Page 113 - big friday
P. 113
– In the battles on the way to Jerusalem
on the day of the establishment of the state
Yitzhak Rabin
D uring the period described below by Yitzhak Rabin in his autobiography,
he was 26 years old and served as commander of the Harel Brigade
– one of the three Palmach brigades out of the total of nine Hagana
brigades - in the critical days leading up to the declaration of the state.
We were short of weapons. The few fighters we had were collapsing with fatigue. We had
suffered heavy losses. Every night, every additional effort, brought with it tragic news: the
best men of the Brigade were falling; men whose strength of spirit and readiness to fight
will forever be inscribed on the glorious pages of the War of Independence.
There was no flagging of the great spirit. A tremendous desire beat in our hearts. No
nation has ever boasted such fighters. No nation has charged so few, equipped with such
poor weaponry, with the conquest and defense of its independence.
This distress tinged the joyous news of the declaration of the state with bitterness. An
old radio at Fefferman's house in Ma'aleh HaHamisha emitted the voice of David Ben-
Gurion, declaring the founding of the State of Israel. The exhausted soldiers tried to grasp
the significance of what he was saying. One, curled up in the corner, utterly worn out,
opened a bleary eye, stared into space and begged, "Guys, turn it off; I'm dying to sleep…
We'll hear the declaration tomorrow…" Someone got up and turned the dial. There was a
heavy silence.
I was quiet. It was sad. This wasn't how I had dreamed it would be. None of us had
dreamed that this was how we would welcome our new state. Inside, anxiety gnawed
at me. I knew that we were entering a stage that would be even more difficult. Just the
previous day, the Jerusalem commander, David Shaltiel, had summoned me. Lest there
remain any doubt in my mind, he told me, on Saturday, May 15, the regular Arab armies
would be invading the territory of the one-day-old state. Peretz Eshet was there, too; Ben-
Gurion regarded him as a top-rate military expert. He was Yitzhak Sadeh's assistant. I saw
Peretz Eshet lying on the floor, mumbling, "It's all lost; it's all lost…" I knew that Eshet
was mistaken. I tried to reassure him. I believe wholeheartedly in our capability. I believe
in our fighters. But I know how many of them won't be with us to celebrate our victory…
Yitzhak Rabin, Pinkas Sherut, Sifriyat Ma'ariv 1979, pp. 48-49
The Same Day, in... 111
on the day of the establishment of the state
Yitzhak Rabin
D uring the period described below by Yitzhak Rabin in his autobiography,
he was 26 years old and served as commander of the Harel Brigade
– one of the three Palmach brigades out of the total of nine Hagana
brigades - in the critical days leading up to the declaration of the state.
We were short of weapons. The few fighters we had were collapsing with fatigue. We had
suffered heavy losses. Every night, every additional effort, brought with it tragic news: the
best men of the Brigade were falling; men whose strength of spirit and readiness to fight
will forever be inscribed on the glorious pages of the War of Independence.
There was no flagging of the great spirit. A tremendous desire beat in our hearts. No
nation has ever boasted such fighters. No nation has charged so few, equipped with such
poor weaponry, with the conquest and defense of its independence.
This distress tinged the joyous news of the declaration of the state with bitterness. An
old radio at Fefferman's house in Ma'aleh HaHamisha emitted the voice of David Ben-
Gurion, declaring the founding of the State of Israel. The exhausted soldiers tried to grasp
the significance of what he was saying. One, curled up in the corner, utterly worn out,
opened a bleary eye, stared into space and begged, "Guys, turn it off; I'm dying to sleep…
We'll hear the declaration tomorrow…" Someone got up and turned the dial. There was a
heavy silence.
I was quiet. It was sad. This wasn't how I had dreamed it would be. None of us had
dreamed that this was how we would welcome our new state. Inside, anxiety gnawed
at me. I knew that we were entering a stage that would be even more difficult. Just the
previous day, the Jerusalem commander, David Shaltiel, had summoned me. Lest there
remain any doubt in my mind, he told me, on Saturday, May 15, the regular Arab armies
would be invading the territory of the one-day-old state. Peretz Eshet was there, too; Ben-
Gurion regarded him as a top-rate military expert. He was Yitzhak Sadeh's assistant. I saw
Peretz Eshet lying on the floor, mumbling, "It's all lost; it's all lost…" I knew that Eshet
was mistaken. I tried to reassure him. I believe wholeheartedly in our capability. I believe
in our fighters. But I know how many of them won't be with us to celebrate our victory…
Yitzhak Rabin, Pinkas Sherut, Sifriyat Ma'ariv 1979, pp. 48-49
The Same Day, in... 111
