couple Druces–neither arab nor Jew–Neutral.  The people all seem happy.  There’s a certain air of confident hope evident among them all.–It’s contagious–

August 29th, 1948

Nothing doing–Medical Exams this afternoon.  Passed OK–They’re run more or less like the U.S. Army–a little more sloppily & haphazardly.  Coming back on the bus Bernie started his “Gebonia” business  with the driver–the driver had never heard of such a country, & Bernie told him it is in South America–We were supporting him, of course, & it developed into a real joke.  We discussed everything about this country that doesn’t exist from its politicians & singing a make-believe national anthym, toto speaking a phony language that no one knows.–We really had the driver going, & it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen–terrific.  Went into town tonite–me, the 4 Limies & 2 boys here in our hut–the later are both gentiles–one from Denmark, 18 yrs. old, & the other Norway, 20 yrs. old–Their reasons for coming here are as genuine as mine–I was greatly impressed–when asked why they came, one of them said “My Jewish friend at home decided to join the Jewish Navy & told me ‘You must come to fight for Palestine'”–

so-o-o–they came–worked their way across the Mediterranean on a ship–Such convictions, on the part of non-Jews, are inspiring–

August 30th, 1948

Were supposed to leave for Televetsky today, but didn’t–George, Bernie & I hitchhiked to Acre to see a couple of their friends from the “Marine Corp”–Got to Acre & were told that their unit, the 72nd Bn., was at Sanmoria (SP?) –a bit further, but we continued on up there–Easy catching rides–mostly trucks–The Gate guard was reluctant to let us in–finally did, & we found the boys George Brodsky and Dave Sidovsky–They, as do their cohorts, all seem disgusted–nothing to do–just a little training–They’re only 8 miles from the Lebanese border–The 72nd is composed mostly of English-speaking boys–Back to Haifa–We ate in town–Spent about $1.50 each, but for the first time since leaving the “Marine Jumper” I was full–Took in a movie–“Random Harvest” with R. Coleman & G. Garson–French & Hebrew translations appear on the screen simultaneously.

August 31st, 1948

Finally left Bat Galine (SP?) –Bus to Televetsky–2-hour trip–our new reception camp isn’t too bad–Food fair–Tents w/ concrete floors–British built I guess–Interviewed & assigned 7th Brigade–Up north–the 72nd Bn. is part of it, so I’ll probably go there–George also assigned to 72nd–Aks  asked for it & Hirsch, at first assigned Air-Force,–

asked for it too–& got it–Len to Air Force–The 2 Scandinavians to Navy–Bernie an MP–It’s a funny army–No organization–You think they’d at least have Hot Water to wash mess gear–but no.  Tomorrow we get clothing.  Then to Tel Aviv for leave. 

Sept. 1st, 1948

Into Tel Aviv finally–by bus–Registered Town Major’s office & then to American-Canadian Ofc. for 5 (POUNDS?)–I got 6 instead.  George & Bernie collected 17 1/2, dating back to June 15th.  In the evening we went with George to look up a friend who had $230.00 of his–It turns out she is a Brockton girl (TOWN IN MASS. WHERE ONE OF WALTER’s SISTERS LIVES AT THE TIME), Frances (Schacter) Halpern, & knew the Yaffes (SISTER’s MARRIED NAME).  Doc Goldberg stayed with them on his last trip here–Small World–called Max Greenberg of G.E.(S.E.?)–invited me to supper–I declined–Going there tonite to see about storing luggage with him.  Tel Aviv is a fairly modern town–& plenty busy–almost like New York–Bustling–Everybody in a rush from dawn until midnite–Buildings are all alike–modern–Saw the “Altalena” beached right near Soldiers’ Club on Hyarkon St..  Seems they’d try to salvage it–Makes me sick to see it standing idle when it could be put to such beneficial use.  Took snaps.  George keeps  running into “Corp” buddies everywhere–Seem to be more Jews from S. Africa here than any other country.  Met Sonya last nite–another of the “Corp”(CARP?)–American girl turned Israeli Air-force–typical Brooklyn!  Lot of feeling that the war is over, altho’ most Israelis, I think, would rather continue the fight–they’re too cocky–think they could conquer half the Middle East–Sent cable to Goo (SISTER)–592 mills–over $1.50–

Sept. 3rd, 1948

We went to a “tea” at Silberman’s on Adam Hacohen–nice people–found out that M. Kottler, whom I met at U.N. & am supposed to look up, lives next door to them.  She’s not back from U.S. yet tho’.  Went over to Max Greenberg’s–Free drinks–whisky & soda–Don’t care for them (Greenbergs)–Hypocrites!  Some of these people, I think seem to resent our being here–one of the bus drivers asked me if I was new here; when I said yes, he asked me why I didn’t come 26 years ago–Told him I wasn’t born then–I like to hear everyone “Shalom” everyone they meet–It’s a friendly & warming greeting.–The more I’ve seen of Europe and this country, tho’, the more convinced I am that I’m lucky to be an American–I could never settle anywhere else–Could never adapt myself to strange surroundings–I hate the British & European influence throughout the old world.

Sept. 4th, 1948

Tel Aviv is like a “mad-house”–It’s actually busier, I’ve come to believe, than Times Square–Saturday Nites, particularly–The people just walk the streets–wandering aimlessly–They couldn’t possibly be going anywhere, because there’s no where to go–The beach was overflowing–I’m bored–Be glad to end our leave tomorrow nite–& get assigned.  More & more of the foreign volunteers we’ve met are disgusted with the country & the situation & want to go home–The psychological affect on us newcomers–me anyway–is very, very bad–almost makes me regret I came–am determined, tho’, to stick it out 6 months at least–am sure I’ll never stay the 2 years.  Will stay until the situation is clarified–the general picture.

Sept 6th, 1948

Leave over–Back to Teletvinsky–Thought we’d have to stay some time–at least a week–before assignment; they surprised us, tho’–assigned us right away–Bus to Nahariya to 7th Brigade–picked up about 15 recruits–all Palestinians–“Sabras”–just kids–claim their 17 to 19 yrs. old–Some of them look 15–Just babies really.  We were told on way that George & Milt were for 79th–Me & Aks 72nd–Aks & I griped–So this guy in charge changed the orders enroute–Took us all to 79th–Slept on ground–(Forgot to mention yesterday’s trip to Rachael’s kin–Moved from 36 Hertzl St.–Had to hike to 17 Weisel St.–Only one there was Miriam Levin–niece–very nice & hospitable–spoke fair English–nice apartment–Her brother’s–She lives near Haifa–Gave me her address–she confirmed my worse suspicion about these people seeming to resent our presence–they do because they know we intend to leave when the war is over–They think we should live here and help to build up the country–In fact they think Jews the world over should come here to live & work–(mostly work)–

Sept 7th, 1948

Aks & I finally assigned B Co–George & Milt to C Co–They are harboring the delusion I can drive an armored car–The fact that I told them I can drive had something to do with the impression they have I guess–Driving tests tomorrow–Sporadic fighting at the front–some of “C” Co is at front now–They are attacking an Arab Village tonite I think–The truce, from all indications, is a farce–

Sept 9th, 1948

On again, off again–First, I am then I’m not gonna’ be a driver–My test was OK except that I can’t quite get the feel of the gear right–I’ll need some practice, but they’re so “snafu” around here they have to wait 3 or 4 days to tell me if I can get some instruction.  “C” Co ret’d from front this AM–Full of rumors about casualties in other units–If they’re true (between 60 & 100 for the past 2 or 3 days were quoted), there’s a helluva C.O. somewhere up there–I’m inclined , personally, to think they’re exagerrating.  I’m really discouraged–Hate to admit it, but I’m fed up, almost before I’ve begun–There is seemingly too much dis-organization, lack of discipline, etc. for me to continue to put up with–Returning troops firing their Sten guns indiscriminately cause me to wonder what my old 2nd Bn. C.O. would think–

Sept. 11th, 1948

The “Morris” Car I’m supposed to drive for “C” Trp finally arrived today–Think I’ll like driving it, if I can learn how–Aks went on first patrol last nite–Not much action–Geo. & Milt left this AM about 5–first patrol–with little encouragement, I think, Geo. would pack up & start for home–If  I’d agree to it he’d be ready–I’m sure the only thing which prevents me from it is personal pride–I wouldn’t mind staying if I thought I were doing any good–As it is I feel like a bump on a log–useless!  It suddenly dawned on me & Geo. why we dislike it here–we have no confidence in these people–they’re  too lax about everything.  Possibly, if we understood their language we would place more confidence in their way of doing things.  Geo., Milt & I into Haifa in the afternoon.  Met & talked to some girls for a while–2 from the U.S. & one Sabra–all live here–They expressed the opinion that “Germany” could happen in the U.S., & will within 10 years–I’m making note of this because it seemed to be the general opinion of most Palestinians–I don’t share their views in this regard–I come more & more to dislike the Sabras–They’re so proud of the fact they were born in Eratz you’d think they had something to do with it–Sure are a lot of linguists among the people here–one boy in my barracks (he’s been here 14 years) speaks English, Hebrew, Yiddush, Arabic, German, Italian, & French all fluently.

