Machon Ayalon – Pre-State Clandestine Bullet Factory©

About four years ago, a group of orthodox senior citizens from Bnei Brak arrived to tour the Ayalon Institute. One woman seemed to be exceptionally moved and cried a lot. Nearly two week later, she sent a letter to the Institute explaining why. She wrote that she was a Holocaust survivor and between 1943 and 1945 she had been a forced laborer making bullets to help the Nazi cause – bullets that were used many times against Jews. After the war, she had concentrated on raising a frum generation, suppressing all the terror of those horrendous years in order to do so.

When she came to Machon Ayalon her memories overwhelmed her. It gave her great relief that Jews at Machon Ayalon had also done what she had been forced to do. The difference was they had done it willing with great self-sacrifice to help save other Jews. It seemed to be a “counter-weight” against her slavery under Nazis. She had no doubt that the efforts of the Haganah members who worked at Machon Ayalon under harsh conditions played a crucial role in the success of the War of Independence. Their altruism, with the help of Hashem, helped defend the vastly outnumbered Sherit Haplatah against the Arab armies.

England became the Mandatory ruler of Palestine in December of 1917. Despite the Belfour

Declaration, the British discriminated against the Jews. Arab violence was overlooked and Jews were forbidden to own arms. Carrying and possessing weapons carried a death penalty. In response, Jewish underground groups were formed to defend the population of the Land and kick the British out.

During the Second World War, the Haganah, the largest of these Jewish underground movements, joined the British to fight the Nazis. Thirty thousand young Jews joined the English army, returning home after the German defeat at El Alamein, in the deserts of North Africa. Almost all of them now had a personal weapon – a British standard sub-machine gun.

At that stage, the Haganah already had underground ammunition producing factories. Their engineers had been trying to reproduce German machine guns. The trouble was that the German weaponry was very complicated. When they examined the British stand-sub-machine gun, they saw they could easily be duplicated. They started producing them by the hundreds. Now they needed bullets.

Under the theory that the best place to hide something from someone is to conceal it right under that person’s nose, the Haganah built a bullet factory on the summit of a hill near to where the English were encamped – Givat Kibbutzim located between Nes Ziona and Rechovot.

From 1932-1942 groups of young people had come to Givat Kibbutzim to train and gain experience in the ways of daily life on a kibbutz. They had then gone on to establish kibbutzim throughout the country.

In 1946 Givat Kibbutzim, code-named the Ayalon Institute, appeared to be no more than a regular kibbutz. There was a dining hall, living quarters, chicken coops, a cow barn, workshops, a laundry, a bakery, a vegetable garden and even a nursery school. Yet beneath the limestone hill was the largest bullet factory in the Land. From 1946-1948, forty-five people worked there in two shifts, manufacturing 2.25 million bullets. At the height of operations, 40,000 bullets were made daily. These nine-millimeter bullets were used in the Sten sub-machine gun, the primary personal weapon during the War of Independence. Each bullet was imprinted with the letters EA, E for Eretz Yisrael and A for Ayalon.

The kibbutz was constantly watched and often visited by British soldiers. One time, a group of soldiers came to the kibbutz and was given beer to drink. They complained that the beer was warm and fizzy. The kibbutz members apologized profusely saying that if the soldiers would give them advance notice of their visits, they would be sure the beer would be properly chilled when they arrived. The British happily agreed. Thus, each time the soldiers came to inspect the kibbutz its members knew to be prepared for them.

Not all members of the kibbutz knew about the factory. Sometimes one half of a couple would not know that his or her counterpart was involved. Those in the “dark” were referred to as “Giraffes.” That’s because a giraffe’s long neck causes its neck to be so far above the ground it is oblivious to what is going on underneath it. So too these people lacked knowledge of the secret underground activities. Only after they were considered “trustworthy” were they informed of the “bullet” operation.

The industrial unit built 25 feet below ground took three weeks (22 days) to dig out. The underground chamber has 2-foot-thick walls and ceiling.

The concealment of the factory and the tremendous noise it made was nothing less then ingenious.

Above ground on one end was a laundry room..

