latrun tour - english - 2014

5/28/2018 Latrun Tour - English - 2014

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The Miraculous Rise of the Jewish State:

From Concentration Camps to The Merkava 4.

By: Elisha Kramer


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Introduction

"The Political War"

Do a google search "Palestine" and these are the images you will see. Do a google search

"Israel," or "IDF" and again, you will find anti-Israel propaganda.

This war does not end on the internet. On college campuses across the world Professors and

student groups spread the same anti-Israel messages, and their voices are heard and felt.

We, at the IDF's Latrun Hasbarah Unit cannot hide from this reality. On the contrary, we need to

understand exactly what Israel is being accused of, and with that knowledge as our basis, plan exactly

how to tell our side of the story.

The Latrun Museum and Memorial site is a unique

center for pro-Israel Diplomacy. The story of the rise of the

Jewish state has served as an inspiration to minorities

across the world who have felt the pain of oppression and

inferior status. Not in vain do thousands of tourists arrive

at Latrun every year to see the IDF tanks and pay respect

to those that fell so that the country could stand.

One of the most frequent visitors to the site are

bar/bat mitzvah groups. Even if these kids come to Israel

only once in their lifetime, and even if they are exposed to

anti-Israel propaganda in the news, as they're growing up,and in their college campuses as they mature, the Latrun

team can proudly say: We did our best to instill in these

youth a national pride for the State of Israel.

The truth is that most groups from outside of

Israel do not have the basis for understanding and

appreciating the sacrifice of the IDF's fallen soldiers. What

did they help accomplish?


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Tour Content

The standard tour at Latrun focuses on the Arab siege around Jerusalem in 1948 and Hativa 7's

brave attempts at opening up a new road to Jerusalem. This is a great tour. I have personally delivered it

many times, and have witnessed first-hand how tourists have found the experience deeply moving.

Alongside the standard

tour, I have also developed a

new tour so that the Museum

has new content to offer their

visitors.

The new tour is entitled:

"The Miraculous Rise of the

Jewish state: from ConcentrationCamps to the Merkava 4."

This tour zooms out of

the 1948 War to discuss the

events which led up to the war,

and the events which followed

the war (including the

opportunity to go into more

depth about the wars of '67 and

'73). The most important thing in the Tour-Guide Department is to keep alive the fire of curiosityregarding history, and this tour has been written to give the tour-guides opportunities to enhance their

knowledge of Israeli history from 1948 up until today.

Putting the Memorial Section in a new light

Of course, historical education is not the only aspect of Latrun. The center of this new tour is still

the Memorial Wall. As soon as I started planning where to insert more history, I took out a map of the

site, and asked myself: what is the visual experience that the tourists encounter as they walk through

the site? There is a Tigart Fortress, films for viewing, many tanks (including Israeli-made tanks, Capturedtanks, and donated tanks). There is the Wall of Names, The Michlol (including the Tower of Tears). How

do we use these exhibits to tell our story?

I have based this new script on these very same exhibits. But I have put each exhibit in a

different order so as to serve the new story, which is: "The Miraculous Rise of the Jewish state: from

Concentration Camps to the Merkava 4."

Jews on The SS Exodus Boat, 1947.


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This script is built on the idea that in order to appreciate what the fallen soldiers sacrificed

themselves for we need to understand what they achieved for the Jewish state. It is no exaggeration to

say that their contribution to the Jewish people is enormous. They fell so that the country could stand.

And indeed, thanks to them the country is standing strong today.

Usage of Maps + Erasable Markers

This tour also necessitates that each guide be equipped with a modern-day map of Israel. These maps

will be laminated with plastic wrap allowing the tour-guide to draw on the map with erasable marker,

and then erase, and draw again.

In this way it is easier for the guide to captivate the audience, while also showing the audience exactly

what the exterior threat to Israel was, and how the wars were fought and won.

Chronological Order:

By putting the stations in chronological order the tourist goes through a journey through time.

The first station deals with the 1948 war. As the tourists walk to station Number 2, the information from

station 1 can sink in. In station 2, The Six Day War of 1967 is discussed with the use of a map. In stations

3-4, we review the sacrifices of these wars. And in the final station, we zoom forward to the modern-day

weapon. In this way, the Audience is put into the front of row of Israeli history and is able to feel,

emotionally, what it felt like to live through the struggle of the rise of the Jewish State and where we

stand today.


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1: Humble Beginnings: the War of Independence

In the late 19thCentury, the movement of Zionism began. Theodor Herzl, its leader had a very

clear message: "We're tired of being a religion for an exiled people whose only place is in the

synagogue. We want to be an independent nation again. We want to have a place we can call our own.

Jews started buying land in Israel and building communities. But they quickly realized: if they

want to be able to build thriving cities, they're also going to need a defense force to protect those cities.

And that's how the IDF was born.

In 1917, Zionism got a boost with the Balfour Declaration. The British government had captured

the holy land in WWI, and now declared: "His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment

in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."

For hundreds of years beforehand, the Ottomans had controlled the territory known as

Palestine. Under Muslim rule, the Jews had been considered second class citizens. They couldnt ride

horses, carry weapons, testify against Muslims in court, and so on. Now, all of a sudden, the Jews were

being promised their very own state.

The first major war in Israel was in 1948. A day before the Israelis declared Independence, there

were 5 hostile armies mobilized on Israel's borders; Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The Israelis,

led by Ben-Gurion, figured: we waited this long, its now or never, and miraculously they survived the

war.

But, it was at a very heavy cost. The Israelis lost one percent of their population. Out of 600,000Israelis, 6,000 died in that first war. Thats one percent. But by the end of the last shot, the Jews finally

had their own state again. The Israelis called it "the war for Independence."