Sept 12th, 1948

The “Morris” Car taken away from me–am learning the armored again.

Sept 26th, 1948

First chance I’ve had in a long time to do any writing–But even had I possessed the time probably wouldn’t have written because I haven’t had the inclination either–No longer at St. Jean–Came here to Safad about 10 days ago–all nite convoy, without lites too–Mountainous, rocky country–This is an assembly area–We’re supposed to attack an Arab-held hill which can be seen in the distance.  This would result in the reopening of the road to Haifa–Since Bernadotte’s assassination last week however, I think they must have altered plans.  I’ve been feeling miserable ever since we came here–My stomach has been killing me, & then I developed a boil on my rear end, which prevented me from sitting and sleeping.  One trip to Lake Tiberius (Kenaret) & 2 trips to Safad–Nothing there.  Back to St. Jean on the nite of Sep. 27th–Thank God!  The area at Safad filthy–The Bn. Dr. from S.A, takes no measures whatsoever to insure cleanliness & sanitation.

Oct. 9th, 1948

Went to T.A. Wed., hoping I’d run into some of the Americans we left at Marseille–I did–Aaron & Jesse–Sure glad to see both–They looked swell–Don’t seem to have lost weight like we at St. Jean have–Their attitude has not sounded like ours has–They are very satisfied with everything–So I guess it all depends on the unit you get thrown in–Told us some interesting stories about some of our boys:  Schacter, who always wanted to be a fisherman, deserted the army & associated himself with some fishermen around Haifa–Goldstein deserted & moved in with a nurse–Bulken married Fri. nite to a Palestinian girl 20 years older than he–Giacolone deserted to Palmach–Weinstein lost in the shuffle–Jesse going to ordnance engineer maintenance–Aaron a officer to Haifa–On way back saw Bernie at Helen’s in Haifa–He seemed to have talked himself into an officer’s job at Haifa–Deck Officer on a Patrol Craft.–

Lew Cohen came to see us yesterday–also very happy–He finagles passes & is on “Hoffish” all the time–already been to Jerusalem.

Went on my first Patrol last Tues. nite–near Mijya–sniper fire all nite nearby–but without incident to us–air raid today–no damage–bombs dropped workshop.  Another all-nite Patrol last nite–

I don’t feel like I’m accomplishing very much by being here in this country–Am pushed around too much from job to job–While most people come here to stop being Displaced Persons, I arrived and became one!  George is, however, more disgusted than I–He has definitely decided to return home–(he says!)–& claims he’ll start proceedings soon–actually, it amounts to this:  He has gotten to the point where he doesn’t want to want to stay here–

The general atmosphere is tense, with most of the boys thinking the big actions are about to start–40 Kibutzim are being settled in the Negev & some here in the Galea–they think the Arabs will be provoked into resisting these new settlements–I doubt it, myself.

October 24th, 1948

Some time has elapsed since last I wrote–I know I have probably forgotten a lot of things I wanted to record.–News reached us today that one of the S. Aftricans from the 72nd was killed by a sniper on Patrol yesterday–of course we have heard previously of other Anglo-Saxons getting it–But it seems that all or most of the S. Africans in the 79th knew him & the reaction is bad–sad–

Fighting in the Negev ceased yesterday–General opinion here is that fighting will soon resume here in the Galilee on a large scale–I don’t think so.  In fact I think the War is over–with the exception of a few scattered skirmishes.  We’re on practically a continuous “stand-by.”

October 26th, 1948

The entire Bn., minus our troop only, pulled out last nite.  It seems that warfare on a large scale might break out now–we’re launching an attack against Tarshiha and will try to reclaim that portion of terrain between Safad & Haifa–The rest of the brigade will attack from Safad–We will be attached to the 9th Brigade & will attack from this side–Things really were quite confusing yesterday, as plans & rumors were continuously cancelled & changed until the final plan was finally adopted.  Whether or not it will finally be carried out remains to be seen yet.  In the meantime I have had just cause, I think, to begin doubting the sincerity of some of the boys in coming here for purely moral reasons in the cause of justice.  I’m sure that the incentive of adventure & a fight figured prominently in some of their decisions to come here.  It’s apparent in their obvious disappointment over possible changes in plans to attack.–Their attitude often even seems childish–Some of them are simple enough to believe that the final peace will come on the battlefield, forgetting completely that there is a United Nations, and whether their opinion of it is good or bad, it is still the determining factor in the final peace.  I’m just as willing as any of them to die for the integrity of Eretz if it becomes necessary–But I didn’t come here just  for the purpose of fun thru a fight–which isn’t fun at all.  That’s why their stupid & nonsensical talk irritates me–God only knows I’ve been thru more Hell in the Pacific than most of these guys have ever experienced, and I’m sure their attitude wouldn’t be quite as careless & hap-hazard as it now is if they too had witnessed some of the same.  If I thought that this contemplated attack would bring a final end to this war & a just & acceptable peace to Israel, I might share their enthusiasm, but I have an idea it is just another phase of the struggle.

November 2nd, 1948

Well–the boys were right in one respect–We did get into a fight–In fact we cleared the Galilee of Kaujki’s Arab forces, & secured it–The attack started Thurs. nite–It was primarily aimed at opening the road from Safad to Acre, which was what our “Safad dry- run” had aimed for–our troop only–was attached to the battle-wise vets of the Negev, the Ninth Brigade, and we attacked from the direction of Nahariya, our first objective being the Police station outside of Tarshiha, then Tarshiha itself.  Started our attack about 2:30 or 3:00 A.M. Fri. A.M., while the rest of the 7th, with other troops attacked simultaneously from the Safad area.  We didn’t get very far at first–Had to stop moving about 45 minutes after we started, as there were minefields the engineers couldn’t clear.  Ours was the lead car and we ran over 2 mines that didn’t explode–One caught the Morris Car–It knocked a wheel off but no one was hurt–The other mine was detected after we had crossed it, & the Sapas exploded it.  We dreaded the coming of daylight as we figured we’d be good targets for anti-tank fire, mortars, artillery, or whatever they chose to throw at us–When daylight finally did come the Arabs started in on us–automatic weapon fire–Spandos, Beezers, & brers–&, of course the usual rifle sniping–Thank God they had few heavy weapons, & the few mortar shells thrown at us were far from accurate.  At 9:30 A.M. we were told to withdraw–our car backed into a ditch, & for a few minutes I was afraid we were done for–Finally got out, tho’, & returned to the forward assembly area.  It’s sure a funny feeling, being the first car & following in the footsteps (right on their heels, in fact) of the Sapas (engineers) because, as was proven, sometimes their detectors don’t always detect the mines.  These Sapas are all good boys–No doubt they get just as scared as anyone, but that doesn’t keep them from getting the job done–even with sniper fire falling all around them, as it did–Two of them worked from our car & kept running back & forth.  One of them, “Zigi”, the chief did outstandingly good work, & was the calmest person I ever saw.  In our own car, all was fairly smooth–Frank Jackson is highly excitable, & Maurice quick-tempered (unnecessarily so) & between the 2 of them I thought for a while I’d go mad–I was very calm–unnaturally so.–While Schapiro remained the only natural one in the crew, & did a good job showing Jackson how to apply immediate action when his gun jammed, etc.–Early Sat. A.M. the attack resumed, & this time the engineers cleared the mines & we continued to the Police Station, which, by this time, was already in the hands of our infantry (9th Brigade)–Into Tarshiha where there was only slight resistance–in the form of harassing sniper fire from a few houses–We really let them have it, & eventually their firing ceased.  The rest of the operation, for our troop, was compartively quiet.  Several villages, minus their Arab troops, surrendered to us, & one surrender in particular, that of a Druse village was very interesting.  As we approached the village we could see white flags flying from about 12 different buildings, & several of their leaders walked out toward us carrying white flags.  All the elders were lined up in one group to the side of the road & were a patriarchal looking bunch with their flowing beards & long gowns–Actually they might have been Jews as far as appearance is concerned–Just beyond this village we linked up with the first of our troops coming from Safad–The last exciting

