Page 65 - big friday
P. 65
ewish state (while others were still casting doubt on that possibility), and who
merited to be there and see its establishment with his own eyes – I was so filled with
emotion that my hand shook and I couldn't sign. Mr. Sharett asked me, "Why are
you trembling so?" (We had been together in the Latrun detention camp; who would
have expected that it would happen so soon…). I think that to this day, there are not
many people who are able to appreciate what our generation was fortunate enough
to experience.
"The atmosphere was full of gunpowder. Not gunpowder in the literal sense. We
(in our party) had never feared that. Even the bombardments on Shabbat morning
didn't make much of an impression on us. We hoped that the security forces would
now unite, without schisms and without fraternal hatred, and that we would have a
sufficiently powerful force to face up to the struggle."
23. R abbi Y.L. Fishman (Maimon):
"I added, 'With the help of God'"
On Thursday (May 13), at 10am, some girl suddenly arrived – you know, like a
heroine from the old days; she knocked on the door and said, 'Rabbi Fishman, please
hurry, a special plane has been sent to take you from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. It's waiting
for you in the Yemenite neighborhood.' I asked, 'Well, very nice, but do I need to take
anything for the way?' 'No, no! The plane is so small and broken; there's hardly enough
place just for your body.' So I took only my prayer shawl and tefillin (phylacteries).
When we got there and I saw this plane, I said, 'May God protect us; what a broken
wagon this is…' The pilot took my prayer shawl out of my hands, tied it around my
waist, and said, 'That's better; there's no space in the plane.' And indeed – what can
I tell you; how that plane flew – it was about three whole hours. A winding route,
to evade the Arab positions. Eventually we arrived, and they brought me directly to
Ben-Gurion's home. I knew that Ben-Gurion liked me, because I had always wanted
a state, and never hid this from him. So I entered and saw four people sitting and
arguing among themselves: Ben-Gurion, Sharett, Shapiro, and Zisling.
'Well, what do you want from me?', I asked Ben-Gurion. And Ben-Gurion replied,
'We want to declare the State of Israel.' I asked him, 'So tell me, Ben-Gurion, other
than the broken wagon that you sent to bring me from Jerusalem – do you have
anything else?' But Ben-Gurion just laughed, and I did too, because we both wanted
a state. Then we knew – none of that was important. Afterwards, it was already clear
that the declaration would be made. So I said, 'Without a 'Shehehiyanu' blessing, what
sort of historical declaration would it be?' Zisling was angry and said, 'What more do
you want to do to us?' But Ben-Gurion merely asked, 'Well, Rabbi Fishman, who will
recite the blessing at the museum?' I said, 'You sent a plane to fetch me; you could
send the same plane to bring Rabbi Herzog [the Chief Rabbi] from the Holy City,
A State is Born 63
merited to be there and see its establishment with his own eyes – I was so filled with
emotion that my hand shook and I couldn't sign. Mr. Sharett asked me, "Why are
you trembling so?" (We had been together in the Latrun detention camp; who would
have expected that it would happen so soon…). I think that to this day, there are not
many people who are able to appreciate what our generation was fortunate enough
to experience.
"The atmosphere was full of gunpowder. Not gunpowder in the literal sense. We
(in our party) had never feared that. Even the bombardments on Shabbat morning
didn't make much of an impression on us. We hoped that the security forces would
now unite, without schisms and without fraternal hatred, and that we would have a
sufficiently powerful force to face up to the struggle."
23. R abbi Y.L. Fishman (Maimon):
"I added, 'With the help of God'"
On Thursday (May 13), at 10am, some girl suddenly arrived – you know, like a
heroine from the old days; she knocked on the door and said, 'Rabbi Fishman, please
hurry, a special plane has been sent to take you from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. It's waiting
for you in the Yemenite neighborhood.' I asked, 'Well, very nice, but do I need to take
anything for the way?' 'No, no! The plane is so small and broken; there's hardly enough
place just for your body.' So I took only my prayer shawl and tefillin (phylacteries).
When we got there and I saw this plane, I said, 'May God protect us; what a broken
wagon this is…' The pilot took my prayer shawl out of my hands, tied it around my
waist, and said, 'That's better; there's no space in the plane.' And indeed – what can
I tell you; how that plane flew – it was about three whole hours. A winding route,
to evade the Arab positions. Eventually we arrived, and they brought me directly to
Ben-Gurion's home. I knew that Ben-Gurion liked me, because I had always wanted
a state, and never hid this from him. So I entered and saw four people sitting and
arguing among themselves: Ben-Gurion, Sharett, Shapiro, and Zisling.
'Well, what do you want from me?', I asked Ben-Gurion. And Ben-Gurion replied,
'We want to declare the State of Israel.' I asked him, 'So tell me, Ben-Gurion, other
than the broken wagon that you sent to bring me from Jerusalem – do you have
anything else?' But Ben-Gurion just laughed, and I did too, because we both wanted
a state. Then we knew – none of that was important. Afterwards, it was already clear
that the declaration would be made. So I said, 'Without a 'Shehehiyanu' blessing, what
sort of historical declaration would it be?' Zisling was angry and said, 'What more do
you want to do to us?' But Ben-Gurion merely asked, 'Well, Rabbi Fishman, who will
recite the blessing at the museum?' I said, 'You sent a plane to fetch me; you could
send the same plane to bring Rabbi Herzog [the Chief Rabbi] from the Holy City,
A State is Born 63
