As a young man Yoel had wanted it all: redemption now. He had touched the Temple Mount, glimpsed the end of the story. The Jewish reverence for the Western Wall had seemed to him a retreat from the messianic opening back into exile. How to exchange the grandeur of the Temple Mount for a mere retaining wall without intrinsic holiness?
Of course Jews had returned home with vast dreams of redemption. That is who they were: a people set apart by God as a test case for divine intimacy with humanity. But in the tumultuous love story between God and His people, failure was no less instructive than success. And so the new dreams of Zion—socialist perfection, the wholeness of the land, even the seemingly modest dream of normalizing the Jews as a nation among nations—had each successively faltered. The messiah was still tarrying.
In their disappointment, some Jews had forgotten how to celebrate, how to be grateful. It was a recurring Jewish problem, as ancient as the first Exodus. But as Jews sang at the Passover seder, weren’t the dreams that had been fulfilled in some sense enough?
The beginning of dawn appeared over the Mount of Olives. Yoel knew how to evoke drama: He had deliberately choreographed the night to end here, with the first light. The call of the muezzin came from green-lit minarets. Groups of Orthodox young men hurried past Yoel’s mixed, anomalous group.
Yoel’s religious students joined the crowds moving toward the Wall. Yoel took leave from the secular young people, shaking each one’s hand. He retrieved prayer shawl and phylacteries from his backpack and headed toward the retaining wall of the Temple, grateful to be a Jew in this time.
Acknowledgments
MY GRATITUDE FIRST of all belongs to the men of the 55th Brigade. I had the privilege of extensively interviewing all of the book’s main protagonists, except for Meir Ariel, who died before I began this project.
No one contributed more time, energy, and wisdom to this book than Arik Achmon. I had the extraordinary good fortune to meet Arik as he was about to turn seventy and beginning to reflect on his life. There was no request that I made of him—and my requests became increasingly demanding over the years—that he didn’t do his best to meet. Our working relationship became a close friendship. Arik tried mightily to protect me from errors in fact and judgment; the errors that remain are mine alone.
I am deeply grateful to my editor and friend, Claire Wachtel, who stuck by this book even when I violated every deadline.
Two institutions successively gave me a home and made it possible for me to write this book. The first was the Shalem Center, where I was a senior fellow from 2003 to 2010. Shalem’s generosity and support gave me what every writer longs for, the gift of time. My gratitude to Shalem’s Daniel Gordis, Yishai Haetzni, David Hazony, Yoram Hazony, Roger Hertog, Daniel Polisar, an especially devoted friend to this book. Natan Sharansky and Vera Golovensky, who were at Shalem during my time there, provided generous friendship and support.
The Shalom Hartman Institute, where I am currently a senior fellow, has provided the intellectual and spiritual environment in which I could complete this book and move to the next phase of my work. My gratitude to Rabbi Donniel Hartman, who has been at once mentor, colleague, and friend. And thanks to my colleagues and friends at Hartman who provided useful editorial feedback and other help: Alan Abbey, Tal Becker, Stuart Schoffman, Hana Gilat, Laura Galinski, Yehuda Kurtzer, Gil Troy, and Noam Zion.
The following friends provided generous financial support: Mark Gerson, Harold Grinspoon and Diane Troderman, Seth Klarman, Rabbi John Moscowitz, Joe Nadler, Julie Sandorf and Nessa Rapoport of the Revson Foundation, Shoel Silver, Larry and Judy Tanenbaum, Phil Wachs. Thanks also to Michael and Laurie Davis, Michael Diamond, Wendy Eisen, Michael Granoff, Jim Moscowitz, Judy Nyman, and Orna Shulman.
I was blessed with a succession of superb research assistants. Rivki Rosner and Devora Liss saw the book through its final years; their devotion to and deep understanding of this project, along with their friendship and wonderful humor, helped me persevere. Rona Yona, Itiel Ben-Haim, and Avishai Ivri helped define and solidify the project in its earlier stages. I am profoundly grateful to them all.
As for my gratitude to my wife, Sarah, for all she put up with during these interminable years of “the book”: ein milim.
Michael Oren encouraged me to write this book and continued encouraging me as I struggled to make sense of the material. I could not have seen this through without his love and friendship.
Sam Freedman and Jonathan Rosen provided the camaraderie of writers. They were devoted readers of repeated drafts and generously offered their wisdom.