thing of the operation was the removal of a mine field near Elion–I saw them remove about 15 or 20 mines from this field–a real assortment, too, including British, German, & Jewish-made mines–The operation, to sum it up, was a complete success–we cleared the Galilee of Kaukji’s irregulars & secured the entire area–our casualties were light–we had about 10 killed out of all the Jewish forces in this action.  3 or 4 from our battalion–none from our company, for which I was glad.  From what I saw & heard our boys did right well–I was disgusted with several things I heard about the conduct of some of our troops toward civilians–unnecessary looting, murdering & rape–Yes, I’m afraid to say & actually ashamed to admit, that even Jews can be guilty of such crimes–I heard of many instances where Arab women & children, to say nothing of old & helpless men, were murdered–I say “murdered,” because their destruction didn’t fall under the line of a necessary duty–They were not accidental either–When Arab women & children can be found with bullet holes well-aimed thru their heads, there can be only one conclusion–I hate being an accessory to murder–

November 10th, 1948

Leave–Went to Tel Aviv with Alf & Maurice–4 days of Haffish, which could have been a lot of fun had I not gotten into a fight with a South African the first nite.  In the blackout he accused me of pushing him, & tho’ I wasn’t conscious of it, when I apologized, he made an issue of it–one fractured nose & 2 days in the hospital at Jaffa resulted for me.  Got a good rest at Dejani’s but it wasn’t worth it.

November 15th, 1948

Moved to Samariya–The 72nd to St. Lukes, & an air-school to St. Jean.  Not too good here–It’s cold now, & these tents let a lot of cold air in–no artificial heat, either.

November 20th, 1948

Went to Shlomoe’s wedding in Haifa–These Israeli weddings certainly lack a lot as far as American Jewish weddings are concerned–No fanfare, no “dressing-up”, etc.–Of course these people are not rich, & facilities here are limited–but even from a religious point of view, it was impossible not to notice the difference.  The ceremony was short & snappy–orthodox, even so!  A makeshift canopy–the “Hupe”–was carried in & held over the bride & groom–The Rabbi made a few sounds & it was all over–Not too impressive–Even so, it was the first time I felt any close kinship to these people.  Probably just from hearing the Rabbi chant a little like they do at Schule back home.

December 1st, 1948

Our company went to Beison, close to the Trans-Jordan border, & in the lower Galilee–we were to wait for a unit of Palmach to relieve us there–Unfortunately they arrived 3 days before we expected them–I say “unfortunately” because it was not a bad deal for us

–we were billeted in a house–nice beds & I found & used a real mattress–electric lights too.  We had to leave after 2 days there.  The trip back I really enjoyed–It was right after about 10 days rain–& all the Kibutznik were in the fields working, & I was quite impressed, fully realizing for the first time, the phenomenon of the return to “the land” of Jewish people.  I’ll bet those Jewish city slickers in New York would find it hard to believe–They’re certainly worlds apart from these simple people here.

December 3rd, 1948

George’s application for a discharge had been approved–He appeared before a Gahal board in T.A. & they tried talking him out of it but with no success–He’ll probably leave on the Marine Corp’s next visit–Most of the Anglo-Saxons are generally restless & anxious to go home–me included, I’m afraid–In addition to being homesick, I am fed up with the “crap” flying around here–Revilee at 6:00 A.M. so we can have more time in which to do nothing, etc.  I am handing in a request for discharge, not that I think I’ll get it, but because I want a transfer to something else–Hate to leave the boys in my company, as they are a good bunch, but I think a change in my outlook & attitude is more important & can only be affected thru a transfer.  Discharge applications have been submitted by Wasser, Perlman, Phil Levine, Dave Wooll, Lowenstein, & Epstein–Nick is requesting “compassionate leave”–Dave Gross is trying for a transfer, & Maurice threatens it (with him anything could happen–He’s not too consistent on any one point except where it comes to showing up all that is American).  Lowenstein’s application was approved today, so he’ll probably leave when George goes.

Monday, December 6th, 1948

Had an accident this morning–in fact a narrow escape–Got wedged between 2 trucks on the way to Haifa with Perleman to buy a gift for Hamburg’s wedding–nearly broke my leg–can’t walk–can’t straighten my leg–Haven’t seen a doctor yet–Will do so tomorrow to be sure my knee-cap isn’t out of place or something–

The armored cars picked us up in Haifa & we continued on to Kibbutz Naon, (by way of Rehovoth) Shapiro’s Kibbutz, to spend the nite.  Tuesday we drove to within 20 miles from Jerusalem to participate in a ceremony celebrating the opening of the “Hageveura” Road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem–This is the road constructed since the fighting started–

It was completed within 8 weeks–Quite a ceremony–There were 68 Israeli flags arranged in a semi-circle, & within the enclosure was a parade ground.  I took 2 rolls of film & Perleman took about 4 rolls–Together we should have a pretty good set of prints–Took pictures of Ben-Gurion, Yaccov Dori, Chief of Staff, Golda Myerson, 6 inch mortars, 25-pounders, the band, the Donkey Brigade, etc.  I asked Golda Myerson to pose for a picture, which she did, then I shook hands with her–I really mixed with the elite.  Ben-Gurion spoke–it was all in Hebrew, of course–he’s a very determined looking person–It’s apparent in the way he walks, & the way he clinches his fists.  They gave him a big applause when he entered the parade ground–The 25 pounders fired a salute to those who died in the road’s construction–& taps were played–“Hageveura” means “the courage”–There were 3 U.N. men there–an American Naval officer, a Swedish & a French officer.  The whole ceremony was impressive, particularly the review of troops, which included our cars–After it was over we went back to T.A. for Hamburg’s wedding, which was much like Shlomoe’s, altho’ a bit nicer.

Saturday, December 11th, 1948

Only 2 weeks till Xmas & would I like to be home for it!  I don’t even think I’d complain about Zale’s many hours–Or would I?  Anyway, it’s nice thinking about Christmas at home–the cozy inside of a home; the giving & receiving of presents; a big delicious meal–a warm nite’s sleep–It may be only that this miserable weather here is making me reminis & causing me to be homesick–It’s still raining, for the second or third (I’ve forgotten which) straight week.  Most of our company went in the cars to Metula–I haven’t been called yet, but even if I am, I won’t go on account of my bad leg–which has improved somewhat, but still very sore.  The doctor said there is no obvious crack altho’ there might be a small crack  which can’t be detected without X-rays.  George came back Thursday to get all his equipment–He left yesterday for Teletvinsky, and will leave the country from there–Guess the next time I see him will be Riverhead–Hated to see him go.

Had a long philisophical discussion with Shlomoe last nite–During same, we discussed Zionism, both in S.A. & the U.S., & also reasons for so much discontentment among the Anglo-Saxons here–Sully is very well informed on Zionism, having always been directly active in the Habinim & other organizations in S.A.–He intends to live here on a Moshav–He estimates that about 25% of all the boys from S.A. will remain, 2% of those from the U.S. & 3% from Canada–I think he’s about right–I wondered why such a large percentage of the ones from S.A. would remain, thinking probably the Milan administration was the principal cause–Sully, however, claims it’s because of the intense Zionist training given practically all South Africans, that they are brought into Habinim when only 7 years old–

I was suddenly comparing the enthusiastic Zionist undertakings in S.A. with the lack of support they’re given in the States.  I can remember how hard Rabbi Kerman & Rose Portnoff worked for new members in Lubbock, & the cool reception & flat NO they usually received from people like the Goodlaws, the Goldstuckers & Al Glassman–the Reformed Jews, mostly.  After thinking it over, I, personally, who do not understand how a person can profess to be Jewish & continue to practice the Jewish faith, at the same time refuse to be a Zionist, saying they don’t believe in Zionism.  After all, if they think the religion is worthy of following at all, it should be assumed that they would consider Judaism worthy of perpetuation; and I can’t see how it’s perpetuation can be obtained, in view of the happenings of the past 15 years, without the creation & stabilization of this Jewish Nation, which, after all, is the purpose of all Zionism.  Such attitudes, on their part, are actually inconsistent to the point of contradiction–I don’t see why they continue to be Jews at all.–It amounts to this:  As far as I’m concerned being a Jew & a Zionist are synonomous.  