But, how much washing does one kibbutz have? To ensure there was enough laundry to keep the machine washing 24/7, a commercial laundry service was opened in Rechovot. The maternity facility in the city brought their dirty diapers to this shop. The laundry acquired for itself the name of a superb cleaner. Even British officials stationed in the area wanted their uniforms to be laundered in the kibbutz. To keep the soldiers away, the kibbutz members provided a pick up and delivery service for the enemy. The Brits never dreamed that the whole place was a cover-up that concealed a secret arms factory.

On the other side, there was a bakery. The huge 10-ton baking oven covered the shaft into which the necessary manufacturing machines had been lowered into the factory. In 1938, these twelve machines, (which had been used to make ammunition for WWI, 1914 -18), were purchased in Poland. In 1985 when Machon Ayalon was renovated into a museum, nine of the machines were returned. Three are still being used to make bullets today. Once upon a time, they made things to last.

The raw copper needed to manufacture the bullets was obtained from a makeup factory. When the importing authorities asked the owner why he needed so much copper, he said that women in Palestine use a lot of makeup and he needed to manufacture many kosher lipstick and powder cases to fill their needs. The explanation proved plausible especially as it was reinforced by gifts of lipstick and powder cases to British officials. Large import licenses were approved.

After the ammunition was produced, a way had to be found to smuggle it to the fighters. At first, the bullets were put in milk cans with a double wall. These proved too heavy. Later, secret compartments built in fuel trucks concealed them. Since the British did not expect explosive gunpowder-filled objects to be hidden in fuel trucks, the bullets could be dispersed without detection.

As the workers were underground so long, it was quickly realized that they would look suspiciously pale from being out of the sun. The doctor who was brought in suggested using a special sun lamp to tan the workers skin. They were also given extra portions of foods rich in Vitamin D.

The work was difficult. The place was dark, dusty and claustrophobic – and the penalty for engaging in such illegal activities during the Mandate period was death. To make sure they had no traces of their work on them, such as copper shavings or gunpowder, a thorough inspection of worker’s clothes, hair and shoes was made each day before they exited the factory. Many times copper shavings had to be scraped off the bottoms of their shoes.

There was also a risk of the bullets exploding and killing them (and their little children in the nursery school above ground). Yet these young people readily put their lives on the line. Before they had been conscripted to work in the bullet-factory they had been on the verge of creating a new settlement. Nevertheless, they agreed most readily to the Haganah’s plan and with meseerot nefesh produced bullets for three long years.

After the establishment of the State, the pioneer group from the Ayalon Institute decided to stay together and established a new kibbutz, Ma’agan Micha’el, by the sea near Zichron Yaakov in 1949.

The Machon Ayalon military industry factory of the pre-state days went on to become IMI (Israel Military Industries) or “TAAS”. Though Machon Ayalon ceased operation in 1948, the public only got to know of it in 1975. In 1985, the factory was restored and turned into a museum.

A Message for Generations From Harav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, zt”l©

Based on a shiur by Harav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld’s great-grandson, Harav Yacov Meir Sonnenfeld, shlita, Rav of Rechasim

‘Contemplate the Years of Each Generation’

Each generation has its challenges — its tests that are specifically for it. The hardships of each dor are tailor-made exclusively for it. And each generation is given the tools to cope with its situation.

The Torah directs us, “Binu shenos dor v’dor — Contemplate the years of each generation; ask your father and your grandfather and they will tell you.” How does one cope with the ordeals of the time? “Ask your father and your grandfather and they will tell you.” Only the Gedolim and teachers of the generation can direct us in the correct way to overcome the adversity facing us at any period of time.

By contemplating how your “father and your grandfather” (i.e., those great in Torah) acted, you will know how to behave in dealing with your era. There are different reasons for the learning of history. History can be learned purely for the sake of knowledge. However, history should be learned in order to “contemplate the period of each generation,” and thereby know how to act, so as to be able to cope with the generation’s problems.

Yerushalayim of a previous generation, the generation when the Yishuv (settlement) was renewed in Jerusalem, (mid-19th to early-20th century) was the period in which my holy grandfather, Harav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, lived. There is so much to say, but we will concentrate mainly on how the Rav guarded Yerushalayim and how he protected and safeguarded the religious Jews and the religious character of the city. Then we will examine how this affects us today.