Rabbi John Moscowitz, one of the most courageous Jewish leaders I know, helped nurture this project from the beginning.
David Suissa, for whom no favor is ever too much, has been a friend in all ways.
Julie Sandorf embraced me with her generous friendship and encouragement.
Carolyn Hessel of the Jewish Book Council has, once again, been a devoted friend.
And gratitude to: Esteban Alterman, for his help with the photographs but most of all for his courage and inspiration; Frédéric Brenner, for his great images; David Brumer, beloved friend who died too soon; Zev Chafets, for everything; Edoe Cohen, whose enthusiasm for this project helped get me going; Tim Cowles, who helped inspire me to write this book when, at a providential moment, he sent me as a gift his collection of Life magazines from the Six-Day War; Rabbi Yoel Glick, for his love and guidance and extraordinary friendship; Jonathan Kessler, Linda Frum, and J. J. Schneiderman, devoted friends of this project.
A succession of interns, working through the Shalem Center and the Shalom Hartman Institute, provided valuable assistance: Rachel Adams, Benji Davis, Zach Fenster, Josh Freedman, Ariel Futter, Rachel Greenspan, Asaf Hadani, Elad Kimelman, Nicky Kolios, Candace Mittel, Valerie Oved, Nathaniel Rabkin, Adam Sadinsky, Clara Scheinmann, Davida Schiff, Maya Tapiero, Josh Wertheimer, and Jonathan Yudelman.
Yossi Alpher provided a copy of the English translation of his book on the Palestinian-settler dialogue, published in Hebrew as Vegar Ze’ev Im Ze’ev (And the Wolf Shall Dwell with the Wolf). Menachem Regev provided a copy of Meir Ariel’s diary of his daily Torah study.
Nissim Calderon generously shared with me his research for a biography he is completing on Meir Ariel. The time we spent together sharing our love for Meir was one of the joys of this project.
The following graciously permitted me to quote from their songs, poems, books, articles, and films: Alut (the Association for Autistic Children), Uri Elitzur, Haim Gouri, Haim Hefer, Aviv Havron, the Hitman family, Arnon Lapid, Didi Manusi, Baruch Nevo and Nurit Ashkenazi, Gideon Ofrat, Talma Aligon-Roz, Yitzhak Rubin, Hemi Sal, Yisrael Shadiel, Hemdat Shani, Yoram Taharlev, Gidi Weitz, and Tamar Ze’evi.
Special thanks to Tirza Ariel for permission to quote from Meir’s work, and for all she does to keep alive Meir’s memory and spirit.
The following publishing companies graciously allowed me to quote from their works: Sifriyat Beit El, Hakibbutz Hameuhad, Keter, Ma’arakhot, and Yediot Aharonot.
Also thanks to Channel 1 Israel TV and Israel’s Channel 2 for the use of archival material.
Along with interviews with the main protagonists, Like Dreamers is based on interviews with their family, friends, comrades-in-arms, and associates. My gratitude to the following interviewees:
VETERANS OF THE 55TH RESERVIST PARATROOPER BRIGADE
MOSHE AMIRAV, MEIR ARAD, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Yossi Asaf, David Atid, Menachem Amit Balu, Naftali Bar-Ilan, Yaakov “Vaksi” Barnea, Uri Ben-Noon, Amikam Berman, Shmuel Biran, Nadav Briner, Uzi Chaplin, Miki Cohen, Yechiel Cohen, Yitzhak Deri, Shlomo Dror, Ori Dvir, Haviv Elhanani, Eshed Eliezer, Yoel Elitzur, Hanan Erez, Haggai Erlichman, Yossi Fradkin, Yaakov Gafni, Gabi Garbiyeh, Matti Greenberg, Yiftah Gutman, Ran Hakim, David Harris, Amnon Horev, Yaakov Ingmar, Shimon “Kacha” Kahaner, Yehudah Kandel, Karni Kav, Menachem Kendelstein, Ofer Kolker, Moshe Natan Landau, Eran Levizon, Danny Matt, Reuven Michael, Zvi Mina, Itzik Nadan, Ra
bbi Gil Nativ, Meir Nitzan, Zviki Nur, Michael Odem, Shlomo Ofek, Yishai Peleg, Reuven Polechik, Noach Rabinovich, Moisheleh Rabinovitch, Yoram Ronen, Ido Rosen, Yosef “Yoske Balagan” Schwartz, Avraham Sela, Shmuel Shaked, Uri Shapira, Eliezer Shefer, Azriel Sorek, Nachman Syrkin, Danny Valeh, Yosef Vilchik, Aryeh Weiner, Itzik Yifat, Uzi Yitzhakov, Yoram Zamosh, and Dan Ziv.