Wednesday, December 15th, 1948

We had quite a reunion last nite in Haifa–me, Lew Cohen, Jess Fineblum, Aaron Epstein, Ralph Schacter, & I took Kirshberg along–This was almost half our entire original group from the states–Too bad George missed out–We all drank at the Atzel Club until we were all stinko–Left there singing & dancing the “Horra”–Israel’s national dance–We were suddenly accosted by Mensotics (M.P.’s), with a cab driver who accused us of breaking a window in his cab–We didn’t do it of course, so when they insisted on taking us to the Police station for questioning, we refused to go–Lew by this time had gotten sick, then passed out–Jess wanted to start a fight with them, & seeing that he would if we argued much longer, & realizing the Mensotics were determined to carry us in, I persuaded the boys to go peacefully–I was convinced the cab driver was a liar, so I told him to point out the guilty party–He accused Alf (later he changed his accusation to Lew)–To the station we went–after detaining us there about an hour, during which time we cussed & re-cussed them, they said we could go–In the meantime, the cab driver dictated a statement charging us with the crime–This irritated me no end, & I decided to press charges against him for false accusations made for personal & unlawful gains–I did too,–to the surprise of the driver and the Police–I wrote out a 2 page statement, & insisted that charges be pressed against him, & that I be advised of the results–The Police, by this time on our side, I think–agreed, & then offered to take us to our lodgings–I told them their activity had caused us to miss our bus to camp & demanded that they furnish us immediate transport to Samariya–whereupon they decided that granting us Pass extensions would be much easier for them–which is precisely what I had actually hoped for & guessed they would do–The Town major couldn’t get us a Hotel room, however, so we slept at his office–Wotta’ nite!

It is really high time, I think, that I make mention of the people in this country of Israel–They’re a mixed lot, of course, & so my impressions of them are mixed–perhaps not quite certain in my mind, & therefore maybe not quite accurate, and when condemning, perhaps not completely justified.  But I can’t deny the fact that in my mind such opinions as may be there do actually exist, so I see no reason why I shouldn’t take note of them–for future comparison, I hope–as I’d like to change my mind about a lot of things; otherwise, I’ll go home disappointed, even disillusioned–as M.B.Z. (MORRIS ZALE, WALTER’S EMPLOYER) predicted I would anyway–To begin with I think that people who come to live here in order to avoid discrimination, are harboring false & unknown illusions about the equal treatment they believe is accorded all Jews–Such equality of treatment simply doesn’t exist–except as illusions only–wishful thinking; that’s all–I’m really sorry to say it–I hate to admit it even to myself–The situation might be exagerrated in my mind–on the other hand, I think that I probably haven’t even fully realized the implications; They probably go much further than I can imagine–First, let’s take the Sabras–They are the worst of the lot–without a doubt–Proud, arrogant, contemptible of nearly all newcomers, they generally consider themselves a class apart–They’re anti-everyone–D.P.’s, Americans, English, “Meccas”, etc.  Extremely over-confident, they are openly outspoken in their dislike of Americans & often their disdain of American “charity”–I have been personally told, on several occasions, that we Americans are not welcome here–but that our money is–On the other hand, I have been told that Israel doesn’t even need our money–If they faced facts, of course, they’d admit that without American financial aid, this country could hardly have reached it’s present stage of accomplishment–It’s not that I’m looking for special thanks for American Jewry’s contributions, simply admission of facts.  These Sabras are openly prejudiced against D.P.’s–There isn’t a Sabra in the whole country who isn’t firmly convinced that what happened to the Jews of Europe will, within 10 to 25 years be repeated in the U.S.A.–But I think their feelings in this regard go even further–I’m ashamed to say so, but I think some of them actually hope within their hears that such a thing will take place–The D.P.’s & “Meccas”, by the same token, have no use for the Sabras.–And all of these people of various origins share a mutual dislike of the Yemenites, upon whom they have successfully pushed most of the dirty work of this War–The Yemenites are also disliked by the otherwise righteous & democratically-inclined South Africans–This, of course, because of the South African’s intense indoctrination of the “color-bar theory”.  All Israeli Jews, again the Sabras in particular, carry their dislike of Anglo-Saxons to the uncalled for extent of pretending complete ignorance of knowledge of the English language–even knowing we are Jews, just as themselves, and are certainly on their side , and knowing fully well that most of us speak no Hebrew whatsoever, for all practical purposes, and some of us no Yiddush, they still often refuse to speak and answer in English–There is, of course, a traditional dislike between city dwellers & Kibbutznick, regardless of origin

–Taking all these facts into final consideration, it is, frankly, hard to understand where the Wartime so-called “unity” emanates from.  And, finally, the question arises in my mind as to whether it’s worse to be discriminated against in America because you’re a Jew, or to be discriminated against in Israel because you’re an American–Ironically enough!  Is it any wonder, then, that I would like to change certain impressions & opinions which my mind has formed in the 4 months I’ve been here? 

Friday, 24 Dec. ’48

I put one over on the army–for a change–Slipped off to Haifa yesterday with Alf & Fisher and won’t return to camp until tomorrow.  Came in to see George off.  Helen gave him a little send-off last nite, & Shacter, Jess, me, Alf, & Fisher were all in attendance; also Esther & the Kellers.  Plenty of cognac on hand–Today was really the day, though–we all got into the Port area to see George off.  Rode right thru in a cab.  Their security regulations at the Port are really a farce–If you simply wave an “official” looking paper at them–any kind–they’ll let you thru–actually, none of us had proper authorization to be there.  But we all flashed legal looking bits of paper–Jesse was arrested for taking pictures–They held him at Bat Golime Jail for six hours.  I too took pictures–but no one caught me!  George was & wasn’t anxious to leave–claims he will probably return to live–I doubt if he will–Depends a lot on how things are in N.Y. upon his return there.  Ralph Lowenstein from “Gimmel”, & the 12 mutineers from the 72nd left also on the Carp.  The port area is really a busy place whenever the Carp docks–The immigration bldg. was a madhouse–No one seemed to know whether they were coming or going–Confusion, again!

Saturday, 25 December–Christmas

All I can say is that if you are a holiday enthusiast, Israel is one helluva’ place to spend Xmas Day–I really am homesick today–as are most “Machal” boys.–on top of this, everyone is abounding with rumors about the renewal of warfare on a large scale–Fighting has broken out in the Negev again, and it seems, if the rumors can be believed, that preparations are being made for an Israeli offensive around the triangle.  Our navy has been active–Schacter said they sank a Syrian ship last week–and in answer to my question as to why Syria didn’t register protest with the U.N., he said that the ship was carrying ammunition–Some “truce” we’ve got!  Our navy also captured an Egyptian boat Thursday nite–off Port Said about 50 miles–I saw it in the harbor yesterday–a craft about 50 feet long–The crew, 3 or 4 “Gypos” & a couple Italians are our prisoners now.  The general opinion seems to be that had U.N. voted for Israel’s admission, complete warfare would have been averted, and that now we have no choice–that “might is right”, and “Possession is nine Points”–I almost feel guilty for having accepted the Sabra viewpoint that without British help the Arab Legion wouldn’t hold up against an Israeli onslaught–I think it’s highly possible that we could reach and take Amman.  Am I getting “cocky”!!

Sunday, Dec. 26th, ’48

The party’s over–I’m off to Metula today–Metulla is the upper-most point of the upper Galilee–It is as far as you can go without leaving Palestine–It practically borders on three countries–Palestine, Lebanon & Syria.  While coming up here I was suddenly impressed  with all the land of the Galilee that can be utilized for agriculture & settlements, but which, to date has not been cultivated or populated.  I suddenly fully realized that Israel can absorb a population of several millions–and yet, this is only the Galilee–I haven’t even seen the Negev, which contains two-thirds of the territory allotted Israel under the Partition Plan of Nov. 29–1947.  Some of this land in the Galilee is very rocky–some very fertile.  Anyway, I have had ample proof of what the Jews can do with “rough terrain”–They can at least clear the rocks, which is something the Arabs have never been too adept at.

