יומנים > יומן - מלא 27/10/1948

Wednesday, October 27, 1948

A delegation from the [Hebrew] University: Sir Leon Simon, Rabbi [Simha] Assaf [sp.] and [unspecified] want a release [from military service] for humanities students (of all years), agriculture - 31 students, and natural sciences and mathematics - [students] from year[s] 3-4. Classes begin - November 17 ([the Jewish month of] Heshvan 15). They're asking for a minimum of 300 students, including about ten teachers, lecturers, and instructors. At the start of the school year there were 690 students. 77 fell in the war. The studies will be held at the Terra Sancta [Monastery] (they pay P£ 150 per month for the auditoriums). According to them there are about 200 student-soldiers in Jerusalem alone, in the Moriah and Bet Horon battalions. I promised to release all those who are in the services, and of the combat battalions - to the extent possible. I gave the list to Nehemiah [Argov] to check with the Personnel Department where they are and what position they held.

       They want to make repairs to the university buildings, especially the library [on Mount Scopus, which was cut off at the time]. But - how?

       - During the night our army entered Beit Jubrin. There were Egyptians, Sudanese, Legionnaires there. Yigal [Allon?] asked whether to bomb some of the houses, I answered in the negative.

       Eavesdropping [report] from the date 266020 states that beginning on that date the transfer of stocks [provisions] from Ashdod and Majdal via Hirbiya [the Karmia region today] to Gaza will begin. The supplies will be sent by ships and barges.

       - [Labor Ministry Director General Menachem] Bader came. He stunned me by reporting that the classification committee wasn't operating. He proposes summoning Michael [Michael] (Personnel Department) and Baruch [Rosenthal-Tal] to clarify the matter; the recruitment center should be abolished. He raises the question of conscription, and the release of workers for fruit harvesting. A list of 700 packers and woodworkers has already been submitted to Michael [Michael] and Yisrael Amir. Immigrants are needed for this work, but there are no immigrant camps in the south, and he's requesting some of Sarafand [Camp] or Be'er Ya'akov. Why not Ramle? The army objects (I did not know of this). I tasked Nehemiah [Argov] with checking with the Staff and contacting Bader. Builders are needed. If they're in services, they can be pulled out, from combat battalions - not possible.

       I suggested that Bader postpone the final clarification until after the Staff assesses the conclusions of the [military standards] reductions committee.

       - [Pinchas] Kozlowski [Sapir] returned. On the 30th a ship will leave Holland, with 30-40,000 winter uniforms and coats, taking two weeks en route.

       - I visited the Defense Ministry on Ester HaMalka [Street]. They've already taken three floors, and are expected to continue. The number of employees has already reached 550, aside from Lubinski's organizational staff (the soldier's family), which employs about 450 people.

       - Today there's an ''aliya [inauguration of a new settlement] at Khirbet Beit Far, which will be named after Morgenthau [the settlement was named Tal Shahar - the Hebrew translation of Dawn Dew]. Beit Jiz [Harel] is also being settled today - by a kibbutz of HSHT [HaShomer HaTza'ir]. During the months of the war 32 settlements were settled: 18 April 48 a moshav in Bethlehem [of Galilee] (Valley); 9 August 48 HPHM [HaPo'el HaMizrachi] in Wilhelma Aleph [Nehalim]; 20 June 48 HKHM [HaKibbutz HaMeuchad] in Spohn [Bet Spohn - Netzer Sereni]; 29 July 48 HSHT in Subrin-Dalia [Ramot Menashe]; 4 May 48 HKHM in Bror Hayil; April 48 HaOved HaTzioni in Waldheim [Neve Ya'ar]; 2 July 48 HKHM in Mansura al-Khayt [Kefar HaNassi]; 20 July 48 Hever HaKvutzot [HHK] in Ma'ayan Harod; June 48 HKHM in Tira [HaHotrim]; 28 May 48 HSHT in north Acre [Shomrat]; HPHM in Wilhelma Bet [Be'erot Yitzhak]; 26 September 48 HKHM in Nehalim [HaGoshrim] (?); 28 August 48 HHK in Zir'in [Yizre'el]; 6 July 48 Agudas Israel in ''Ekron, Wadi Sarar [near Hafetz Haim]; 18 August 48 HKHM in Bleida [Yiftah]; August 48 Revision[ists] in Beit Lid [Nordia]; 29 June 48 HPHM in Kefar Yavetz; 14 June 48 HKHM in Tantura [Nahsholim]; 14 June 48 HSHT in Kafr Misr [''Ein Dor]; 30 September 48 Gordonia in Gezer B (Abu Shusha); 7 August 48 [Bnei-]Atarot (moshav) in Wilhelma Bet; July 48 HSHT in Ziv [Sa'ar]; 10 June 48 HSHT in Ashrafiyya Aleph [Reshafim]; 8 July 48 HKHM in Butaymat [Even Yitzhak - Gal'ed]; 10 June 48 HPHM in Ashrafiyya Bet [Shluhot]; 21 September 48 HPHM in Birya Bet; June 48 HaOved HaTzioni in Mahalul [Timorim]; 11 October 48 Revisionists in Kasla [Ramat Raziel]; 19 October 48 HKHM in Suba [Tzova]; 8 October 48 HSHT in Khirbet Sufia [sp.] [Ga'aton]; August 48 HSHT in Tira [Gazit].