SETTLERS AND RELIGIOUS ZIONISTS
SHIYA ALTMAN, Rabbi Yehudah Amital, Yehudit Amir, Vardina Bardugo, Avraham Bar-Ilan, Moni Ben-Ari, Michael Ben-Horin, Yohanan Ben-Yaakov, Shifra Blass, Eliaz Cohen, Rabbi Sha’ar Yashuv Cohen, Esti and Ronny Columbus, Yossi Faber, Uri Elitzur, Yehudah Etzion, Haim Falk, Avi Farhan, Ella Florsheim, Rabbi Yochanan Fried, Rabbi Menachem Froman, Haya Ganiram, Sima Gillis, Rabbi Avi Giser, Elchanan Glatt, Rabbi Shimon Golan, Hannah Grajouer, Rabbi Menahem Hacohen, Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Elyakim Haetzni, Ze’ev “Zambish” Haver, Aliza Hart, Arieh Horowitz, Mira Kedar, Shalom Keinar, Yigal Kirshenfest, Benny Katsover, Rabbi Isser Klonsky, Miriam Levinger, Menachem Loberbaum, Tzipi Luria, Miri Maas, Baruch Marzel, Yisrael “Winki” Medad, Rabbi Yaakov Meidan, Gil Mezuman, Brigitte Milo, Moshe “Moshko” Moskowitz, Moshe Nahaloni, Yehudah Neuman, Rabbi Ze’ev Neuman, Yaakov Oppenheim, Henia Oppenheimer, Yochai Rodik, Motti Ronen, Varda Rosen, Amos Safrai, Dudi Bar-Selah, Bambi and Yair Sheleg, Sarah Shpitz, Haggai Segal, Hemdat Shani, Ze’ev Valk, Ruth Waldman, Pinchas Wallerstein, Rafi Yanai, Baruch Yefeh-Nof, and Vardit Zik.
KIBBUTZNIKS AND PEACE ACTIVISTS
ELI ALON, MANU ALON, Ruth Atzmon, Janet Aviad, Rivkaleh Avidor, Rina Ben-Nachshon, Yehudit Tidor Baumel, Lea Berenstein, Ilana Carmi, Shlomit Canaan, Ran Cohen, Yuval Danieli, Shlomit Dekel, Ruth Eitzman, Avraham “Avremel” Frank, Lea Gilboa, Avishai Grossman, Batsheva Gurevitch, Uzi Hagi, Milca Har-Tal, Amos Kayatzky, Rachel Marder, Tami Mor, Ilana Neuman, Haggit Ofran, Amnon and Yael Peltin, Ilana Peltin, Dodik Por, Tamar Reiner, Tzali Reshef, Hemi Sal, Moishe Shachvitz, Yoav Shachvitz, Hedva Shain, Yehudah Sagi, Avraham “Pachi” Shapira, Rafi Shapira, Gidi Sivan, Doron Spector, Shlomo Svirsky, Avshalom “Abu” Vilan, Yehudit Zaidenberg, Adam Zartal, Haim Zeligman, and Miraleh Ziv.
FAMILY MEMBERS
OFRA AND MOSHE ACHMON, Yehudit Achmon, Tova and Uri Adiv, Tirza Ariel, Shahar Ariel, Shiraz Ariel, Udi Ariel, Aya Atid, Dror Bareket, Esther Bin-Nun, Enya Fast, Ada Geva, Rita Gur, Sarah Harel, Mona Hershkovitz, and Rachel Porat.
FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES
EHUD BANAI, Ro’i Bar-Zakai, Dori Ben-Zeev, Naor Carmi, Gil Dor, Hanna Dvir, Yehudah Eder, Ari Elon, Eitan Haber, Issa Halaf, Lihi Hanoch, Shalom Hanoch, Haim Kessler, Yoav Kutner, Asher Levy, Mark Linton, Avihu Medina, Aharon Megged, Naomi Mizrahi, Yosifa Nachshon, Micha Odenheimer, Atara Ofek, Hava Pinhas-Cohen, Menachem Regev, Micha Shagrir, Miki Shaviv, Yizhar Shabi, Alona Turel, Micha Ullman, Meir Uziel, Hanan Yovel, and Ariel Zilber.
