Page 138 - big friday
P. 138
much blood. Apparently, they blew up the bridges at Gesher to halt the invasion, too…
It is 1am.
T he lights throughout the valley, the lighting around the fences, the bakeries, the
hospitals, and all the kibbutz equipment that is in operation, testify that the Naharayim
power station is holding its own. I sit in the middle of the enormous command room,
responsible for the lighting of all the points around us, but inside there is darkness, a
darkness that I cannot name.
The time is 1am.
T he silence around the plant intensifies my anxiety. What are they planning for us
there? What does this silence hold? We know that the Arabs won't leave us like this; we
know that they won't forego the station, and that they'll be back, perhaps even tonight.
Tonight?
"Just not tonight," I pray inside. And I know that tonight won't go by like any other
night.
The telephone rings. I lift the receiver. Avraham Rutenberg is on the line. His voice is
trembling and festive. Finally someone speaks to me, tells me.
I listen:
"In the difficult situation you're facing," he tells me, "I might perhaps lift your spirits
with some happy news: the establishment of the State of Israel has been proclaimed. And
there has just been news that America has recognized us."
I don't know what to answer. I must admit that I feel no joy inside. I know that I should
be erupting in a great shout, but in my heart there is tranquility, apathy…
"Wonderful!" I finally call out in Russian, in what must be a pathetic voice. But the
thought gnaws at my heart: the state has arisen, but we – we are going to fall.
****
T he Jordanians demanded that Kachel open the doors. He maintained his refusal. They
threatened to blow up the turbines building. At 2:30am he received approval from the
command room at Ashdot Yaakov to open the doors. In the Jordan Valley and in Tiberias
the preparations for the invasion were complete, and the region was connected to Haifa
for electricity. Iraqi soldiers burst into the station building. They took 40 employees of the
Naharayim station into captivity, where they remained for nine months.
Zeev Kachel, Dams Erupting (Sekharim baPeretz), HaMatmid, 1957, pp. 81-98
136 The Friday That Changed Destiny
It is 1am.
T he lights throughout the valley, the lighting around the fences, the bakeries, the
hospitals, and all the kibbutz equipment that is in operation, testify that the Naharayim
power station is holding its own. I sit in the middle of the enormous command room,
responsible for the lighting of all the points around us, but inside there is darkness, a
darkness that I cannot name.
The time is 1am.
T he silence around the plant intensifies my anxiety. What are they planning for us
there? What does this silence hold? We know that the Arabs won't leave us like this; we
know that they won't forego the station, and that they'll be back, perhaps even tonight.
Tonight?
"Just not tonight," I pray inside. And I know that tonight won't go by like any other
night.
The telephone rings. I lift the receiver. Avraham Rutenberg is on the line. His voice is
trembling and festive. Finally someone speaks to me, tells me.
I listen:
"In the difficult situation you're facing," he tells me, "I might perhaps lift your spirits
with some happy news: the establishment of the State of Israel has been proclaimed. And
there has just been news that America has recognized us."
I don't know what to answer. I must admit that I feel no joy inside. I know that I should
be erupting in a great shout, but in my heart there is tranquility, apathy…
"Wonderful!" I finally call out in Russian, in what must be a pathetic voice. But the
thought gnaws at my heart: the state has arisen, but we – we are going to fall.
****
T he Jordanians demanded that Kachel open the doors. He maintained his refusal. They
threatened to blow up the turbines building. At 2:30am he received approval from the
command room at Ashdot Yaakov to open the doors. In the Jordan Valley and in Tiberias
the preparations for the invasion were complete, and the region was connected to Haifa
for electricity. Iraqi soldiers burst into the station building. They took 40 employees of the
Naharayim station into captivity, where they remained for nine months.
Zeev Kachel, Dams Erupting (Sekharim baPeretz), HaMatmid, 1957, pp. 81-98
136 The Friday That Changed Destiny