       - I summoned Baruch Rosenthal [-Tal, from the recruitment center]. What happened to the appointments committee? - An agreement was reached with Bader, but not yet with Michael (Personnel Department). Turns out that the "army" is imposing laws that nobody agreed on: for the type [of individual] who is completely exempt [from military service] because he is vital to the economy, the Personnel Department is demanding [his] partial enlistment. I asked Baruch for a written report, and I'll get to the bottom of this issue once and for all.

       - Staff meeting: After news arrived that the residents had fled Beit Jubrin - our army went in. The police station was also captured. At 8 a.m. this morning armed vehicles attacked but were repelled, 3 armed vehicles were burned. It's unclear whether these were Egyptians or Legionnaires. [We're] waiting for the Egyptians to charge forward today [from Majdal southward]. For now [they're] moving from Majdal to Hirbiya, and from there along the shore to Gaza. So far 16 officers, including a major, have been captured. There's also a son [of] the deputy minister of justice.

       Last night there was a fierce attack on Rosh-Ha'Ayin and Migdal Tzeked [Migdal Afek]. Yesterday there was an attack on Lajjun. They were repelled, although 18 Iraqi armored vehicles participated. They're reporting on their failure.

       Zarqa [north of Amman] is where Iraq's and Jordan's [joint] command is located. It issued orders to attack without a decision on violating the truce having been reached. The suggestion was that irregular forces be used. Two days ago an [Iraqi] Air Force officer arrived in Mafraq in order to bring a squadron (modern fighter planes, Furies) from Iraq to Mafraq. The Egyptians want to transfer part of this squadron to El-''Arish. It follows from this that the Egyptian air fleet was destroyed, and that they're preparing for actions.

       Operation Hiram was postponed to tomorrow [the night of October 28-29]. The 9th Brigade (Oded) was 12 hours late getting back (Yigal Allon caused this. The chief of staff is investigating).

       I raised the question of releases [from military service] for fruit harvesting and the university. Yigael [Yadin] and Shaul [Avigur] insist on being stringent regarding releases for the university, as a threat to the army's "morale." The Personnel Department is releasing 700 packers and woodworkers.

       The frontline settlements have about 5,000 men. They're demanding a salary and vacation time and vacation wages and transportation as soldiers.

       I asked about the looting of Beersheva: the 12th Brigade ([under Nahum] Sarig) took 3 tractors, a passenger vehicle, twenty tons of wheat, 2 tons of halva [?]. 15 tons of sugar and rice were taken by the 8th Brigade (the Armored Brigade). [General] Avner knows about this. In Beit Jubrin they found an empty town. The Logistics Department is receiving information about the weapons. [Arab] women and children were removed from Beersheva to Gaza. About 100 men remained - they're being put to work or will be transferred to a POW camp.

       Moshe [Zadok] reports that he had to have the army impose a curfew from 6 to 12 on the day of the [first] census (November 3). The Personnel Department and Operations Department were instructed to provide service battalions for the sake of the curfew.

       Zadok asks about 17-year-olds, how to use them? I informed [him]: for any service aside from combat and the battlefield.

       He proposes a partial draft order up to [age?] 48. I replied that pending the committee's report on [surplus] we won't issue a new order.

       - Government meeting.

       - I dined with the five Navy men who sank the two Egyptian ships.

       - In the evening [Henry] Morgenthau came to see me. He'd spoken with Myers, who chaired the Pittsburgh conference [of Feinberg's associates; see diary entry for October 25, 1948]. [Rabbi Israel] Goldstein offered them a third, but Montor's group refused. The "cities" [city delegates] have a tendency to put themselves forward in place of the UJA. Tomorrow the UJA is convening to discuss and decide on the arrangement. Morgenthau is leaving on Friday. Apparently he also received worrying political news that he couldn't share. He's concerned about trouble - apparently from the State Department.

       M. [? - evidently Morgenthau] reported on behalf of Chaim Weizmann that he wants to resign because he's not being included in things.