And thanks to the following for help in various ways:
Stefanie Pearson Argamon, Tikva Armon, Josh Block, Karen Brunwasser, Aaron Cohen, Ami Cohen, Florence Cohen, David Ehrlich, Leibel Fein, Jonathan Fong, Toby Perl Freilich, Ella Gadasi, Zach Gelman, Rabbi Steve Gutow, Maria Reis Habito, Alvin Hoffman, Toby Kahn, Michael Kotzin, Charley Levine, Jonathan Mark, Paul Michaels, Alicia Mog, Hava Na’eh, Lynn Pelkey, Martin Raffel, Asaf Rahmani, Nessa Rapoport, Matt Ronen, Rachel and Shlomo Rosner, Shmuel Rosner, Amos Sabah, Yehudah Shohat, Ruth Wheat, and Hannah Wood.
Notes
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific entry, please use your e-book reader’s search tools.
CHAPTER 1: MAY DAY
5 “The Progressive World”: Al Hamishmar, March 8, 1953.
13 “the beautiful and pure”: Haim Gouri, “Hareut,” http://www.izkor.gov.il/Song.aspx?id=19.
16 “Once people were ready”: Alon Ein Shemer, May 1, 1967.
17 “Comrades should know”: Alon Ein Shemer, May 6, 1967.
CHAPTER 2: THE CENTER
25 keenly aware of their redemptive role: Shlomo Aviner, Rabenu, ed. Ze’ev Neuman (Jerusalem: Sifriyat Beit El, 2004), 229–32.
30 “A serious boy”: Assessment by Yoske Ahituv, to Moshe Eyal and Lippa Aharoni, February 3, 1966.
32 “We must make more”: www.meirtv.co.il/site/content_idx.asp?idx:5410&cat_id=3778.
33 “‘They divided My land!’”: Joel 4:3.
CHAPTER 3: BORN TO SERVE
38 Givat Brenner was torn: There were three main kibbutz movements. Meuhad, to which Givat Brenner belonged, was the largest (a majority of its members were pro-Soviet). The pro-Western minority within the Meuhad movement seceded and formed the Ichud kibbutz federation. Kibbutz Artzi, the federation of Hashomer Hatzair kibbutzim (to which Avital Geva’s kibbutz, Ein Shemer, belonged), was entirely pro-Soviet. There was a fourth movement, far smaller than the others: Hakibbutz Hadati, the federation of Orthodox kibbutzim, a part of the religious Zionist movement.
39 On a Friday evening: Yoman Hakibbutz—Givat Brenner, July 26, 1951.
52 The 28th Battalion was absorbed: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is composed of a standing army of draftees and a reservist army. Young men enter the reserves following their three-year service as draftees. (Young women are drafted but are, for the most part, exempt from reserve duty.)
The paratrooper corps—which included the standing army’s paratrooper brigade (the 35th) and, along with the 55th, another reservist paratrooper brigade (the 80th)—was Israel’s elite combat force in the formative years of the state. Some two thousand men served in the 55th at any given time.
The brigade contains three combat battalions, each with about four hundred men. Those battalions are the 28th, the 66th, and the 71st.
CHAPTER 4: A TIME OF WAITING
55 On the streets of Cairo: Naftali Arbel and M. Mizrahi, eds., The Six Day War (Tel Aviv: Mizrahi, 1967), 25–26.
56 The reservists of the 55th Brigade left: Yisrael Harel, ed., Sha’ar Ha’arayot (The Lions’ Gate; Tel Aviv: Ma’arakhot, 1972), 11–49; Motta Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu (The Temple Mount Is in Our Hands; Tel Aviv: Ma’arakhot, 1973), 25–48.
58 “What’s good about Arik”: Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 28.
59 One song promised: Yechiel Mohar (lyrics) and Moshe Vilansky (music), “Anahnu Na’avor” (We Will Pass), http://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&prfid=334&wrkid=8446.