We here in Eretz Hakodesh are threatened on all sides — not only externally, but also internally. We feel many times that it is hard to hold on. We ask, how can we manage? How can we educate our children, given all the spiritual tests that face us? How will we continue to be mechanech (educate) the boys in yeshivos? The girls in Bais Yaakov? Many parents have already given up. It is so hard, so extremely hard. The street calls out so invitingly to our youth. How will we manage to succeed?

The Period of Harav Sonnenfeld

Let us go back to the period of Rav Yosef Chaim.

At that time, almost no one was a yeshivah man; no one wanted to learn in yeshivah. No one wanted to marry a yeshivah student, either. At that time in Yerushalayim, it was a bushah (degrading) to say that one was engaged to a yeshivah man. People would mockingly say, “What a ‘bench warmer!’”

Today, baruch Hashem, even if the boy is not learning, they say he is. It is a bushah if the boy is not a ben yeshivah. This is the work of Hashem. We find ourselves in the era that the Ponevezher Rav predicted, when he said there would be a great increase in the sheer number of Torah learners. This is the time close to the Geulah. True, there are problems. Nevertheless, looking at the whole picture shows us hundreds of thousands of young men (and not-so-young men) learning Torah diligently. This is not derech hateva (a natural phenomenon).

Once, a grandson accompanied Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld on the way down to the Kosel, when they met Abba Hillel. This Abba Hillel was a most interesting maskil (literally, “educated one,” referring to a Jew who has thrown off the yoke of Torah and mitzvos). He had a long beard all the way down to his waist but went around bareheaded. He had learned in yeshivah at one point and still liked to learn Gemara.

This person turned to Rav Yosef Chaim and said in Yiddish, “You are an intelligent Jew. You must realize that within one generation, all your youngsters will be in our camp. Twenty, maybe 30 years at most, they will all be ours. Tell me, Rav Yosef Chaim, why wait 20 years? You can come over now. What are you fighting for?”

Answered Rav Yosef Chaim: “Hear, and listen well to what I am saying. There will be a great turnover here in Eretz Yisrael, still before the coming of Moshiach. There will be myriads and multitudes of crowds of those learning Torah. There will be many baalei teshuvah. In the end, everything will pass to us.”

Said the maskil, “Happy is the believer.”

The Rav turned to his grandson and said, “I may not merit seeing it — but you will.”

Pressure From Weizmann

Then, in that period, how did Rav Yosef Chaim battle without any compromise? During the First

World War, there was such a famine in Eretz Yisraelm that 25,000 of 50,000 Jews in Palestine died of starvation. The relentless hunger continued after the war. There was no financial backing for the educational institutions; the only source of funding was the Zionist movement.

In the beginning of 1918, three months after the British takeover of Palestine, a delegation of Zionists headed by Chaim Weizmann came to Jerusalem. There was a large meeting of educators with Chaim Weizmann, which the Rav attended. Weizmann said, “The money, as you know, is by us. If you agree to come under my authority, I will not interfere with your ways of education. I only ask that you make Hebrew the language of instruction in the schools. If you do not agree, you will not get any money!”

All those at the meeting felt that they had to agree to what Weizmann wanted. After all, the money was in his hands, and did he not promise to not interfere with matters of education?

However, the Rav stood up and objected. “I do not believe you will not interfere. You are giving the money to gain control over us. We will continue to starve, but we will not come under your authority.”

A great uproar ensued. Weizmann left the room. A more liberal Rabbi went after him, to placate him. Weizmann then returned and declared, “Rav Chaim is the only one here who understands my true intentions.”

How did Harav Sonnenfeld have the strength to withstand Weizmann’s offer when they were literally starving for basic bread, with no way of obtaining it? To him it was simple. The educators of the institutions had been given a holy task. Their job was to educate and to take care of their charges’ souls. Hashem’s job was to provide food. Yet here they were, trying to switch tasks by making sure the children had food to eat.

He told the teachers, “The Gemara says ‘All is in the hands of Heaven except fear of Heaven.’ Stick to your task of instilling fear of Heaven into the younger generation. You should not compromise, even a hairsbreadth, on the holy, ancient way of teaching. Hashem will take care of the physical aspect of things.”

