PAST EVENTS
Having regard to the forthcoming 40th anniversary of the independance of Israel our February guest-speaker, fellow-member Victor Conrad, dedicated his talk on "The Birth of the State of Israel" to those Jewish men and women who, through decades of strife and toil, had sacrificed their lives so that their nation could live. At 4 o'clook in the afternoon of Friday, May 14th, 1948, shortly before the onset of the sabbath, 200 leaders of Palestine's Jewish community gathered in the Tel Aviv Museum to hear David Ben-Gurion announce the establishment of the independent state of Israel. Egyptian spitfires and the explosion of bombs on the outskirts of the city provided the background 'music' to this announcement.
On the same day, as the British were to withdraw from Palestine, an officer of the Suffolk Regiment handed to Rabbi Weingarten a rusted iron bar, some 12 inches long, - it was the key to Zion Gate, one of the seven gates of the old city of Jerusalem. Since the year 70 A.D., some 1800 years ago, this was the first time that a key to one of the gates of Jerusalem was again in Jewish hands. The Israeli troops moved into the positions evacuated by the British, but four hours later the armies of Syria, Iraq, Transjordania and Egypt invaded the new-born state.
Our speaker proceded to sketch the checkered and troubled history of Palestine from Biblical times to the crusades, and from then to the present. It was only towards the end of WWI that serious thoughts began to be given to the re-establishment of a Jewish national home. This idea met with violent opposition from the Arab world and, for Jews, a continuing armed struggle for survival became a fact and feature of life, which not even the British authorities could halt. Full scale rebellion had broken out. Then followed the establishment of a clandestine force, the Haganah, to protect Jewish settlements against Arab attacks. Haganah members, becoming more aggressive, then formed Irgun, followed by extremists, like the Stern gang. These groups, frustrated by British policy and intransigence turned to outright terrorism. Finally, in February 1947 the outgoing British Labour government referred the whole problem of Palestine to the United Nations Organisation. In November of that year the General Assembly voted in favour of partition, giving the Jews about 14 250km2 and the Arabs 11 600 km2. Not even this brought lasting peace to this troubled land. The dubious status of the city of Jerusalem had to be settled. The Six-Day war of 1967 saw to that, and to a number of other problems. The Arabs tried to reverse the position by starting the Yom Kippur war in 1973, but had their noses bloodied a second time.
Our speaker ended his talk with a series of colour slides giving a tourist point of view and earned himself a very well presented word of thanks for his excellent talk, from fellow member Bob Tuck.
FUTURE EVENTS
Monthly Get-togethers
March 17th Fellow-member DARRELL HALL will give a slide presentation on "THE BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA".(N.B. This meeting will take place on the THIRD Thursday in March).
April 14th Fellow member Justin Hulme will talk about his recently edited book which contains a provisional Iist of the officers of the irregular forces involved in the Eighth Kaffir War (1850-53). Some copies of the book are still available from Adams, and Justin will be happy to autograph copies for collectors of South African Militaria.
The venue for all meetings will be the 'Bourq Inn', lower-ground floor, 'SB' Bourquin Building, on the corner of Jan Smuts Highway and Buro Crescent, Mayviille, commencing at 19h30 (7.30 p.m.)
PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN GLASS and canned or bottled refreshemnts. Ice and water jugs will be supplied. There is ample parking, under guard, in the grounds. FRIENDS AND INTERESTED PERSONS ARE WELCOME TO COME ALONG.
WELCOME
A warm welcome is extended to new members Dr and Mrs Gerry Brereton-Stiles.
(Mrs) Tania van der Watt,
Secretary, Durban Branch,
S.A. Military History Society,
Box 870, HILLCREST, 3650.
Tel. (031) vvvvvv