Well-ll-l-l–Metulla is really the place.  We are staying in a nice hotel here–a wash basin in every room too.  If we were much closer to the Arab positions I think I could hit them with rocks.  Sam Singer has been pointing them out to us–Actually, the Lebanese army is all around us–They are also supposed to have 2 Syrian brigades with them.  We can see their troops with our naked eyes, & with field glasses you can almost detect their routine activities.  They have never bothered Metulla, because, they say, relations between the Arabs and the Jews here have always, even throughout this War, been most friendly.  Actually, if they wanted to, I’m sure the Lebanese could demolish this town in short order–They have the best positions possible for artillery & mortar emplacements.  For example, about 1000 yards to our north is an Arab fortress on a hill, which commands the entire area–I can see the fortress quite easily–To our northwest, on another hill, is an Arab village, & with field-glasses I can pick out the blue-domed mosque.  The Arabs come here all the time to sell contraband goods & to deal in Black Market.  They sell us white refined sugar, which, undoubtedly, was consigned by I.R.O. or the Red Cross to Arab refugees.  The Metulla Jews, as well, are all Black Marketeers, I understand.  It is very cold up here–on a clear day they tell me that Mt. Hermon, in Lebanon, can be seen very easily–with it’s snow-capped peaks–We can also see it from Haifa & Samariya on a sunny day.  Metulla is–and always has been–a Jewish village–There’s something about it that reminds me of a small town in Oregon–where we used to maneuver among the mountains in the U.S. Army–The houses are different from those in Haifa & T.A.–They are all set back from the streets so that all homes have front yards, (without grass, of course)–The few civilians I’ve seen seem indifferent to the War–as though it didn’t exist.  They go about their daily business as usual–In spite of the fact that they are so close to enemy troops.

Thursday, Dec. 30, 1948

JESUS H. CHRIST!!!  Is it ever cold up here!  I can’t remember a single time when I’ve been any closer to freezing–and here we just ain’t prepared for this kind of weather.  No artificial heat in any of these buildings, and me without an overcoat of gloves, even!

Today was a most interesting day for me–one with some activity–This morning we went to collect firewood for the kitchen, & while we were out Zeff took us to Tel Hai–some of the heroic stand of Josef Trumpeldorf and 7 other Kibbutznick against an Arab raid in 1921–They have erected quite a nice monument on the spot, and the patriots are also burried there.  Took pictures here–Hope they come out–Got a terrific view of Mt. Hermon from there–snow all over it.  Hermon, incidentally is in Syria–not Lebanon, as I was first told.  Its about 35 kms. from Metula.  This afternoon I decided to accompany the afternoon patrol on their usual route–Went in Norman D’Lin’s car, & he acted as tour guide, & pointed out all the interesting things to me.  From the Customs House checking point we entered Lebanon and the first Arab village we hit was Adesa–Typical Arab “mud-hovel”–filthy, and probably lousy with fleas, lice & rats–The Arabs here, since Israel’s “cleanup” of the Galilee, have asked the Israeli Government to incorporate Adesa, into the Jewish State–They receive better treatment from us & are certainly more prosperous than under Lebanese administration.  They’ll sell you any & everything there–cattle, poultry, eggs,–combs, fountain pens, watch bands, etc.  The little kids ran out to our cars when we stopped there & tried to sell us some of these articles.  It was here, only about a mile or so from Jewish Metula, that I couldn’t help but compare the thinly-clad Arab kids with the heavily-clad Jewish children.  One little girl–about five–I felt particularly sorry for–She was barefooted, stockingless & coatless & hatless–Her dress hung about her like a torn & tattered sack, & she was shivering from the cold winds.  The usual Western conception of a typical-looking Arab is a myth–most of them, if they don’t look Jewish, could be taken for any ordinary American, if properly dressed & placed in a modern atmosphere.  We left Adesa and continued on with the patrol.  At this point, we reached an altitude so high that we could see the entire Huleh Valley in the Galilee–all the way to Lake Huleh.  It is here that one can see how completely cultivated the Huleh Valley is–The Jewish farmers have taken advantage of nearly every available square inch of soil & have turned it into one vast farm–The criss-cross geometric patterns of crops stretch far as far as the eye can see–Coming down the slopes of these high hills, the Lebonese efforts can be seen, and the contrast they present, as compared with the Jewish accomplishments, is like the difference between nite & day.  I don’t know how long these Lebonese farmers have been tilling the soil, but you’d think that their results would surpass–or at least equal–the Jewish output.  They don’t, though.  We soon came to the Arab village of Hula–evacuated long ago–the patrol sometimes goes much furthur–as far South as Meis–This time, however, we turned back at Hula.  This A.M. we came near Kibbutz K’far Giledei; it is up on a high hill, and we didn’t get to go right to it–I understand that Mayan Baruch is not too far from here, & I’d like to go there, as it is composed, for the most part, of Anglo-Saxons–lots of Americans there, I’m told.  

Sunday, Jan. 2nd, 1949

Friday Nite, New Years’ Eve was certainly a depressing & unsuccessful attempt for gaiety–We had a “party” at Clara’s–The cafe down the street.  The 2 bottles of wine & several bottles of beer didn’t go very far–women were supposed to come in from Kfar Giladi, but didn’t show up–two girls from Tel Hai dropped by.  The party wasn’t actually in celebration of New Years’ Eve (the Israelis don’t believe in celebrating the Christian World’s New Year)–It was, rather, a belated Chanukah party.  I retired before 12:00 pm–wasn’t enjoying myself particularly, &, after all, the warmest place to be around here is in bed.– 

Yesterday, Saturday was another interesting day–Zeev took 12 of us sight-seeing–First we went to Kibbutz Dan, in the Huleh Valley–an old established settlement–It is almost in Syria, and Syrian troops are on the surrounding hills within easy vision–I could see Arab trucks moving about on the hills–About 2 minutes before we got there, one of the soldiers on the “Mishlot” there by the Kibbutz, stepped on a mine, & we arrived in time to see his rescue & evacuation–The poor guy was badly injured–looked like he lost his left foot, & of course a large amount of blood.  I hope he lives.  From Dan, we went to Kfar Szold–named after Henrietta Szold–also along the Syrian border.  Then we went to Maayan Baruch–I was somewhat disappointed in it, as I had expected to see a real old, rich commune–I didn’t know that it is only 2 years old–the Kibutznik there are evenly divided between Americans, South Africans and Sabras.  The Americans there come from Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York & Baltimore–one of the L.A. girls showed us around–M.B. has had only 2 casualties since it’s foundation.  One man was killed while taking a wagon to Kfar Giladi, early last year–another boy, a South African, recently lost both hands working with demolitions.  This was particularly tragic as this fellow was a musician–He played 6 different instruments.  He’s in the States now for rehabilitation, but intends to return here & to M.B.–Some courage & determination!!

Is the food around here ever lousy!  Our daily suppers have become so monotonously the same, that I have nicknamed the evening meal “The 3 S’s”–for Salmon, salad & soup.  It never changes from that diet, either.

Tuesday, Jan 4th, 1949

Returned to Samariya today; Sat in the back of a pickup & nearly froze.  It was during today’s return trip that, once again, I became so acutely aware of Israel’s small size.  At one point, west of Safad it is possible to see Lake Kenaret, with Trans-Jordan to it’s east, and at the same time Mt. Carmel, & Haifa Bay on the western side–So in one easy glance & turn of the head it is possible to see from one side of Israel to the other–What a really small piece of land–and the lousy world would deny even this to a people without a country of their own,–for two selfish reasons:  1) because they claim our possession of it imperils their own imperialistic interests; and 2) they really do dislike us, or are so passive in their attitude to the extent of not caring what happens to us, neither of which reasons, of course, it justified.

Monday, Jan. 9th, ’49

All this talk about fresh British troops at Akaba, Amman & Mafrak certainly makes interesting conversation.  I don’t doubt the validity of these current rumors, but I don’t think that direct action between Anglo-Israeli units will take place.  England has, of course, has been a diplomatic dunce, throughout the Palestine situation, but I don’t think she’s dumb enough to start active participation in this war–or am I still idealistic enough to believe that world reaction would be catastrophic for Britain over such a thing?  I think her presence in the Middle East is, primarily, a move designed to bluff us–to scare us from further movements into Egypt–and may possibly be, also, an attempt to bolster Arab morale, which has apparently dwindled to a new low.  Yesterday’s reports of the downing of 5 British planes is probably true–I hope so!  If we can prove the planes were over Israel, and not within Egypt’s frontiers, as Britain reports, I’m hoping world opinion will be swayed to our side–that all support from the big powers will be withdrawn from England.