Today, we see the result: “They fell, and we came and were invigorated.” However, at the time Harav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld took his stance, it needed a will of iron to withstand the pressure and take on his shoulders the responsibility for the next generation.

And one more thing: About four months later, Weizmann handed over the money … with no strings attached.

The Meeting of the Zionist Histadrut

After the state was declared, there was a meeting of the Zionist Histadrut. The Prime Minister David Ben Gurion decided, as a generous gesture, to give the elderly people their shuls. He claimed that all the young people would soon come over to the Zionist camp. Someone asked him, “Be chol zot, so what will be with the masoret, the traditions of the Jews of Yemen, of Morocco, of Lithuania, and so on?”

Responded Ben Gurion, “We will set up a museum for all of it.”

Ben Gurion wanted to put us in a museum. However, what the planner planned for us is what

happened to the planner. Who today is found standing in the wax museum if not Ben Gurion himself?

Today Torah Judaism is growing and flowering in Eretz Yisrael. All this was due to the seed Harav Sonnenfeld planted and guarded with all his might.

The ‘Great Massa’ of the Rabbis (The Rabbi’s Journey)

About 16 years ago, there was a Shemittah keness of farmers from the north, in the town of Chatzor Haglilit.

However, before I relate what happened at the meeting, we must digress to the great massa (journey) of Rabbis that took place in 1913/14. Harav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, who was then Rav of Yaffo (Jaffa), and Harav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, with some other great men, went up north. They spoke at the different kibbutzim. At one of their stops, Rav Kook addressed the audience, telling them that their return to the Land should be in accordance with Torah.

The head of the committee of this kibbutz stood up and stated, “I must inform the Rabbis that we returned to the Land not to return to this outdated Torah of yours. We returned here to build a new nation, with a new culture. So just leave us alone with your Torah.” This was the height of chutzpah.

Rav Kook started crying bitterly. Rav Sonnenfeld stood up and said:

“Yaffo Rav, Yaffo Rav, I want to tell you and to tell everyone else: Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave Eretz Yisrael to Am Yisrael so that they should keep His laws and His Torah. This is the reason that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is now returning us to the Land. This should be clear to everyone here. The end of the matter will be that the Land will be full of Torah learners, Torah observers, and shomrei Shemittah, from one end to the other. Do not cry, Yaffo Rav, vein nisht.”

At the recent Shemittah keness, Rav Sonnenfeld’s great-grandson told the above story. He added that we see today how correct his grandfather had been, as there are hundreds of Shemittah observers today in Eretz Yisrael.

At this point, a very old man, about a hundred years old, at the back of the hall picked up his stick and waved it at the speaker. Rav Sonnenfeld’s greatgrandson was sure this was the son or grandson of that same chutzpedik head of the committee, or maybe even him himself.

“Yes, what does he want?” he asked of the old man.

The man wanted to address the gathering. He came onstage and started speaking. “My friends, I was at that historic address of Rav

Kook and Rav Sonnenfeld. I remember the tears Rav Kook shed. I also remember Rav Sonnenfeld’s words. We all laughed to ourselves. What a naive Rav! What is he saying: the whole Land will be full of Torah! This naive Rav doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Rav Kook is the realistic one. He really has something to cry about.

“Two weeks ago, I saw signs all over the Galilee: ‘A Shemittah keness for hundreds of Shemittah observers.’ I did not believe it. I could not believe it. What’s this: — Shemittah observers? I must see this for myself. I arrived this evening, to see hundreds of farmers who keep Shemittah. Not only frum ones with beards, but regular farmers.”

He raised his walking stick and shouted, “Rav Chaim was correct. He was right. The future is yours.”

Before the previous Shemittah, Harav Sonnenfeld’s great-grandson was at a keness in Lakewood, attended by thousands of avreichim. He told the “massa” story, including the part with the old man. They were electrified. He also spoke of the fact that there are so many lomdei Torah in America — four thousand just in Lakewood. Who would, who could, have envisioned this 60 years ago?

Five Angels to Guard Our Children

We stand before great tests in our times, says the current Rav Sonnenfeld. We lose hope very quickly when we view our strength vis-a-vis the hardships. However, we should remember that the results are in the Hands of Hashem and He is on our side. Ask yourself, what can I do? Do all you are able, and Hakadosh Baruch will help and do the rest.

