72 Friday, September 5, 1975 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS A Prohibited Mission in Transjordan By BORIS SMOLAR (Editor-in-chief, emeritus, JTA) (Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.) (Editor's note: This is one of the chapters of Boris Smolar's forthcom- ing book in which he re- lates hitherto unreported experiences in contempo- rary Jewish history). On one afternoon, during a pleasant chat at the Jew- ish Agency headquarters in Jerusalem with Dr. Eman- uel Neumann, who was at that time a member of the Jewish Agency Executive and head of its economic department, Dr. Neumann asked me: "Would you like to accom- pany me on a secret mission tomorrow?" Dr. Neumann often con- fided in me matters of se- crecy. His question, natu: rally, intrigued me. "Where to?" I wanted to know. "To Transjordan!" His answer came as a complete surprise. All traffic between Palestine and Transjordan had to .pass over the Allenby Bridge between these two territories under the Bri- tish Mandatory Govern- ment. This border was heavily patrolled to pre- vent Jews from entering Transjordan. Emir (later King) Abdul- lah of Transjordan was one of the few Arabs who be- lieved in Jewish-Arab coex- istence. In time he was to pay for this belief with his life. But when he was titu- lar ruler of Transjordan, the Mandatory . Government kept him under heel. He had to follow its policy because his income con- sisted of a yearly subsidy from the British Govern- ment and also because Bri- tish military officers were in charge of his small army, the Arab Legion. Britain's policy was that Jews should not set foot in Transjordan or buy land or • other property there. Dr. „ Neumann said, "Another member of the Jewish Agency Executive and I are going to Jordan to- morrow before dawn. Our mission is so secret that even the Mandatory Govern- ment — to say nothing of the Arabs — mustn't hear a word about it. We are trav- elling incognito as business guests of Emir Ahdullah. We're to leave Jerusalem before dawn, when there's not a soul on the street, and we'll he met by one of the Emir's confidantes. You'll he the only outsider to ac- company us and of course won't he able to write about our mission." "We're going to make a secret agreement with Emir Abdullah and to buy land from him," he said. "This will be the first time land will be sold to Jews in Transjordan and by no less a person than the Emir himself. The British won't like it — to say noth- ing of the Mufti and his followers. This will go against their wishes and the. Emir has therefore bound us to silence." "But why should the After about a quarter of Emir want to. sell land to an hour's drive on the the Jewish Agency if the Transjordanian side, our car Mandatory Government and came suddenly to a halt in his own Arabs will be vi- an empty field. olently opposed to it?" I After keeping us in the asked. field for about 10 minutes, - "It's simple," Dr. Neu- the driver finally revealed mann explained. "He needs his secret: "I agreed to wait money. He now wants to here for the Emir's confi- make a trip to London and dante, who will guide us he wants to go as befits a from here," he said. "I my- King — with pomp and in self don't know where to go luxury. But he doesn't have from here or where we have enough money — even if he to meet to sign the agree- went as a guest of the Bri- ment. Only the man who tish Government. has to meet us here knows "It would cost him at least where. He should be here $25,000 and he doesn't have any minute now. He knows it. He can't borrow either the approximate time we'd because this wouldn't be be waiting for him." proper for a person of his After about a quarter of stature. an hour's wait, we saw a "Through a Jew in Je- figure in the distance corn- rusalem whose family has ing closer and closer to us. been here for generations "That's probably the man and who feels at home we're waiting for!" said the with the Arabs, with Jew from Jerusalem. None whom he's been doing of us noticed how he had business since the time gotten to where he was Transjordan and Palestine when we spotted him. were part of Turkey, one of As far as the eye could Emir Abdullah's closest see there were no houses advisers informed the and he had therefore ap- Jewish Agency that the parently come in a car un- Emir is willing to sell land til a point where he could in his country to a Jewish see us through his field buyer. glasses. The car appar- "The Jewish Agency, of ently turned back a little course, accepted the offer and he started coming to- immediately. We still don't, wards us on foot. know whether the British He was coming closer and will approve the deal when closer and before long we they find out about it, but Could see a tall Arab in a we're counting on them to long white freshly-washed refrain from going against Arab robe with typical Arab Emir Ahdullah's wishes," headdress., He bowed to us Dr. Neumann said. courteously and greeted us "At any rate, it's impor- in fluent English. tant for us to get it down on To our chauffeur, how- paper that the ruler of ever, he began speaking Transjordan is selling us Arabic. He told him some- land," he went on. thing we did not under- The other member of the stand. Our chauffeur smiled Jewish Agency Executive amiably and told us we turned out to he Dr. Heshl could get baCk into . the car. Farbsztejn, a Mizrachi "He says he'll go with us leader. in our car and take us to the He came to Jewish place where we're ex- Agency headquarters be- pected," the Jew from Jeru- fore dawn ready for the salem explained. We got trip and with a 'cane in his hack into the car. The Arab hand. I'd never seen him sat down next to the driver. with a cane before and I and we continued our jour- teased him about it. ney. The dusty road was "This is not for protec- lined by grassy fields on tion," he answered in all se- riousness. "I've brought this both sides. Gradually we started to see Arab tents, cane in order to follow one of the statements in the Bi- Arabs riding on donkeys, ble." and here and there dusty "Ki bemakli avarti et hay- little Arab houses. arden (for with my staff I Veiled women with bas- have crossed the Jordan— kets of vegetables on their Genesis 32:11)," he re- heads passed us by and soon minded me. we saw Arab children in the A car was waiting for the streets. Day was dawning in three of us in the courtyard this primitive 'corner of the of the Jewish Agency.. The country. Although the soil driver was the Arab-speak- was better here than in ing Jew from Jerusalem Palestine, it was poor and who was the intermediary much less developed. between Emir Ahdullah and After an hour's ride, our the Jewish Agency. car came to a halt some- He didn't say a word dur- where on the road to Am- ing the three-hour trip to man. There was only one the Allenby Bridge. There small house in the whole were Palestinian policemen area. This was the place at one end of the bridge and where the secret agreement Transjordanian Policemen was to be signed. at the Other. There were no guards ar- We crossed the frontier ound the house; not a soul. Dr. Neumann and Dr. without any difficulties. Farbsztejn went into the Dr. Neumann and I had house together with the American passports and Dr. Farbsztejn had a Pol- 'Emir's representative and the Jewish intermediary to ish one. We were foreign citizens and the Palestine _sign the agreement. I re- mained outside with my border guards did not care about our destination. camera and took pictures of Boesky's of Southfield 22060 W. 10 Mile Rd. at Lahser- ir,, ,, , the house in which the his- toric act of selling land in Transjordan to Jews for the first time was to take place. Because everything had been previously negotiated in top secrecy, both sides were eager to sign the agreement as quickly as possible.. And everything 715cir Fr/, 1141)1. I IC,1111 , %J. (./01 , 111/cr ∎ ".. A Happy Holiday to All Our Relatives Friends and Patrons I BRADY TRUCK PAINTING & LETTERING CO. Our Specialty Truck Painting and Lettering had been prepared in ad- vance. 923-2210 3569 Superior In less than a half hour, we were back in the car for the return trip to Jerusa- lem. Dr. Neumann was - Grit, Hof( beaming with satisfaction 1301 W. 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