59 “Nasser is waiting”: Haim Hefer, “Natzer Mehakeh LeRabin” (Nasser Is Waiting for Rabin), http://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&prfid=168&wrkid=6342.
60 “The city that sits”: Naomi Shemer, “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” (Jerusalem of Gold), http://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&prfid=938&wrkid=1619.
61 On Shabbat afternoon, in the waning light: Harel, Sha’ar Ha’arayot, 26.
62 “It’s clear to me”: Ibid., 31.
65 Shabbat morning, June 3: Ibid., 36–37.
CHAPTER 5: NO-MAN’S-LAND
68 On Israel Radio: Chaim Herzog, Israel Radio, June 5, 1967.
70 Deeply tanned: Harel, Sha’ar Ha’arayot, 54–55.
71 The buses, slow and weighted: Ibid., 57–60, 160–61.
75 The battle hadn’t even been engaged: Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 194–95.
76 A medic, hearing the whistle: Harel, Sha’ar Ha’arayot, 83–84.
76 He was Yossi Yochai: Ibid., 37.
77 A paratrooper entered a courtyard: Avraham Shapira, ed., Siah Lohamim: Pirkei Hakshavah Vehitbonenut (Soldiers’ Talk; Tel Aviv: Haverim Tze’irim Mehatnuah Hakibbutzit, 1967), 227.
77 From the back of an alley: Ibid., 117.
78 Their commander, Michael Odem: Ibid., 120–21; Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 231–35.
81 “Nu, Motta, are we moving?”: Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 262.
83 Motta ordered tanks from another unit: Harel, Sha’ar Ha’arayot, 138; Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 269–85.
CHAPTER 6: “THE TEMPLE MOUNT IS IN OUR HANDS”
87 Motta and Arik stood: Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 288–92.
89 Motta took the radio: Ibid., 308–9.
90 “Cease fire,” he ordered: Ibid., 316.
92 Rabbi Goren hurried: Ibid., 321.
93 Rabbi Goren sent his assistant: Simcha Raz, Hila Welberstein, and Rabbi Shalom Y. Klein, eds., Mashmia’ Yeshuah (Mercaz Shapira: Or Etzion, 2010), 334. This is based on the version that Rabbi Zvi Yehudah told his students. According to another version (Harel, Sha’ar Ha’arayot), it was Captain Yoram Zamosh who sent the jeep.
96 “give me the shofar”: Uzi Eilam, Keshet Eilam (Eilam’s Arc; Tel Aviv: Yediot Aharonot, 2009), 93.
96 Motta watched the nazir: Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 334.
98 Meir Ariel ran down the steps: Moshe Natan, Hamilhamah Al Yerushalayim (The Battle for Jerusalem; Tel Aviv: Otpaz, 1968), 334–35.
CHAPTER 7: “JERUSALEM OF IRON”
100 A doctor from the 55th Brigade: Harel, Sha’ar Ha’arayot, 172–73.
100 “People of Israel!”: Ibid., 169.
101 Some Israelis came to loot: Ibid., 175–80.
104 Along the road were lines: Ibid., 190.
109 To Hanan Porat: Ibid., 192.
109 Accompanied by nurses, the wounded arrived: Ibid., 191.
109 “Many Jews risked their lives”: Gur, Har Habayit Beyadenu, 335.
CHAPTER 8: THE SUMMER OF MERCAZ
113 As the crowds crossed: Jerusalem Post Staff, “200,000 at Western Wall in First Pilgrimage since Dispersion,” Jerusalem Post, June 15, 1967; Amos Ben-Vered, “200,000 Bikru Bakotel Hama’aravi” (200,000 Visited the Western Wall), Ha’aretz, June 15, 1967; Yitzhak Shor, “200,000 Naharu El Kotel Hama’aravi” (200,000 Converged on the Western Wall), Al Hamishmar, June 15, 1967.
114 Despite intense pain: Aviner, Rabenu, 207.
114 Hanan Porat hitched a ride: Amia Lieblich, Yaldei Kfar Etzion (The Children of Kfar Etzion; Jerusalem: Keter, 2006), 375–94; Yochanan Ben-Yaakov, ed., Gush Etzion: 50 Shnot Ma’avak Viytzirah (Gush Etzion: 50 Years of Struggle and Creation; Kfar Etzion: Beit Sefer Sadeh Kfar Etzion, 1978), 307–13.
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