When there were the terrible wars with the maskilim, the Chofetz Chaim said, “The Ribbono shel Olam is stronger than they are.”

Rabi Chanina ben Dosa wanted to do something for the Beis Hamikdash. He was very poor, but after contemplating the matter, he decided to carve a stone and bring it up as a donation. As he had no way of carrying it up to Yerushalayim, he sat by the roadside waiting for someone to help him. No one came. By this point, if it were us, we would have given up and gone home … but he still sat there and waited. Hashem then sent five angels disguised as humans. They offered to help if he paid five shekel and put his hand on the stone to help carry it. He agreed and the stone arrived in Yerushalayim.

Let us consider this medrash. We want to do something for the Beis Hamikdash. Being poor, we decide that this is impossible and we forget about the whole thing. Rabi Chanina ben Dosa teaches us, “Do what you can, even if it is just carving a stone.” Then, finding the stone too heavy, we stay at home and leave it at that. No, says the medrash: go sit by the roadside and try to get help. No one comes. By this point, we are ready to give up and go home. But, wait! Hashem sent five angels disguised as humans to Rabi Chanina.

When we have done our maximum, the siyatta diShmaya will come. Today, we need at least five, angels to guard and keep each of our children on the derech. If we display mesirus nefesh for their chinuch and do all in our paltry power to instill yiras Shamayim, then Hashem will send His angels to watch over our children. “Ki malachav yitzaveh lach lishmorcha b’chol derachecha — He will charge His angels over you, to protect you in all your ways.”

May we all merit much Yiddishe nachas from our children. Moreover, may we soon be zocheh to the coming of Moshiach, with utmost haste

Mamilla and David’s Village©

Our beautiful Jerusalem is studded with many exceptional gems. The lavish David’s Village across from the Mamilla Mall is in itself an attractive neighborhood, but an unexpected surprise awaits you when you investigate the area more fully.  

On Rechov Yitzhak Kariv (named after the mayor of Jerusalem from 1952-1955), right after the “offloading lot” of the David Citadel Hotel, enter a small pathway. Behind the gate at the corner is an orange tree-lined pathway that will lead you to lovely fountain pool. Ask the guard to let you view this garden.   

Mamilla was established in the late 19th century outside the Old City, a little west of the Jaffa Gate. It was a mixed Jewish-Arab business district. The name Mamilla probably stems from the Arabic name meaning "that which comes from G-d." Others say the name Mamilla may be a corruption of the Hebrew word for “the filler” (m'malle).

Following the approval of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, an Arab mob ransacked and burned much of the Mamilla District and stabbed some of its Jewish occupants. During the War of Independence, the neighborhood turned into one of the main combat zones, which led to the flight of both Jewish and Arab residents. After the Armistice Agreement gave Israel the western three-quarters of Mamilla, and the eastern quarter became a “no man’s land” of barbed wire and concrete barricades.

Since Mamilla is located along the armistice line between the Israeli and Jordanian-held sector, throughout the 19 years of the armistice, it  was subject to stone throwing, sniper, and attacks by Arab Legionnaires from the Old City walls above it. After Israel built a barrier wall, the area became the home of new immigrants with large families and small financial abilities. It also became a center for light industry such as auto repair.

After the unification of the city in 1967, the barricades that had lined Mamilla’s 19 year-old border were torn down.  As the result of years of fighting and the resultant limited maintenance, many buildings at the eastern end of Mamilla were in shambles and several historic buildings had to be condemned.

In 1972 the City began to develop the neighborhood. They evicted about 700 families, as well as communal institutions and businesses. These families were mostly Jewish immigrants from Arab states whose weak financial status left them vulnerable. For 19 years, they had suffered as a live defense barrier.

After they were evicted from their homes, there was a steep increase in real estate values in this former slum area. Although the Israeli Black Panther Movement was established in Musrara and not Mamilla, one of the key issues that caused its founding and the Israeli social upheaval of the 1970s was anger at the treatment of the Mamilla residents.

