Page 60 - big friday
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received the invitation to the ceremony of the declaration of the state, there was no
explicit indication of what was going to happen there. Everything was shrouded in
secrecy, since the Mandate was to expire only at midnight on that night, and the state
was in fact declared eight hours before that time. And indeed, there were members
who argued that there must be no deviation from international procedure. But we, as
religious Jews, claimed it self-evident that the State of Israel could not be established
on Shabbat. And so the ceremony was moved forward.
“As you know, there were debates about the wording of the Scroll (which did not
satisfy me, nor those I represent), and the result was the fruit of compromise. But
despite everything, I did not agree that they would add 'bet heh' (an abbreviation
for the expression, 'With the help of God'), nor did I write that next to my signature,
because I felt that this would diminish the expression, 'the Rock of Israel'.
In the hours leading up to the ceremony I was busy with errands in honor of
Shabbat. I live in [Kibbutz] Hafetz Haim, and this was the first time I had remained
in Tel Aviv for Shabbat (it was difficult at the time to get home: armored cars, convoys
– that was routine in those days). I recall that the way from the JNF building to the
museum made a great impression on me. Few people knew where we were on our
way to. We saw that there were already security personnel of the 'State of Israel' in
place. That brought home to me what was about to happen. The ceremony itself was
quite short. I sat in the first row, on the right side of the dignitaries' table (only my
skullcap can be seen in the photographs). After the signing they sang HaTikva and
then, I imagine, everyone felt a sense of "rejoicing with trembling" [Ps. 2:11].
That Shabbat I slept over at friends. Towards morning they woke me to go down to
the shelter. A bombardment. On the way down, I told my friends' young daughter:
This is an historic occasion. Don't forget that this is the first bombardment of… the
State of Israel. There have already been bombardments in the past, but it has never
been like this one, nor will it be ever again."
16. Sa'adia Kobashi: "I signed with shaking hands"
Among those besieged in Jerusalem was Sa'adia Kobashi, representative of the
Yemenite Association in the Provisional State Council. Mr. Kobashi wasn't even
part of the gathering in the hall of the Jewish Agency while the signing ceremony
was going on in Tel Aviv. He was living in the Kerem Avraham neighborhood at the
time, and at the ascent to the Zichron Moshe neighborhood he encountered heavy
shooting, and was forced to retrace his steps. He arrived in Tel Aviv during the first
lull in fighting, and like all the other Jerusalemites he signed alone, in the office of the
head of the Provisional Government, David Ben-Gurion. Concerning that moment
of delayed signing he recounts, "I signed with great emotion, and my hands were
trembling slightly."
58 The Friday That Changed Destiny
explicit indication of what was going to happen there. Everything was shrouded in
secrecy, since the Mandate was to expire only at midnight on that night, and the state
was in fact declared eight hours before that time. And indeed, there were members
who argued that there must be no deviation from international procedure. But we, as
religious Jews, claimed it self-evident that the State of Israel could not be established
on Shabbat. And so the ceremony was moved forward.
“As you know, there were debates about the wording of the Scroll (which did not
satisfy me, nor those I represent), and the result was the fruit of compromise. But
despite everything, I did not agree that they would add 'bet heh' (an abbreviation
for the expression, 'With the help of God'), nor did I write that next to my signature,
because I felt that this would diminish the expression, 'the Rock of Israel'.
In the hours leading up to the ceremony I was busy with errands in honor of
Shabbat. I live in [Kibbutz] Hafetz Haim, and this was the first time I had remained
in Tel Aviv for Shabbat (it was difficult at the time to get home: armored cars, convoys
– that was routine in those days). I recall that the way from the JNF building to the
museum made a great impression on me. Few people knew where we were on our
way to. We saw that there were already security personnel of the 'State of Israel' in
place. That brought home to me what was about to happen. The ceremony itself was
quite short. I sat in the first row, on the right side of the dignitaries' table (only my
skullcap can be seen in the photographs). After the signing they sang HaTikva and
then, I imagine, everyone felt a sense of "rejoicing with trembling" [Ps. 2:11].
That Shabbat I slept over at friends. Towards morning they woke me to go down to
the shelter. A bombardment. On the way down, I told my friends' young daughter:
This is an historic occasion. Don't forget that this is the first bombardment of… the
State of Israel. There have already been bombardments in the past, but it has never
been like this one, nor will it be ever again."
16. Sa'adia Kobashi: "I signed with shaking hands"
Among those besieged in Jerusalem was Sa'adia Kobashi, representative of the
Yemenite Association in the Provisional State Council. Mr. Kobashi wasn't even
part of the gathering in the hall of the Jewish Agency while the signing ceremony
was going on in Tel Aviv. He was living in the Kerem Avraham neighborhood at the
time, and at the ascent to the Zichron Moshe neighborhood he encountered heavy
shooting, and was forced to retrace his steps. He arrived in Tel Aviv during the first
lull in fighting, and like all the other Jerusalemites he signed alone, in the office of the
head of the Provisional Government, David Ben-Gurion. Concerning that moment
of delayed signing he recounts, "I signed with great emotion, and my hands were
trembling slightly."
58 The Friday That Changed Destiny