George arrived New York OK–Helen received cable.

One of Nat’s good friends of many years standing here, a fellow Nat & Helen call “Nade,” represents a new line of thought for me–He is from England & has been here for about 25 years–From the way he talks I gather that he is not too happy in Israel–He worked for the British mandatory government, & is now working for the Israeli Government–it would seem that he is very pro-British–that he was content working for them, at any rate.  He probably made a nice salary, & under the Anglo-wing, probably held a position of some responsibility & with no little authority over his Jewish brothers.  Working for Jews, now, I have an idea he dislikes taking orders from them & cannot get along with them, either.  I would class him as typical of a certain group of people within this country who were satisfied to live forever under British rule, because they were happy with their own personal lot and concerned not at all for their countrymen.  I’m sure that this group comprises a very small minority of people, of course, but I don’t think they should be ignored completely–I shouldn’t think they will ever make good Israeli citizens.  “Nade,” is very outspoken in his criticism of Russia, and I detect a certain undertone of fear lest Israel suddenly become a Communistic sattelite.  Perhaps it’s not, after all, that he’s so pro-British, as much as he is anti-Russian–He concludes that in the event of war between Communism & Capitalism, Russia will occupy Israel within the first few days–he could be right on that particular point.  Nevertheless, to get back to the point, I couldn’t help but notice what I would call a certain amount of scorn & doubt, on “Nade’s” part, as to past and future Israeli victories in this present conflict–

Thursday, Jan 13, ’49

My hatred for Bevin, Atlee, Beeley & Britain as a whole, has reached the maximum, I’m sure.  After hearing the news of the past few days–in particular, Britain’s unsuccessful attempt to fix the blame on Israel of the loss of five planes from the RAF, & all the British press comments so antagonistic to us–I have come to view the British Government as the most decadent of the 20th Century.  Actually, though, my dislike of things British also includes the people themselves.  I am positive that if the average Briton wanted to, collectively, they could force an alteration of Bevin’s foreign policy–Since they seem to make no effort in this direction, however, I can only assume that the average Englishman is either anti-semitic, anti-Zionist, or just doesn’t give a damn–or possibly two or all three of these characteristics may be attributed to them–certainly not admirable qualities. 

Friday, Jan. 28th, 1949

Looks like I have neglected my “memoirs” lately.  Really haven’t had a chance to do any writing for the past two weeks.  At the moment I am pretty disgusted–It seems that I am affected (always something) with a disease known as psoriasis–a skin infection, the cause of which is not known in medical circles–my scalp, half my face, and my entire body are completely covered with red, scaly sores–I returned today from a skin specialist at Kupat Halim in T.A., & he gave me 3 prescriptions to use–2 ointments & a powder–& he recommends hospitalization, as daily hot baths are on the agenda, & Samariya is not equipped with such facilities–But I am having an argument with the medics here–It seems that the Dr. (who is actually no doctor at all, but a butcher) is on “Haffish,”& Moshe, his orderly, claimed I would have to wait for his return before hospitalization can be affected–I told him he was crazy if he thought I would agree to prolong my malady simply because the Dr. is on leave–& I insisted on going to the hospital tomorrow–Then he decides that I’d have to wait until Sunday, as tomorrow is “Shabbat”–I told him again, that he is “nuts” if he thinks I’ll wait till Sunday just because tomorrow is a holiday–I had no success with him, however, so first thing tomorrow I’ll go see the 2-1C, since Yaakov is not around.

A week ago this past Tuesday, Jan. 18th, Fisher, Sam & I went on 4 days Haffish–We decided to take in Jerusalem, as none of us had been there yet–Spent a day in T.A. first, then travelled on to the “Holy City”–This trip turned out to be a most interesting experience.  We travelled by way of Hageveura Road, completion of which was only recently celebrated by the big ceremony which I attended.  We went by bus, having obtained free tickets.  I liked Jerusalem–The city is somewhat different from T.A. & Haifa–It’s not quite as noisy and busy–In fact there’s actually a certain quietude which doesn’t exist in the other 2 cities.  The population is much smaller, of course, and that may be the reason.  The “Modern” City is even more modern than T.A., in some respects.  Things there aren’t so monotonously the same as they are in T.A.–There are a few more distinguishing physical features in the buildings & in the manner in which the streets are laid out–Several buildings have as many as 7 stories, which itself is not duplicated in T.A., since T.A. is built on sand–We stayed at the Hotel Tel-Or, which compares with any place I’ve stayed at in T.A.–We reached Jerusalem about 3:30 P.M. on Thursday, & the weather was nasty, it having rained the entire trip–So we didn’t get to see much that afternoon.  That nite, we went to the Mapai Soldiers’ Club–about 10:00 Julie decided to retire, but Sam & I stayed on, & were glad we did, as about 30 minutes later in walked Ben-Gurion & a party–He had been speaking that nite in one of the theaters–campaign speech–Anyway when he made his entrance, he was given a terrific ovation, everyone rising to applaud, while the Jerusalem Police Band, which was providing music for the nite, played what I assume to be the equivalent of “Hail to the Chief”–Ben-Gurion & his party then proceeded to a table near the band, on a slightly elevated platform, & then the band broke out with “Hatikva”, and we all stood silently to attention, this being followed by another wild burst of applause–I was just as enthusiastic as the Sabras in attendance in according the Prime Minister his welcome–(For the sake of the election I consider myself a Mapainik, not that I know much of their Platform–I simply don’t believe in “changing horses in mid-stream”, so to speak–I felt the same way about Roosevelt’s campaign in ’44–I feel, after all, that Ben-Gurion has, thus far, guided Israel to an accomplished stage, and see no reason why he should be replaced with someone whose ability as “the leader” has not been evidenced–particularly since this is still a very critical period in Israel’s young existence)–A few minutes after the playing of “Hatikva”, Ben-Gurion left his table, and walked into the soldiers’ midst to sit at a table and talk to some of the “G.I.s”–This gesture to show he was “one of the boys” brought forth another excited flurry of applause, followed by a stampede of autograph hunters–Then “our boy” gave a short talk (without mentioning Politics or the coming election)–It was in Hebrew, of course, so as usual–we were left in the dark–Found out later that he spoke, among other things, of the courage & heroism of Jerusalemites during the siege, & reiterated that Jerusalem must remain part of the Jewish State & become our eternal Capital, as it was always intended.  (In this regard I must add that I concur wholeheartedly with his viewpoint.  I hadn’t been in town one hour, in the afternoon, when I suddenly decided to myself that it was impossible to conceive Jerusalem not as part of Israel–The city is as Jewish as Andy Hardy’s imaginary “Carvel” is American–and the fact that there are a few Christian religious shrines & institutions located there, should not be accepted as a good enough reason for internationalizing the City–particularly since 100,000 of its inhabitants are Jewish, and are tied to the new state spiritually, economically & politically–The world’s consideration of their religious interests there, as a priority to the local Jews’ own well-being is a most selfish & unjustifiable attitude.–The world knows as well as I do that Jewish autonomy over Jerusalem would have no detrimental or harmful effects on their interests there; in fact they could be assured of even more strict protection–but, led by the Vatican, they would never admit it–)–

Ben-Gurion stayed at the Club for about 45 minutes, then left amidst “you-know-what”–That’s right!–another loud ovation of applause & cheers.  I will say one thing–I don’t imagine there is another country in the world where that nation’s “number one Personality” can mingle so informally, with such complete lack of reservation and ceremony, with plain “Mr. Joe Doaks”–as was demonstrated in the Soldiers’ Club that nite.  I was very much impressed, as was Sam.