The former Mamilla area, now called David’s Village, is a luxury neighborhood. The apartments are mostly owned by people who live overseas and visit Israel a few times a year. That fact on the ground  makes it resemble a ghost town in the city center

Nebi Musa©

The old Muslim structure at Nebi Musa (pronounced Nebi Moo-sah — literally, “the prophet Moses” in Arabic) — is found in the heart of the Judean desert. With its thick stone walls, blue domes, arched entrances and desert mystique, this is the site that the Arabs believe is Moshe

Rabbeinu’s grave. This large, walled complex includes 120 rooms, a large number of white “caps” above its roofs, and a high tower.

This can obviously not be the site of Moshe’s grave since it is located on the wrong side of the Yarden. Standing at Nebi Musa, in the haze, one can make out way beyond them mountains of Moav, one of which is Har Nevo. In Parashas Vezos Habrachah (Devarim 34:5) we are told that Moshe passed away in Eretz Moav and was buried by Hashem Himself in that land, in the gei (depression) opposite Beth Peor. In the next verse, we are told that no one knows his precise burial place, to this day.

 

Both Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims consider Moshe to be a navi. They used to come to the hill of Nebi Musa and look out towards the hills of Moav at the unknown place of Moshe’s burial. Around the year 1259, the Mamluk Sultan Baibars decided to build these pilgrims a monument so they would have an actual place to come to. He then built the inner structure — the core — of today’s Ottoman structure.

As the Arabs are not so finely tuned to the details of history, it did not take long for them to become mixed up and claim that Nebi Musa was the actual spot of Moshe’s tomb. In truth, this place was not so important to the Muslims, but when they saw that Christian Arabs celebrate a festival each spring, they created a festival to coincide with this time of the year.

This newly invented religious and national holiday became so popular that as many as 15,000 would gather at this venue annually. During the 19th century, Muslims would assemble in Jerusalem, trek to Nebi Musa, and spend three days in feasting, prayer, games, and visits to the large tomb.

This “invention of tradition” made the colourful pageantry of the Nebi Musa pilgrimage a potent symbol of both political and religious identity among Muslims, from the outset of the modern period. It is worthwhile to note that the festivals have been banned since 1948 by the Jordanians, to prevent further unrest.

Riots From Nebi Musa

When the Jews started flocking to the Land (end of 19th and beginning of 20th century) the local Arabs felt disturbed, and to show their displeasure they would murder Jews. After World War I a great influx of Jewish olim came. (On March 1, 1920, just before the events described below, Arabs murdered Joseph Trumpeldor and seven other Jews, at the Battle of Tel Hai.)

Instigated in large part by Haj Amin al Husseini (the British-instated Mufti of Jerusalem) and Aref el Aref, (editor of the newspaper Southern Syria), the imams riled up the masses. They called on the Arabs to assemble at Nebi Musa.

Somewhere upward of 60,000 people gathered very early on the morning of April 4, 1920. A battle cry was let out. By 9:30 a.m. they reached the Old City of Jerusalem, and began the first of the Palestinian riots and pogroms against the Jews during the British Mandate. Jews were attacked randomly all over the Old City. The Arabs ripped open quilts and pillows, sending up clouds of feathers — all so reminiscent of Russian pogroms. Arabs entered the Etz Chaim Yeshivah, where they tore and trampled on sifrei Torah and then set the building on fire.

At the end of four days of rioting, five Jews had been killed and over 240 injured. A large amount of Jewish property had been burned or pillaged. Synagogues and religious schools had been torched and seforim desecrated. Eventually, after five days, the British army came to stop the riots and evacuate the Jews of Old City.

The riots had been carefully pre-planned. A few days before the riots, Arab milkmen had demanded that their Jewish customers in the Meah She’arim neighbourhood pay up their bills. They explained that they would no longer be selling milk in the Jewish section. Christian storekeepers marked their shops with their religious symbol to protect themselves from looters.

It would seem the riots were instigated by the British. It is known that British officers, especially Col. Bertie Harry Waters-Taylor, who was the financial adviser to the Military Administration in Palestine (1919-23), encouraged and coached the rioters. British police applauded the Arab war cries of “Filasteen arduna wa’al Yahud kilabuna“ (Palestine is our land and the Jews are our dogs), “Itbach al Yahud” (slaughter the Jews), and other such slogans that became the hallmarks of such massacres. They inexplicably withdrew their police and let the rioters do as they pleased.

