Monday, June 5: As I write these words, jet fighters are battling above us, bombs are exploding around us, and the nation of Israel is at war.
I arrived in Israel late last night as part of a group of American volunteers. Our objective: to show solidarity with Israel and to offer whatever help we were capable of at this terribly frightening time. We left our jobs, schools, families, friends – and our mothers crying at the airport. Everyone understood that war was imminent.
Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser had closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. He ordered the United Nations peacekeeping force to leave the Sinai, replacing it with several highly mechanized Egyptian military divisions stationed adjacent to Israel’s southern border.
Egypt had formed a military alliance with Syria while Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon all expressed readiness to support an attack on Israel. Little more than twenty years after the Holocaust, the world was again standing quietly by as Jews were threatened.
As we approached Israeli airspace and could almost make out the Tel Aviv shoreline in the distance, somebody called out “look at the wings.” We could barely believe our eyes: two Mirage fighter jets, one on each wing tip, were there to escort us in. Our spirits soared, and as the plane touched down a spontaneous chorus of “Heivenu Shalom Aleichem” broke out. Emotions were high. We felt as though we had finally come home.
To our amazement, Lod airport was effectively closed. We were greeted by a representative of the Jewish Agency, then by a representative of Americans and Canadians for a Safe Israel, given some useful gifts, and thanked for our dedication to Israel. We were then dispatched to our assigned destinations.
Our group of eight volunteers had arrived at Kibbutz Lavi at 11:30 p.m. Kibbutz Lavi is an Orthodox farming settlement, founded by a group from England in 1949. The dining hall is the fulcrum of the community and is surrounded by beautiful lawns, gardens, living quarters, and one of the most beautiful synagogues in Israel.
As the kibbutz is located in the hills of the southern Galilee, at an elevation of 600 feet above sea level, the views are magnificent. The holy city of Safed and Mt. Meron are to the north, Lake Kinneret and the mountains of Syria to the east, and Mt. Tabor to the south.
After a rather hurried tour of the kibbutz we were given our first job this morning – digging ditches that were to be used as shrapnel shelters around the dining hall, schools, and the various buildings occupied by children.
Shortly after we began, a kibbutz member came running over to our instructor and informed him that the war had begun. Immediately after lunch an emergency meeting was called during which we were informed by the military commander of the kibbutz of the necessary precautions. Dinner was to be served before dark and there was to be a total blackout. No one, for any reason, was to leave the residential area, and excessive walking about was prohibited. An army truck had brought a supply of rifles and submachine guns, and the night patrol was to be tripled. Telephones were to be attended at all times.
The military commander also informed us he’d received word from the central Military Command that Israel had destroyed 130 planes at the Cairo airport. Not long afterward we were told the number was, unofficially, 149. Every radio on the kibbutz was at full volume and work stopped at every new broadcast as groups gathered to listen.
Meanwhile, Radio Cairo was claiming the Egyptian army had split Israeli forces in the Negev into two, thereby dividing them completely. They reported that Tel Aviv and Natanya were being heavily bombed.
At about 10:30 p.m., due to extreme fatigue from 10 hours of work, I went to bed. I thought of my mother and how she must be worrying. If only there was some way I could get a message to her.
Tuesday, June 6. We awoke this morning after a night of little sleep. Bombs continued exploding around us, and the steady drone of air raid sirens from Tiberias were clearly audible. The war was now in full swing.
During the news broadcast at breakfast we learned that Tiberias, the Hula valley, and the kibbutzim on the Syrian border were being heavily shelled. Those were the massive fires we’d seen in the distance.
The morning was again spent digging ditches, and the afternoon in the vineyards pruning grape vines. As evening approached word came that Israel had downed no fewer than 400 Arab planes, a truly unbelievable amount.
Israel was bombing Syria but there was still no word from the Negev. All sorts of theories were expressed as to why there was no news. The prevailing opinion was that we did not want the world to know how far we had advanced, for fear it would stop us in mid-battle.
This evening there was a gathering of all the volunteer workers, the regular work-study groups, and some of the Kibbutz members. It turned out to be a beautiful little party during which Hebrew songs were sung and Israeli dancing took place. All by the light of two little candles.
As soon as darkness came, the roads and fields were again filled with troop and artillery movements. The bombing continued as we prepared to sleep. Fires are still burning across the countryside. Our kibbutz was still blacked out, and again we prayed we would not be hit.
Wednesday June 7, 1967. Jerusalem is ours. Israel is ecstatic.
Today was certainly the most interesting day in my life and one that will be remembered forever in Jewish history. People are hugging each other, dancing and crying in the streets.
The day started again with the sounds of the air raid sirens in Tiberias and shells exploding on the Syrian border. We heard on the 10 a.m. news broadcast that Israel had moved deep into the Sinai. This brought great relief to the many border settlements in the area, especially Nachal Oz, which had been under steady attack and suffered heavy damage.
According to the news report, the children of that kibbutz had come up from the shelters for the first time in four days to breathe fresh air. There was also to be a wedding in which five couples were to be married.
The big news, however, was on the Jordanian front. Jenin, the Arab stronghold from which settlements in the Bet Shean valley were being bombed, was captured. Kalkilya – the site from which Tel Aviv and Netanya had been shelled – and Tulkarem were near surrender.
This morning Jerusalem was still being heavily shelled by the Jordanians. Fighting continued on the road to Mt. Scopus, sites of the old Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center. Both had been lost in the 1948 War of Independence and were soon to be liberated. Fighting also continued in the Hula Valley and the upper Galilee. Syria was still bombing the border settlements and Israel could make no headway there, as the Syrians controlled the surrounding mountains.