The next morning we went to the Etsel Club, as Julie (himself a Betarim) believed we should be able to contact someone there who would be willing to show us the town’s sites of interest.  The day had dawned a beautiful one, sunshine and all, and continued as such throughout the day.  We were even more successful than we had imagined–Some woman promised to meet us there at 12:30 to show us around, and she also asked us to have dinner with her that evening.  In the meantime, we had three hours to utilize, so we went up to the P.I.O. (Palestine Information Office), and there we picked up a considerable quantity of Zionist Printed Propaganda, and also a guide to show us some of the city.  First we went to the Jewish Agency Building, which also houses the Keren Hayesod (Jewish National Fund)–we visited the Herzl Room–a fairly accurate reproduction of Theodore Herzl’s office in Vienna, containing his original furniture–desk, chairs, books, pictures, etc.  We registered our names in the Visitors’ Book–Then we visited the National Fund’s Room of Golden Books–I was sorry that I could not spend more time in this room–It was very fascinating looking at the names entered in these books–There are, for example, pages and pages devoted to the name of Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as a large number of entries for Jan Hofmeyer–the South African Liberal & Pro-Zionist who died only last month.  The “Books” themselves, are each a work of art–The covers are beautiful, the earliest two containing much gold in their manufacture–They are large volumes, each about eight inches thick, eighteen inches wide and two feet long.  There are six volumes, if I recall correctly, the sixth one being used now.  We saw some of the damage done to the Agency Building thru an Arab or British act of violence–Men were making repairs, even while we were there.  We left the Agency and visited the Modern Synagogue across the street from it–It is very beautiful and very modern–that portion including the Ark being the most impressive part.

Then we walked across the street to a 7-story apartment House, climbed up to the roof, and watched & listened to our guide (a former American) as he pointed out what could be seen in the Arab-occupied “Old City” just a few hundred yards to our east–The Hebrew University, Hadassah Hospital, the various Greek, Russian & Italian churches and monasteries, all atop Mt. Scopus present an interesting panorama–The wall around the “Old City” looks quite formidable–We could see a few “Legion Soldiers” vaguely, and Arab vehicles moving around–Very little real activity, however, could be detected.–To our North, the guide pointed out Iraqui Strongpoints, and to our South Egyptian Positions, all of which made me suddenly realize that Jerusalem actually is almost completely surrounded by Arab troops–The City sticks out like the tip of a finger, the end of the narrow correder running from the coast and Tel Aviv.  It was then that I marvelled over Jerusalem’s successful efforts to hold out against near hopeless odds.–Their survival was nothing less than miraculous, and is something which can truly be admired.  Be assured that the Arab emplacements on the surrounding hills covered the city from every direction, and the sole fact that complete destruction and devastation was avoided is hard to understand– 

The lady who was to meet us at 12:30 was detained, but her daughter and a girlfriend showed up, & the five of us started out–Past Terra Sancta College which the Hebrew University is using temporarily, we went to the area of the King David Hotel–The ruins of the Hotel are still there.  Julie & I slipped into the former British Officers’ Club next door and took pictures of the Old City across from us.  This area is supposed to be restricted; and no Jewish troops were anywhere near these places.  We had been anxious to visit the old religious section of the New City, so the girls took us there–I was not too impressed–The place is very dirty, and everything there seems to be in a state of near-deterioration.  One of the girls wanted to see her great grandmother, a young thing of 101 years of age–so we went with her–What a place!  No better than the filthy Arab mud-hovels we have seen so often–stone walls, roof and floor–no rugs or carpets–Real filth–Very depressing–The “Gran’ma” speaks a good Yiddish–but no Hebrew–Shes only been here for about 80 years–But it seems that these extremely religious people do not use Hebrew as their language of daily life, as they consider it too sacred for use except with the Talmud.  The very young, very orthodox boys, dressed in black, with black hats, & their long side-locks really make a picture–We asked one fellow with long beard, etc. (I don’t think he was over 35) to pose for a picture, but in polite Yiddish he refused–I never knew such a thing could be considered sacreligious, but I guess it is–

We finally reached the girls’ house for supper–Her mother, a very attractive woman of about 45, is a former New Yorker–I could tell it as soon as I heard her speak–She’s very nice–The husband, an A.K. at least 20 years older than she, did not speak English as well–The home (flat, that is) was modestly but nicely furnished–a “Homey” 

atmosphere–We had some long & interesting discussions–These people are all confirmed Herutniks–even the kids (the youngest boy is about 9) have been thoroughly indoctrinated with the Etsel philosophy–Mrs. Greenfeld was a very genuine sounding person–She was in the States just two years ago–She repeated what I have so often heard here from former Americans–that in visiting another land away from here, there ensues a certain emptiness which disappears only when returned to Israel–

The food was very good–Fried fish, gefilte fish, borsht, cauliflower, “cholly”, salad,–coffee and a pudding desert–A very proper “Kiddush” preceeded the meal, and the old gent continued “davening” for a few minutes after the meal–All in all it was an enjoyable evening.

Forgot to mention that on our first nite we visited Kal Yerushalayim–Jerusalem’s Radio Station–We were shown all around the studios, which are very nice–They have a large record library.  We returned to T.A. the following morning, after getting a 24-hour extension from the Town Major.  

It seems funny, but the people of Jerusalem, who have endured far harder privations and miseries than those of Haifa & T.A., are without question much more friendly, seemingly more relaxed, and speak English with much less hesitancy than there brothers in the other two cities–

We also viewed the ruins of the Ben Yehuda Street Explosions, which these people claim the British instigated & carried out themselves.  Ben Yehuda and King David Avenue (formerly King George Ave.) are the principal streets of Jerusalem.  

Well, the elections are over, although the results may not be known until Sunday–So far it seems that Mapai has got a cinch–Mapam seems to be in second place, with Herut, who started out very slowly, follows in third place.  I don’t guess a more democratic election has ever been carried out anywhere else in the world–It was done in real American style too–Campaign posters smeared all over the country, with pictures of Jabotinsky staring me in the face everywhere I turned–Herut did the most campaigning I think.  In Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem the loudspeakers blaring forth campaign platforms nearly got on my nerves.  In T.A. it was really overdone–on the corner of Allenby Rd. & Ben Yehuda St. there were no less than six P.A. systems in use at the same time–Each, of course, supported a different party, and each was trying to drown out the other five, so that the result was that none of them could be heard or understood–Twenty-three different political parties must really seem strange to the world, but actually, as an editorial of a recent Palestine Post pointed out, they can be grouped around about four of the leading parties, so that it really isn’t as complicated as it seems.

With my face looking as it does, I didn’t want to be seen much in public, but in T.A. last nite we had a little reunion–Lew Cohen, Aaron Epstein, Dave Weinstein & myself.  We went to the Etsel Club& drank cognac–and talked things over–Saw Bill Goldstein for the first time the other nite in T.A.–He’s happy–Saw Giacolone the other day there, too–He was discharged, and has since left the country–That’s the third one–Looks like I’ll probably be number 4.

In Tel Aviv nite before last we attended a short informal lecture on Israeli Foreign Policy at “Beitan Gahal” given by Major Comay, of the Ministry–He’s a former South African.  His talk was both interesting and enlightening.  Actually, he didn’t say too much that I hadn’t already guessed, with the exception of his analysis of Israeli Policy at U.N., where the East-West conflict is involved.  He stressed the importance of early support of Israel by both Russia & the U.S.A., and the real necessity of retaining the friendship of both by not falling into the “Camp” of either–To accomplish this he said, jokingly, that after our admittance into U.N. we will probably become the champion U.N. “abstainers”–This was meant to be a joke, but it is more truth than fiction.  A question period followed, and one of the first among the audience to comment was a boy from Burma who hotly contested Major Comay’s expressed official viewpoints on these many contemplated “abstentions” in U.N., after our entrance thereto, so as not to incur the wrath of either the American or Russian spheres. This Burmese fellow, Eliahu by name, contended that the world is expecting much from Israel as a participant in international affairs, and he thinks we should live up to our name by voting for justice on all questions, regardless of the repurcussions in Washington and Moscow.  Now any fool (even me), and particularly a seemingly intelligent person such as Eliahu, should realize what such a policy as he would have us follow would involve, and the serious consequences such a policy would surely result in.  I liked the Major’s replies to this arguement & line of thought, who, tho’ he agreed with Eliahu on the moral justifications of such a viewpoint, aptly answered that the pursuit of such a policy “is a luxury which Israel, at the present time and probably for the next 5 or 10 years, cannot afford”.

Monday, Jan. 31, 1949

Yesterday I finally entered the Italian Hospital for treatment of my skin infection–God only knows how long I’ll have to stay here–All the hair on my head has now been shaved off, and my head is covered with salve and swathed completely in bandages, so that I give the appearance of having suffered a terrible head wound in battle.  There is one other fellow here with Psoriasis, the infection I’ve got.  After hearing what he alone has to say about it, I’m already discouraged.  He’s had it for 12 years–It seems to be a recurrent disease.  He has terrible looking big red marks all over his body; whether they are sores or scars I don’t know–Woe is me!!

