THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
In Those Great, Historic Hours
By MOSHE RON
The Jewish News Special
Israel Correspondent
The 14th of May, 1948.
The Friday morning of be-
leaguered Jerusalem.
Jerusalem which is divided
by wires and barricades be-
tween the Jewish streets
and the Old City, where
armed Arab Legionnaires
from Transjordan concen-
trate with their modern
arms, who shoot with the
help of armed Arab civilian
gangs without respite into
the Jewish quarters.
In the north of the town is
the chief base of the British
armed and civilian forces, of
which a part during the last
months has directly or indi-
rectly aided the Arabs who
beleaguer the Jewish quar-
ters.
In the morning hours the
British flag is lowered from
the building of the British
High Commission. The last
High Commissioner, Gen.
Allan Cunningham flew
with his aides from
Jerusalem to Haifa. Two
hours later they went on
board a British ship, which
sailed westward.
Before the British High
Commissioner went on
board there was a short
military ceremony. Gen.
Cunningham reviewed a
parade of British soldiers
presenting their guns. He
saluted and a military or-
chestra played for the
last time the British an-
Thirty years of British
mandate had ended. Its aim
was to establish a national
home for the Jewish people
in Palestine. But instead
British politicians founded
the Arab League, as coun-
terpart to the Jewish
Agency, and published a
White Paper, which would
have perpetuated a Jewish
minority in Palestine, ruled
by an Arab majority.
Friday morning an emis-
sary of the temporary
Jewish government dis-
tributed invitations to the
ceremony of establishing
the state of Israel at 4 p.m.
in the museum building at
16 Rothschild Blvd., Tel
Aviv. Everyone was re-
quested to keep the matter
secret: there were many
British and foreign agents
in the country, who could in-
form the Arabs of this event.
At 3:30 I left my office in
the Journalist Association
in Rothschild Blvd., 27, and
went in the direction of the
museum. I saw a lot of
people surrounding the
museum building. Mem-
bers of the Mishmar Raam
(People's Guard) drew ropes
across the street.
How could so many
people know about the
forthcoming event? It
turned out that the
May 14, 1948
All present rose spontane-
ously and started singing
Hatikva. It was the last
time that Jews in Eretz Yis-
rael sang the words of
Hatikva "to be free people in
our country" as a vision.
them. British Spitfires
flew over the ship which
was filled with British
soldiers and civilian em-
ployees.
David Ben-Gurion iread
the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, which finishes
with the words: "We
proclaim with this the es-
tablishment of a Jewish
state in Eretz Yisrael, the
state of Israel".
In the top photograph, David Ben-Gurion is shown
on May 14, 1948 proclaiming the establishment of the
state of Israel. In the bottom photograph, Chaim
Weizmann is shown on Sept. 30, 1948 accepting the
appointment as Israel's first president.
Broadcasting Authority
(Hol Yerushalayim) had
announced that it would
broadcast the ceremony
of the establishment of
the state, but didn't give
the location. People
started to run to all the
public buildings of the
city when they saw the
guards around the
museum building the
news spread all over the
city.
I was ushered into the
hall. There was an atmos-
phere of solemnity and
spiritual elation. The mem-
bers of the Temporary State
Council and invited guests
arrived.
We saw the Zionist vete-
ran Dr. Isidor Shalit, who
has been the personal secre-
tary of Dr. Theodor Herzl.
Journalist Gershon Hendel
approached him and asked
him how he felt at such a
solemn moment. "I have the
same feeling like in Basel
51 years ago during the
First Zionist Congress," he
answered, trying to conceal
his strong emotion. I could
see tears welling in his eyes.
David Ben-Gurion
entered the hall, his face
shining. On stage, the
members of the temporary
government take their
places. The historic moment
has come. Ben-Gurion rises.
Friday, May 12, 1918 41
All present stood for a few
minutes and applauded
with enthusiasm. I could see
tears in many eyes.
Everyone became aware
that the Jewish indepen-
dence and sovereignty in
Eretz Yisrael had become a
historic fact. This feeling
was strengthened when the
old Mizrachi leader, Rabbi
J.L. Fishman (Maimon), got
up and prayed with a
broken voice
"Shehekhyanu".
At the end of the session a
proclamation of the tem-
porary government was
read, ending the British
White Paper of 1939 and
Land Law of 1940, which
had limited Jewish immi-
gration and prohibited Jews
from buying land in most
parts of the country.
Ben-Gurion
David
shouted: "The state is.estab-
lished — the session is
over." People were embrac-
ing each other. Political op-
ponents kissed and wept
with joy. When we came out
of the building, the masses
of people gave us a stormy
ovation.
Haggada Marks Anniversary
NEW YORK (JTA) — newel, . the cup of ac-
Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief ceptance, the cup of hope.
Ashkenazi rabbi of Israel,
Included in the Haggada
has written a new prayer- is an ancient custom of af-
book, "The Haggada for Is-
fixing a Mizrach on the
rael's Independence Day," Eastern wall of Jewish
to help institutionalize as a homes, facing Jerusalem.
Jewish holiday the historic The Mizrach, which is an
event of the birth of the ornamented scroll, was
state of Israel 30 years ago.
commissioned from the
The Haggada is sub- noted Israeli artist, Pinches
divided into six basic chap- Shaar.
ters and offers, in the fash-
Copies of the Haggada are
ion of the holiday of freedom available at the United
— Passover — five cups: the Jewish Appeal, 1290 Ave-
cup of freedom, the cup of nue of Americas, New York,
deliverance, the cup of re-
10019
THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND OF AMERICA
SALUTES THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
ON THE GLORIOUS OCCASION OF
ISRAEL'S 30th ANNIVERSARY
A major project of the Jewish National Fund in this 30th anniversary
year is the Children's Forest planted in the Galilee in
memory of the martyred children of the Holocaust.
JNF Program
for the Next Five Years
JNF Achievements
in 30 Years of Statehood:
JNF WILL prepare 30,000 acres
for farming.
Since 1948,
1. JNF HAS PLANTED 130 million
trees.
_ JNF WILL lay foundation for 1,500
new production units.
JNF WILL prepare sites for 7,500
new rural homes.
JNF WILL construct 1,300 miles of
roads.
JNF WILL plant 15,000 acres of
new forests.
KEREN KAYEMETH LEISRAEL
2. JNF HAS RECLAIMED
150,000 acres of land.
3. JNF HAS BUILT 2,200 miles of
road.
4. JNF HAS PREPARED the sites
for 600 new settlements.
Dr. Samuel I. Cohen
Exec. Vice-President
Rabbi William Berkowitz
National President
Percy Kaplan
Executive Director
Michigan Region
Mark E. Schlussel
President
Detroit Council