יומנים > יומן - מלא 24/09/1948

Friday, September 24, 1948

Dr. Rosenbaum [Eliyahu Meroz] from the Youth Department [in the Tel Aviv municipality] - regarding people with disabilities. There are workshops in Jaffa for the disabled. Levy Malinovsky has already examined 3,000 soldiers who are candidates for vocations in terms of occupational orientation. There's also a special welfare officer [a surgeon, Docent Max] Marcus [sp.]. I asked Rosenbaum to prepare a roster of the disabled: age, education, what they want to study (continuation of studies, more advanced training in one of the vocations), what vocation they would wish to learn or improve in, what profession they're trained for. Rosenbaum assumed responsibility for the issue.

       - A delegation of the Aguda [Agudas Israel] from Europe: Dr. Arman [sp.] from Zurich [Agudas Israel chairman in Switzerland], Mathew Miller, Attorney Frey [sp.], Bernard Strauss from London, Dr. Menahem Rutenberg [sp.] from Manchester, Heinrich Landau from Brussels, Harry Goodman, London. A separate record of the minutes was made.

       - Meeting with [Aryeh] Pincus on censorship issues. They're requesting a liaison officer between the Staff and the press (the press committee on this matter: [Eliezer] Frei [Al Hamishmar], [Ezriel] Carlebach [Maariv], [Israel] Finkelstein [Haaretz], [Yitzhak] Ziv-Av [Haboker], [Moshe] Zak [Hamashkif], Herzl Berger [Davar]). [They propose] an appeals committee to review articles rejected by the censor. The Defense Ministry will compose [decide on the composition of] the appeals committee.

       - At 11 - Defense Committee.

       Manpower as of September 16, 1948: infantry 28,415, standard 35,201, garrison 12,353, standard 14,936; Palmach staff 1,711; artillery corps 3,473, s. 7,005, mortars 701, s. 2,234, engineering 2,576, s. 4,998; air [force] 5,157, s. 7,500, sea [navy] 2,201, s. 2,975; in intake 2,601, training camps 2,015, transit camps 546, total 86,594, s. 111,011; MLB [military labor brigades] Haifa 1,325, MLB Tel Aviv 492, total including MLB 88,411, s. 150,027; not available for duty: deserters 500, prisoners 187, ill and wounded 2,625, POWs 809, missing 550, fallen 2,617, total 95,699.

       - In the afternoon [General] Staff. This morning Arabs (apparently the Legion) attacked our stronghold in Modi'in, hit 25, the rest (about 60) fled. The Arabs seized Besa [machine gun]s, [light] machine guns, and rifles. Immediately afterwards we attacked, hit the enemy, and captured the stronghold. I asked Yigael [Yadin] whether we have the strength to attack Latrun with enough force to ensure its capture - and to be prepared for a general Arab response in the event that it comes. Yigael does not think this is possible before Sunday [September 26] - but is not sure whether even then it's possible. In Haim [Laskov]'s view this requires two well-trained battalions, to fight over every dugout and trench, and we don't have such a [force]. In Yigael's view it requires 4-6 battalions. We're prepared for a general attack, but in terms of defense our situation will be uncomfortable. We're organized for the Triangle, but according to the prepared plan we'll attack not in Latrun but in the Central [Front (Tichon)] and Jenin.