To add to it all, the British responded to the riots primarily by punishing the Jews. The Palin Commission, which investigated the riots, blamed them on Arab ire over the Balfour declaration. As a result, the government restricted Jewish immigration. Agitation for effective Jewish self-defence grew in the Jewish community.

Throughout the British Mandate there were a number of such riots: 1920, 1921, 1926, 1929 (Chevron massacres), and 1936-39.

How to Get to Nebi Musa

The site of Nebi Musa is located on the east side of a red hill, on the north side of the Valley of

Horkania. A road connects the place to Highway 1, which is 1.5 km. to the north. (It is suggested strongly,to go only in large groups.)

Yarden Harari — The Jordan Highlands©

The date 10 Nissan marks 3,285 years since the Yidden crossed the Yarden River. In the year 2488 Am Yisrael entered the Land under Yehoshua bin Nun. In memory of this momentous occasion, this week’s column will focus on the Yarden, the Jordan River.

The different shades of greens, with their heavy, intoxicating scent, against the deep-brown earth to the one side and the flowing silver river to the other, make walking along the Yarden a heavenly experience.

Although the area is not stroller- or wheelchairfriendly, the trail in Yarden Harari (the Jordan Highlands) along the bank of Nahar Yarden is an easy one, which even children from about the age of five or six can accomplish. One can also bike along the stream.

Deep and turbulent, with rushing and roaring waters during the rainy season, the Jordan is reduced to a sluggish, shallow stream in the summer. However, at any time of year this path provides a vivid glimpse into the vegetation of the area. The best time to undertake the trek is at the end of winter when it’s almost spring, or during spring itself.

At this time of year, the abundance of flowers and their variety and colour range is stunning. Profuse, beautiful rakafot (cyclamens) hide under boulders and cling to the side of rocks. These fragrant, highly beloved, protected wildflowers are prolonged in their flowering season. They range in color from white to deep shockingpink, and have heart-shaped leaves.

Another protected flower — the kalanit (crown anemone) — is all over, displaying its bright red head. (When the British ruled in Palestine (1917-1948), their soldiers wore red berets and were called “kalaniot” by the local Jewish populace.)

Many types of charziot (daisies) abound in the long grass. There are yellow crown daisies and fresh and charming white daisies. Large, glossy-textured, emerald-green leaves with their dark-purple/black loof flower (arum palaestinum, of the kalla family) are dispersed all along the route.

The vulnerable flower, Ute’s ladies’ tresses — a rare species of orchid, considered to be endangered — can also be found along the river’s bank. Adding to the display is the concentration of numerous forms of thicket and undergrowth.

You may glimpse rabbits escaping from some birds of prey or leaping deer, as well as other wildlife and bird varieties.

The Jordan River at Yarden Harari has a steep gradient (400 meters in 10 kilometers). Considered one of the world’s most challenging rafting sections, this segment of the river is found at the end of Emek Hula as the Yarden flows toward the Kinneret.

At one point, the trail reaches a black ruin that was once a flour mill. The water of the river powered the wings of the mill to grind the flour.

The Yarden is the largest, longest, and best-known river flowing in Eretz Yisrael. Moreover, it is one of the only rivers within Israel that has an ongoing water flow all year round. Many of the other rivers dry up for months at a time and do not fill up until the winter.

The Yarden begins near Mount Hermon, in the tribal portion of Dan, and reaches the Dead Sea. Its length, as the crow flies, is about 157 km (approx. 98 miles). Since the river meanders, though, the actual length is about 251 km (just under 157 miles), though some measure the total length as 331 km (207 miles), i.e., twice the straight-line distance!

The major sources of the Yarden are the Hasbani River, the Banyas River and the Dan River. Flowing south through the entrance to the Great Syrian Rift Valley, the river is fed from underground sources and small streams at different points in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel.

After flowing into the Kinneret, the Yarden River flows southward into the centre of the Jordan Valley. The existence of thermal springs, notably in the Teveria region on the western side of the Kinneret, give the Jordan’s waters a relatively high degree of salinity.

