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Israel @ 60 #3.........posted Oct 17, 2007

Last month I mentioned Israel's 1948 "Declaration of Independence," probably more accurately referred to as the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel. It was read and signed on the very same date that the British pulled out their last troops and officials from Palestine. I also talked a bit about an American connection with the new State of Israel, and the important role of Eddie Jacobson of Missouri, a Jew and former business partner of President Harry S. Truman. What I did not cover was the unique role of elder statesman (and scientist) Chaim Weizmann--and explain his mission in America. (I've always understood that David Ben-Gurion was not exactly a "buddy" of Weizmann, did not truly want him around at the time of statehood, and so Weizmann wound up in the United States playing the key role of making the final argument that convinced our President Truman to recognize the State of Israel within hours of its "Declaration.")

If you haven't done so already, please do yourself a favor and take a few moments to read the wording of the Declaration, now prominently posted in our synagogue's lobby for Israel @ 60. Note the beautiful expressions contained in the English text, and pay special attention to the names of the signatories (at the very bottom of the display). We'll have a lot more to say about Golda Myerson [Meir], another important American link to Israel, in an upcoming column. Also, President Ron Rabin has requested the synagogue's Fine Arts Committee to make the arrangements to display our exquisite illustrated Hebrew version of the Declaration in the lobby adjacent to English edition. I hope it will be available for all to view by the time you read this column.

All of this gets me thinking about another perhaps somewhat less famous American--David (Mickey) Marcus, and his major role in Israel's War of Independence. As a former Army officer, I can imagine what must have encouraged Colonel Marcus to use his military background and experience (including combat during World War II in Europe) to contribute to the effort in Israel's War of Independence. World War II certainly had not solved the world's problems, and the Jews in 1947 Palestine knew that another major fight for survival would be coming! Later this year, our fifth graders will be learning about COL Marcus and his significant contributions. To quote from our text, A Young Person's History of Israel, by David Bamberger: "The commander of the Jerusalem campaign [in the 1948 War of Independence], Colonel David Marcus...discovered a footpath in the hills...out of sight of the Arab machine guns. If that path could be widened, trucks with supplies might be able to reach Jerusalem. It was a last chance. Hundreds of laborers were rushed from Tel Aviv. Day and night they raced against time, laboring in the fiercest heat. Just two nights before the ceasefire, the first trucks began the dangerous journey over the makeshift road. Slowly, carefully, they strained up the mountain. At last they reached their goal: Jerusalem. Food, water, and ammunition arrived. The city was saved."

As you may know, COL Marcus was accidentally killed by an Israeli sentry. His funeral service was conducted in Israel in June 1948. If you want to know more about this story, and Mickey Marcus' role, you'll have to get a copy of the MGM motion picture, Cast A Giant Shadow, starring Kirk Douglas and Senta Berger. If you've not seen it, it's really a treat for this special year--even though it's actually part fact and part fiction. According to MGM, it "powerfully dramatizes Israel's heroic 1947-48 struggle for independence." Also in the cast, in supporting roles, are Yul Brynner, John Wayne, and Frank Sinatra. The film covers Jewish American Mickey Marcus' role in building an army capable of withstanding Israel's Arab foes. "Mickey makes the journey [from New York] and begins transforming a ragtag underground army into a first-class fighting machine." [I've had a VHS copy of this film for many years, but it's now available on DVD from MGM, and sells for under $15 at Barnes & Noble. I've purchase one already.]

One footnote: President Harry S. Truman and future Israel President Chaim Weizmann posed for a photograph in Washington, DC in May of 1948. Weizmann, now very old, ill, and half-blind, had made a long journey from London and was totally successful in convincing Truman to support a new Jewish state--and he left with "a solemn promise that the United States would support the idea" of such a state. Between Jacobson and Weizmann, the effort was resounding success. The U.S. gave official recognition to the State of Israel only 12 minutes after the end of the British control over the Mandate in Palestine--and that occurred just after midnight at the conclusion of a most eventful day--May 14, 1948.

Harvey T. Kaplan
Tikvat Israel Representative on the Israel Educators Institute (IEI) of the Washington, DC Jewish Community