Page 51 - big friday
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the state, while he, as President of the Jewish National Council, was located in
Jerusalem, which was under siege. "Together with me there were another three
members of the Jewish National Council executive (Zerach Warhaftig, Eliyahu Berlin,
and Avraham Katznelson, of blessed memory), and we had to convey our position as
to declaring the state on the 5th Iyar, 5708. The night before we had sent our positive
response, adding our voices to the historical declaration."
The Prime Minister, Mr. D. Ben-Gurion, announced this response at the ceremonial
meeting at the Tel Aviv Museum, saying: "All the members of the People's Council
[who are] in Jerusalem, who unfortunately could not get here for reasons that are
familiar to you, have notified that they all join unanimously in this decision."
O nly on the 15th Sivan – in other words, almost six weeks later - did Mr. Yitzhak
Ben-Zvi, today the President of the State, attend a meeting of the Provisional State
Council.
5. Eliyahu Berlin: I t is difficult for him to recall the event
We visited the eldest of the signatories on the Scroll of Independence – Mr. Eliyahu
Berlin, who was treasurer of the Jewish National Council – at the Home for the Aged
in Holon. We found a man of extreme age, weak, hard of hearing – but nevertheless
friendly, welcoming, and making an effort to answer our questions.
W hen the nation's representatives were called upon to participate in the ceremony
of the declaration of the state, Mr. Berlin was in Jerusalem. Since the city was under
siege at the time, orders were given to fly him by Piper plane from the temporary
runway next to the Valley of the Cross, but the flight was delayed by two days, and
Mr. Berlin signed the Scroll in the Prime Minister's office.
It is difficult for him to remember the whole event and the emotions that he
experienced during those moments. With nobility of spirit he apologizes self-
deprecatingly: "After all, what can you ask of a sick old man aged 92?"
6. Peretz Bernstein: " Would we live at all?"
"While we signed the Scroll of Independence, just one question was on my mind:
Would we continue to exist in the state whose establishment we had just declared?
Would we live at all?"
M r. Peretz Bernstein speaks at length in his firm, calm and pleasant voice as he
recalls the historic moment of the declaration of the state and the signing of the Scroll
of Independence.
The previous day, even before receiving the secret invitation ("We ask that the contents
of the invitation and the time of the Council session be kept confidential"), Mr.
Bernstein had travelled to Haifa, where he had met with the director of the refineries
and tried to convince him that the British should leave the enormous quantities of
A State is Born 49
Jerusalem, which was under siege. "Together with me there were another three
members of the Jewish National Council executive (Zerach Warhaftig, Eliyahu Berlin,
and Avraham Katznelson, of blessed memory), and we had to convey our position as
to declaring the state on the 5th Iyar, 5708. The night before we had sent our positive
response, adding our voices to the historical declaration."
The Prime Minister, Mr. D. Ben-Gurion, announced this response at the ceremonial
meeting at the Tel Aviv Museum, saying: "All the members of the People's Council
[who are] in Jerusalem, who unfortunately could not get here for reasons that are
familiar to you, have notified that they all join unanimously in this decision."
O nly on the 15th Sivan – in other words, almost six weeks later - did Mr. Yitzhak
Ben-Zvi, today the President of the State, attend a meeting of the Provisional State
Council.
5. Eliyahu Berlin: I t is difficult for him to recall the event
We visited the eldest of the signatories on the Scroll of Independence – Mr. Eliyahu
Berlin, who was treasurer of the Jewish National Council – at the Home for the Aged
in Holon. We found a man of extreme age, weak, hard of hearing – but nevertheless
friendly, welcoming, and making an effort to answer our questions.
W hen the nation's representatives were called upon to participate in the ceremony
of the declaration of the state, Mr. Berlin was in Jerusalem. Since the city was under
siege at the time, orders were given to fly him by Piper plane from the temporary
runway next to the Valley of the Cross, but the flight was delayed by two days, and
Mr. Berlin signed the Scroll in the Prime Minister's office.
It is difficult for him to remember the whole event and the emotions that he
experienced during those moments. With nobility of spirit he apologizes self-
deprecatingly: "After all, what can you ask of a sick old man aged 92?"
6. Peretz Bernstein: " Would we live at all?"
"While we signed the Scroll of Independence, just one question was on my mind:
Would we continue to exist in the state whose establishment we had just declared?
Would we live at all?"
M r. Peretz Bernstein speaks at length in his firm, calm and pleasant voice as he
recalls the historic moment of the declaration of the state and the signing of the Scroll
of Independence.
The previous day, even before receiving the secret invitation ("We ask that the contents
of the invitation and the time of the Council session be kept confidential"), Mr.
Bernstein had travelled to Haifa, where he had met with the director of the refineries
and tried to convince him that the British should leave the enormous quantities of
A State is Born 49