In earlier times, the Israelites possessed the territory on both sides of the Jordan River. Then, in 1922 during the British Mandate of Palestine, the British created an artificial country — the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan — and in 1923 the British installed Abdullah ibn Hussein as emir of the new country. Today the Jordan River forms much of the international boundary between Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan, and includes part of the Palestinian Authority.

The Yarden continues its flow into Yam Hamelach, the Dead Sea. This lower part of the river between the Kinneret and Yam Hamelach has many curves. The aerial distance between the two is 105 km (65 miles), yet the flowing distance is 217 km (135 miles).

Yarden means yored (mi) Dan, descending (from) Dan. As stated, the river originates in the nachalah, portion, of Dan, and one of its three headwaters is the Nachal Dan (Dan River). In addition, the Israelite town of Dan in the far north is close to where the headwaters of the Yarden converge to form the river.

Since the Yarden plunges some 1,300 feet in its 124- mile course, (its source north of the Hula Valley is 100 feet above sea level, steadily decreasing until it reaches the Dead Sea 423 meters/1,388 feet below sea level), its name is most fitting.

It is important to emphasize that the Jordan River, despite its relatively large size in Eretz Yisrael, is actually a small river in international terms. When some European olim who were used to the great rivers in their lands of origin first saw the Yarden, they remarked how small and narrow it was. On further contemplation, they broke out in song. Why? Because, they replied, “the Yarden may not be as large and imposing as the rivers in the countries we left, but it is ours!”

The Jordan River runs not only through Eretz Yisrael but also “runs through” the Tanach, where it is mentioned about 181 times.

After the Israelites’ absence of 250 years from the Land, Yehoshua bin Nun led the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land. Just as the Red Sea had been miraculously divided for Bnei Yisrael, so too was the Yarden (Yehoshua 3:15-17). The Yarden is not so deep (at its deepest point it is around 17 feet/5 meters), and the Yidden could easily have waded through it. Its splitting was a token of love to Bnei Yisrael on Hashem’s part, and not a necessity as had been the division of the Yam Suf, where they had been in danger from the pursuing Egyptian army.

The nation woke up early that 10th of Nissan, the day of their crossing over. They believed wholeheartedly Yehoshua’s promises that nissim, miracles, would occur and they were eager to see them. Hashem had the Aron which held the Luchos transport them all to the spot on the bank of the Jordan from where they were to cross over. The kohanim carrying the Aron walked in front of the nation.

At the exact moment the kohanim’s feet touched the water — not an instant earlier or later — the river split. As their feet made contact, the mud at the bottom of the river also split, leaving dry ground for the Jews to walk on. The river did not stop flowing but kept piling up (some say) until it was 300 miles high (higher than rain clouds), and the entire inhabited world could see it.

After the last Jew had crossed over, Yehoshua, at the command of Hashem, commanded 12 designated men (one from each tribe) to take from the riverbed 12 stones, each weighing at least 40 se’ah, and carry them across. The stones were to be set up as a memorial to the crossing of the Yarden.

After reaching the other side, the Yidden looked back and saw the river start reflowing on its natural course. The Aron with the kohanim were still on the other bank of the river. The Aron then lifted the kohanim up and transported them to the other side. This showed the nation that the whole miracle of the Jordan River’s splitting was not because of the kavod of the Aron, but because of Hashem’s great love for His People.

Yehoshua had promised miracles and many occurred, including: (1) The waters split. (2) The waters afterward continued flowing. (3) After the waters returned to their natural course, the Aron lifted the kohanim and carried them across. (4) All Yisrael gathered between the staves of the Aron (Yehoshua 3:9). (5) On the day of the crossing, they travelled the astounding distance of 120 mil (to Mount Gerizim and back). (6) All the nations who witnessed the parting were overcome with fear.

To reach Yarden Harari:

Before setting out, one should find out the state of the roads that reach the area. If it has rained, the mud can be problematic to ordinary cars and the course along the bank may be slippery.

On Route 90 turn right to Tzomet Machanayim. Pass Tzomet Gadot until you reach a sharp curve in the road. Keep watching to your right, for a sign saying “Yarden Harari,” which leads onto a dirt road. Turn onto the dirt road, and after 20 meters park your car. This is the starting point.

Walk along the black-and-white marked trail along the bank of the Yarden. When you reach the black building, turn back, using the red-and-white trail to reach your car.