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October 06, 1978 - Image 53

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1978-10-06

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, October 6, 1918 53

Arad: From Desert to City

By GIDEON SAPIR

Jewish National Fund
- JERUSALEM — The

higher the sun climbed in
the sky, the slower their
pace. They were a small
band of Israelite soldiers,
born in the Sinai: Their
commanders were older,
having been born in Egypt
under Pharaoh.
Sweat rolled down their
s but they continued
hing north toward the
rim Pass — to the land
which had been promised to
their forefathers. For 10
years they had stood from
afar, looking longingly at
their land, but each time
they pleaded with Moshe,
their leader, for permission
to enter, he answered that
the time was not yet right.
But their patience ran out,
• and they decided to go on
their own.
. Their weapons were few.
Some had been taken from
Egypt many years before;
others had been captured
from the Amelekites, who
often attacked their
encampment in the desert.
The road was long and ran
up the mountainside.

-

No sooner did they
reach the top, exhausted
from their long trek, then
the King of Arad and his
Canaanite warriors spot-
ted them. On the wide
plateau, the terrain was
flat and stark. There
wasn't a tree to hide be-
hind or a bush to provide
cover for the Israelite
soldiers; for the next sev-
eral hours they fought -a
losing battle against a
stronger enemy. Most
were killed.

Years later, when Joshua

led the people of Israel into
the land of Canaan, the area
of Arad was given to the de-
scendants of Moshe's fam-
ily.
During Turkish rule, the
people of Israel were
thwarted at every turn.
When it became clear that
they would find no help
from the Turks, the Jews of
-Israel began to fill the ranks
of the British Army. After
World War I, the Jewish
soldiers asked to settle a
stretch of land in the south,
to fulfill a promise the
British made to them. Since
the British, who now ruled
the land, were in no hurry to
keep their end of the bar-
gain, a group of young
Jewish settlers decided not
to wait. The group, which
included Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
(who would later become
President of Israel) and his
wife, Rachel, mounted their
horses , and took off for the
proposed settlement gte.
While they searched for •
water in the desert
region, fresh water was
brought in from six miles
away. The search was
futile. Soon the last bag of
beans was empty and the
last can of oil ran dry. The
sad and disappointed
young people climbed
into their wagons and left .
Arad.
Now, Arad is a living,
thriving city where young
families have come to build
their lives in the midst of
the desert, Here, the origi-
nal settlers gathered re-
cently to be inscribed by the
city council in the Jewish
National Fund's Golden
Book, in recognition of their
persistence and dedication
so many years ago.

Help your neighbor.
Give to the Torch Drive.

Boy Scouts
of America

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Red Cross

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Arthritis
Foundation—
Michigan
Chapter

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Children

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Six

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found early
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MACOMB

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112 communities in the tri - county
area are helped by 137 Torch Drive
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please give—when a Torch DriVe
volunteer in your community comes to
your home or business. You'll be
helping others ... and perhaps
yourself, someday.

People
Who
need...

Take \steps today to protect
yourSelf for better tomorrows .. .

IF YOU —
• are 40 years of age or older
• have a previous diagnosis and/
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• - tend to have cysts or lumps in
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- •. delivered your first child at
30 years of age or older

-

Make an appointment-at the.
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Detection/Education Center
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The- Oakland County Division _
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Give yourself a better chance to live!

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This message is run in the interest of the greater Detroit community by

41,

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Plymouth

CHRYSLER CORPORATION

PRODUCTS OF
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"Torch Drive contributions are not used to pay for this ad. The cost is paid for by the sponsoring company, in addition to its generous Torch Drive gift."

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