Tuesday, Feb 8th, ’49

After nine days in the hospital I seem to have made very little improvement–My scalp has improved somewhat, but I can see no change at all in the sores over the rest of my body.  My treatment remains the same–New ointment every day–and something new has been added–Starting day before yesterday, and to take place every other day (for how long I know not) they take a tube full of blood from my arm and re-inject that same blood  back into my body through my rear end–I not only hate the idea of being punched with long needles, but it’s a painful process as well–however short.

I was just thinking what a mixed lot of fellows are in this ward–one boy from South Africa, one from Argentina (upon whom I’ve been practicing my Spanish), a gentile from California, a Druse from Syria, and, of course, the usual conglomeration of Sabras, Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Rumanians, Russians, Sabras–& one of the recent detainees from Cyprus–to say nothing of me–a Texan.

The hospital itself is nice enough–except for the fact that it’s cold in here–(I don’t think any place is ever warm in Israel during the winter).  The food is not bad, and the service and medical attention are pretty good.  Two of the medical orderlies in this ward were studying medicine at the University of California until they were ordered back 3 months ago to join the army.  And the other day I even met one Sabra who had been studying for a short while at Texas U., & at the Galveston School for Medicine–These Sabras sure get around.  It’s easy to notice the effect living in the States has had on them–They speak good English, have better American army clothing (which I imagine they brought back with them), and are more “Westernized” in their outlook on things in general–none of them seem to be very happy about having had to return to Israel–They are anxious to return to the States–if only to resume studies.

Friday, Feb. 11th, 1949

At about 1:00 P.M. this afternoon I suddenly thought the war had started all over again–Sirens started whistling, and stacks on every ship and boat in Haifa Bay must have been going full blast–I thought that this must surely be an air-raid, but was informed that all the noise was part of gigantic welcome to the ship “Atzma’ut”, which had just reached Haifa with the last group of detainees from Cyprus–signifying the end of a phase which should have never begun–The noise lasted about 15 minutes, and it sort of got me!  Very moving!  One of the boys from the hospital was down at the port and saw the reunion of two middle-aged brothers, and what a touching scene their meeting made.

A.D.I. (After Departure From Israel) Aboard the “Marine Carp”

Monday, April 18th, 1949

If I am able to remember even half the things I wanted to record here for posterity, which happened in the intervening period since I last wrote in these pages and the time I finally left Israel, I’ll consider myself very good.–I’m sure that the turmoil and general confusion which I experienced during the process of being discharged and leaving the country, will overshadow some of the more important happenings and impressions I wanted to remember.–

After nearly five weeks at Beit Cholim I finally left the hospital convinced that I will forever be a victim of recurrent Psoriasis.  My scalp and my face seem to be the only parts of my body which have shown definite signs of improvement–at this stage the infection has all but disappeared completely from those parts, and since my hair has again put in a sparse appearance, I am at last able to go around bareheaded without feeling strangely conspicuous.  Since I left the hospital, and until I actually boarded the Carp I never allowed myself to be seen in public without some kind of headgear–This actually made me just as conspicuous as going without a hat would have done, and I was continuously having to make explanations as to why I never took my hat off–But since wearing the hat at all times was the less unsightly of the two evils, I chose it as my only recourse.

It was while I was in the hospital, of course, that I finally decided to ask for my discharge from the army so that I could return home.  Three or four factors influenced my decision to do this.  Firstly, altho’ I realized the probably permanent possibilities of further warfare, the situation had reached a phase of comparative inactivity, the duration of which could be anybody’s guess–Egypt had signed an armistice and the other Arab countries were preparing to do so–This left me with the alternative of sitting around Israel for months–maybe a year, even–before things would start happening again–if and when–or taking steps in the direction of clearing out and returning home.  Secondly, altho’ I know my health will improve, I had reached a point where I thought I had let my state of health deteriorate as much as I could possibly allow it to without taking some concrete counter-action–and the only concrete measure I could think of was to get out and go home.  After having experienced a fractured nose, and a near broken leg, having contracted a lousy skin infection, and having suffered with my stomach for the past seven months, I finally decided it was high time to give up.

Since I had come to the conclusion that I wanted to go home, I decided that the best and quickest way to get my release from the army would be to have it processed while I was still a patient at the hospital, so that immediately upon my release therefrom I could be discharged from the service and start proceedings toward returning to the States.  Not knowing the proper procedure to get all this accomplished, I wrote a letter to Ethyl Schapiro, a South African woman who had been with us in France, and who was, at the time I wrote to her, one of the people in charge of the Mahal Headquarters, and a person who exerted considerable influence with the Mahal Special Discharge Board set up for us Mahalniks–A week or so later I received from Ethyl a very nice letter containing among other things a detailed step-by-step account of the procedure I should follow–Her instructions were, I’m sure, complete, accurate, and simple to understand.  Had I then been able to accomplish the whole process as simply as Ethyl had outlined it to me, I would, in all probability, have been out of the army much sooner than I actually was, and would definitely have been spared the mental aggravation, which resulted from the most inefficient and disgusting circuit of red tape I’ve ever run across, and which, from the very beginning of my discharge process, I was daily to be subjected to–until the very day of my departure from Israel.  It was during this period that I finally fully realized the meaning of the word “beauracracy”–But I cannot possibly conceive the idea of any other country so completely submerged in such a sea of unnecessary red-tape, and such administrative inefficiency on the part of all channels which processed me–I’ve never encountered, anywhere, such a general lack of knowledge as to what was supposed to be done, how, where, and when–And I find myself almost inadequate to describe the vicious circles I soon found myself running in–a gauntlet of red-tape which would try the constitutions of much sturdier and stronger people than myself–and in fact, did!  To remember every detail of what actually ensued, to say nothing of the exact sequence in which things occurrred, is virtually impossible, and I simply want to record here–(for posterity’s sake, again) a general impression of what went on from the time that I actually applied for my discharge until I finally left Eretz Israel:

To begin with, Ethyl had obligingly enclosed in her letter to me, two copies of the application for discharge, which were to be filled in by me with my signature affixed thereto.  Normally, as Ethyl explained in her letter to me, the applications must be signed by the applicant’s commanding officer.  In my particular case, however, and as Ethyl further explained, my attending doctor was supposed to sign, since I had already been dropped from my original unit’s rosters, having been already hospitalized for over 21 days.  And here my troubles began–

 I filled in the two applications, giving as my reason for wanting a discharge, my condition of health, mentioning both the Psoriasis and the stomach ailment.  Dr. Rapp refused to sign the application, and since he speaks no English (only German, a little Yiddish, and less Hebrew), it was very difficult to put my point over, or even to argue with him, for that matter–And he failed, thru interpretation, to give me a satisfactory explanation as to why he would not sign–He gave several reasons for not being able to sign, although I am convinced he was simply afraid to commit himself by using his authority,–afraid he might jeopardize his position–First, he refused to sign, because he doubted the validity of the application–claimed he had never before seen a “Mahal” form–Then he claimed he did not have the authority to sign–And even when I quoted to him that part of Ethyl’s letter saying he was the one to sign, he still refused to do it.  He referred me to a Dr. Feldman,–and it was at this time anyway coincidentally that I was called to appear before Dr. Feldman & a reclassification board for reclassifying.–Before I showed him the application, he interviewed me, and in view of my various ailments, changed my category from “Aleph” (A) to “Gimmel” (G)–Then I told him about wanting a discharge, whereupon he informed me he would not sign it, as I was not (says he) eligible for a discharge on medical grounds –.  He said that to be eligible for a discharge on medical grounds, the necessary classification is “Hey” (H)–In any case, not only did he refuse to sign my application, but wouldn’t even give me a statement as to why I had been hospitalized, to take to the medical board–Furthermore, he was so unfriendly & unsympathetic to my situation that I really got mad, then left.  I figured that since no one in the hospital was going to cooperate with me, I’d better enlist the aid of one of the Haifa Mahal representatives.  These people, however, all seemed to have the knack of passing the buck, so nothing was accomplished from that direction.

Several days later I was released from the hospital and assigned to Transit Camp 762 at Nesher, east of Haifa & going towards the Emeck–

(THE JOURNAL ENDS HERE)

Some personal details about Walter :