Page 127 - big friday
P. 127
English remains an important language." We weren't convinced.
W hen I got home, at noon, my father told me that at 4pm the ceremony of the establishment
of the Jewish state would be broadcast by radio. "Our radio, not that of the British," he
emphasized.
T he afternoon went by slowly. We waited and waited, but 4pm didn't arrive. My mother
said that we should wear holiday clothes, because only once in a lifetime, if ever, did one
get to celebrate the establishment of a state, and the Jews have waited almost two thousand
years for this great day.
M y father and mother were very excited. I was less so.
As 4pm approached, we sat around the radio - my father and mother, myself, and
the twins. The anchors, a man and a woman, introduced the transmissions of Kol Yisrael
(Voice of Israel), the broadcast station of the new state. They told us about the ceremony
of the establishment of the state, which was starting at that moment in Tel Aviv.
T hroughout the transmission we sat quietly and listened. Even the twins, it seemed,
grasped the importance of the occasion, and were silent. I must admit that as the ceremony
progressed, even I started to become excited. David Ben-Gurion, the Prime Minister, read
the Scroll of Independence and explained that the laws of the Mandatory administration
were nullified. Then the members of the Provisional State Council signed the Scroll, and
the ceremony came to an end.
T he name of the state is 'Israel'. Over the past few days there were suggestions to name
it Yehuda, or Tzion, or Eretz Yisrael. Ultimately, 'Israel' was decided upon.
E veryone was serious. My mothers' eyes were wet. Even I felt a strange feeling in my throat,
apparently out of excitement.
A bout a quarter of an hour later, my Uncle Meir and Aunt Ruhama came to visit.
Uncle Meir was very cheerful; he cried, "Why are you so serious? Bring some wine and
let us toast – ‘Shehehiyanu’!” My mother brought some wine and glasses, and we all had
a drink. "Now the real troubles will begin," said my father. "All the Arab countries will
invade the country."
"You and your worries," protested Uncle Meir. "The Arab leaders are threatening that
the Arab armies will invade, but we don't have to believe them. They tend to exaggerate."
"Let's hope so," said my father.
In the evening I went to a youth movement meeting. Everyone was talking about only
one thing – the establishment of the state. "Now we still don't understand how important
it is," said Musa, the youth leader. "In another twenty or thirty years, we'll be proud to have
been alive today."
It sounded like Zionism. But was it? Perhaps it is truly a great day? It's difficult to know
right now. We'll see tomorrow. And what about the Arab countries – will they invade?
Mordecai Naor, Upward on the Tower, Israeli Ministry of Defense, 1974, pp. 51-52.
The Same Day, in... 125
W hen I got home, at noon, my father told me that at 4pm the ceremony of the establishment
of the Jewish state would be broadcast by radio. "Our radio, not that of the British," he
emphasized.
T he afternoon went by slowly. We waited and waited, but 4pm didn't arrive. My mother
said that we should wear holiday clothes, because only once in a lifetime, if ever, did one
get to celebrate the establishment of a state, and the Jews have waited almost two thousand
years for this great day.
M y father and mother were very excited. I was less so.
As 4pm approached, we sat around the radio - my father and mother, myself, and
the twins. The anchors, a man and a woman, introduced the transmissions of Kol Yisrael
(Voice of Israel), the broadcast station of the new state. They told us about the ceremony
of the establishment of the state, which was starting at that moment in Tel Aviv.
T hroughout the transmission we sat quietly and listened. Even the twins, it seemed,
grasped the importance of the occasion, and were silent. I must admit that as the ceremony
progressed, even I started to become excited. David Ben-Gurion, the Prime Minister, read
the Scroll of Independence and explained that the laws of the Mandatory administration
were nullified. Then the members of the Provisional State Council signed the Scroll, and
the ceremony came to an end.
T he name of the state is 'Israel'. Over the past few days there were suggestions to name
it Yehuda, or Tzion, or Eretz Yisrael. Ultimately, 'Israel' was decided upon.
E veryone was serious. My mothers' eyes were wet. Even I felt a strange feeling in my throat,
apparently out of excitement.
A bout a quarter of an hour later, my Uncle Meir and Aunt Ruhama came to visit.
Uncle Meir was very cheerful; he cried, "Why are you so serious? Bring some wine and
let us toast – ‘Shehehiyanu’!” My mother brought some wine and glasses, and we all had
a drink. "Now the real troubles will begin," said my father. "All the Arab countries will
invade the country."
"You and your worries," protested Uncle Meir. "The Arab leaders are threatening that
the Arab armies will invade, but we don't have to believe them. They tend to exaggerate."
"Let's hope so," said my father.
In the evening I went to a youth movement meeting. Everyone was talking about only
one thing – the establishment of the state. "Now we still don't understand how important
it is," said Musa, the youth leader. "In another twenty or thirty years, we'll be proud to have
been alive today."
It sounded like Zionism. But was it? Perhaps it is truly a great day? It's difficult to know
right now. We'll see tomorrow. And what about the Arab countries – will they invade?
Mordecai Naor, Upward on the Tower, Israeli Ministry of Defense, 1974, pp. 51-52.
The Same Day, in... 125