But the news at 2 p.m. was astounding. Israel was advancing in the Sinai, approaching the Suez Canal, and El Arish had been taken. The Egyptian air force had been annihilated and the Egyptian army was in retreat. The Straits of Tehran were cleared and Sharm El Shekh was about to surrender.
The early evening news confirmed that more than 500 Arab planes had been destroyed and Egypt was begging for a cease-fire. However, the same dreary news was reported from the Syrian front – much burning and destruction.
But it was the 8 p.m. news report that had us all mesmerized. Everybody sensed it was imminent but no one really believed it would happen: The announcer, in a clear and steady voice, said that after two days of intense fighting, the battle for Jerusalem was now over. “Ha’ir Ha-atika Shelanu” – “the Old City is ours!”
The faces of the kibbutz’s children were aglow. It appeared they sensed they were experienced something remarkable, something that comes once in thousands of years. The adults tried to hold their tears, to no avail.
I could never describe the emotion in that room, but it was a something I know I will never ever feel or see again. For the first time in 2,000 years, a Jewish army had conquered Jerusalem. The Western Wall, the Temple Mount, the City of King David, the holiest places in all of Judaism are now returned to the Jewish people.
The radio then aired a recording of the proceedings at the Western Wall. IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren, machine gun in hand and canon fire booming in the background, led the Minchah services. He said Kaddish, his voice trembling with emotion. He picked up his shofar, and had a soldier blow several long, piercing blasts. He recited the ancient Jewish prayer of “L’shanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim” (“Next year in Jerusalem”) but changed one word: L’shanah hazot b’Yerushalayim – “This year in Jerusalem.”
Soldiers in their late teens and twenties, older officers, and an entire army contingent stood as the tears flowed. Religious and non-religious alike participated. The significance of this liberation of Jerusalem is beyond belief. The heart has returned to the body. Israel is now a whole country.
The news was coming fast and furious. Essentially Israel was now in full control of all of the West Bank of the Jordan River. Numerous historical sites, really Jewish biblical sites, were now liberated. Bethlehem with the resting place of Rachel, wife of Jacob; Hebron, the resting place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Shechem, Jericho, and a number of others were now all in Israel’s hands.
There was another amazing victory today. The Etzion Gever block, home of both religious and non-religious settlements, which had been lost virtually the day before the war ended in 1948 with horrific casualties, was now also in Israeli hands. The survivors of these settlements have extra reason to celebrate, and perhaps will even return to their original settlements some day.
Thursday, June 8. Once again I awoke to the sounds of rumbling tanks and bombing in the north. The midday report put a few issues to rest. Egypt had accepted a cease-fire and the fighting was virtually over in both the West Bank and the Sinai.
Now the focus was on Syria. The terrain in the Hula Valley is not to Israel’s advantage. From the Kinneret north to Kibbutz Dan, Israel is deep in a valley. The heights occupied by the Syrians are extremely steep and rocky.
Friday, June 9. The shelling continued as did the blackout, but at about 3 p.m. it was announced that Israel had captured Kuneitra, a city about 40 kilometers into Syria. Several other smaller cities were overtaken, but still the Syrian gun positions on the heights, even though surrounded, seemed impregnable.
Before the day was over, however, Syria, to everyone’s surprise, accepted the UN Security Council cease-fire.
Once again I am going to sleep to the sounds of bombs and shells, but the feeling is that it will soon be over. Once those Syrian gun positions are neutralized, Israel will respect the cease-fire now in place. It is common knowledge on the kibbutz that Israel is disregarding the cease-fire in order to knock out those positions.
As elated as I am, with the tension of the war easing, it’s been a sad night for me. Being so far from the people I love, I wonder what Elayne, my wife to be, is thinking, and if my parents are still worried about me.
Shabbat, June 10. The Shacharis davening was quite beautiful and lunch was the best I ever had on a kibbutz as it included roast beef and cholent. The former is rarely seen in this country.
Jets continued flying overhead and after lunch I climbed the water tower, which is about 100 ft. high and is the central lookout point for low flying planes in this area. The two soldiers stationed up there had powerful binoculars and were connected by phone to the central military command.
I borrowed a set of their binoculars and was able to see the fighting in Syria. From the tower it was clear that the Syrian gun positions were no longer firing, and that parts of Syria were in flames.
At last, some relative peace and quiet. After lunch almost everybody retired for a much-needed Shabbat afternoon nap.
The roads were still filled with convoys, but by this time they were flying captured Jordanian and Egyptian flags. It was an amazing sight to behold, the Israeli army in all its glory. Victorious in Jordan, victorious in the Sinai, victorious in Jerusalem, they were on their way to capture the Syrian Heights. It made me feel so proud. This evening our small group again celebrated, singing to commemorate the end of the war.
Sunday, June 11. Last night, for the first time since I came to Israel, sleep was peaceful and quiet. It was a fantastic victory. Three hours after the start of the war almost the entire combined Arab air forces had been demolished, and in just a few days their armies were utterly defeated.
Israel now controlled all of the Sinai, the entire West Bank, and was fifty miles deep into Syria. Truly a miracle in our time.
As I lay down to sleep tonight, a new passion overcame me. It was time to leave the kibbutz and join my cousins, who had also volunteered, on a new adventure. There is a whole new Israel now, over three times its original size, and we want to get out there and see it all.