If youve ever seen the movie Exodus, then youll know why the Jews wanted independence so

badly. In the 1940s there were many cases of Jews that had survived the Holocaust, and arrived at the

ports of the Mediterranean, before the British evacuated. They got all the way to the shore, only to be

turned back by the British due to the limit on immigration.

Once the Israelis stood their ground in that first war, they finally had control over immigration,

and that means they were able to open up the gates. All those Jews that had been waiting to get in were

finally allowed in. By 1952, 4 years after the establishment of the state, the Jewish population had

doubled from 600,000 to 1.3 million. The new state was blossoming.


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The IDF had 10 tanks in 1948. 5 of them were the French-made Hotchkiss Tank.


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2: The Stalin Tank

As soon as WWII ended, Russia and America fell into a period called the Cold War which would

last for many decades. It is important to understand the global situation in order to understand what

was happening in Israel. This was the war between Democracy and Communism. And it was also a war

for who would be the next super-power. The British Empire had begun sinking and that left the position

open.

As opposed to fighting each other on the battlefield in direct conflict, Russia and America would

make allies around the world, and they would support opposing sides of regional conflicts. This was

called proxy warfare. In the Middle-East region, in 67 and 73, the Arabs had aligned themselves with

Russia, while the Israelis aligned themselves with the Americans.

Preceding the Six-Day-War was an arms-race between Israel and its neighbors. This tank was

purchased by Egypt. Its called the Stalin Tank. It was captured by the IDF in 1967 and brought to the

Museum.


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3: The Little Ninja of the Middle East: 1967.

In the 60s the main villain for Israel was a leader named Gamal Abdel Nasser. He was the

leader of Egypt and before 1967, he made it his mission to unite Israels neighboring countries against

Israel and finish the job started in 1948.

If you do your research youll see, Nasser had been speaking to huge crowds, and being very

straightforward. This time were really gonna do it. Were gonna destroy the Jewish state, and push the

Jews into the sea."

So, again, Israel is surrounded by Arab armies calling for its destruction. In 1967, the Israelis

finally figured: well, if we're outnumbered, and outgunned, the least we could do is have the element of

surprise on our side. The Israelis had been researching when would be the best time to attack the

Egyptians. When would most of their planes be on the ground, and when would the Egyptians be on low

alert? They discovered 7:45 in the morning was the perfect time. And that's what they did. They flew

over the Mediterranean, and swept in from unexpected angles.

Within the first 2 hours they had destroyed 300 Egyptian aircrafts. As they began the initial

bombing, they also bombed the runaways so that even if pilots had found their planes, they wouldn't be

able to take off. This gave the IDF air superiority for the remainder of the war.

By the end of six days not only were the Israelis still standing, they had actually captured a good

amount of territory from their neighbors. They pushed the hostile Jordanian army to the other side of

the Jordan River, the Egyptians to the other side of the Suez Canal, and the Syrians past the Golan

Heights Hills which overlooked Northern Israeli cities.


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4: Yom Kippur War (1973)

Like we said, 1967 is a big war for Israel. They conquer a lot of land and the neighboring armies

are totally demolished. Egypt and Syria spend 6 years rebuilding their armies. They attack on Yom

Kippur, 1973. Yom Kippur is one of the hardest fasts of the Jewish calendar. Even most secular Israelis

fast on this day.

The Egyptians and the Syrians coordinate the attack, Egypt coming in from the South, and Syria

coming from the North. The IDF is forced to divide up the army and fight a two-frontier war.

For the first 3 days of the war, the enemies begin penetrating into Israeli territory, and the

Israelis struggle to hold them back. Meanwhile, it's Sukkot time, the festival of huts, and people all over

the world are tuning in to their radios to know: 'is this going to be the end of the Jewish state?'"

The war lasts 18 days, and by the end of it, the Israeli tanks have not only pushed the enemy

back. They've reached 40 Kilometers outside of Damascus, and 100 kilometers outside of Cairo. Seeing

as their capitals are threatened, Egypt and Syria are forced to give up the fight. So it's technically a

victory for the Israelis, but it comes at a very heavy cost. 2,500 soldiers die in 18 days, and 1,500 of them

(over half) are from the tank division. This war is remembered with a heavy heart by Israelis.

This bridge that we're standing on is called in Hebrew Gesher HaGlilim, the bridge of tubes. It's

an amphibious piece, meaning, like a frog, it's comfortable on both land and water. When the bridge is

on the ground, the tubes serve as wheels. You attach the bridge to a couple of tanks, and that's how

they rolled it across the Sinai Peninsula, into the Suez Canal. Once they rolled it into the water, they

filled the tubes with foam, and the tubes float. As you can see, the bridge can hold a lot of weight [pointto tank and vehicles on the bridge]. And this is how the Israeli tanks started making their way to Cairo. A

lot of people say "this bridge won the war for the Israelis'."

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. In this war, as in previous wars,

the Israelis proved to the world and to themselves that they have the ability to defend themselves

against the neighboring armies. Nowadays the threat to Israel is mainly Hamas and Hezbollah, which are

underground terror organizations. The Israeli army has only been building itself up since '73, so you can

bet that today, Israel is standing more secure than ever.


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5: Tower of Tears: The Price of Freedom

There have been many who have been injured in the wars. There have been many that have

fallen in the wars. Here we memorialize those that fell while serving in the Israeli army. There have been

23,000 grand-total IDF casualties. Tragically, a lot of these guys fell at a very young age.

This room is called the Tower of tears. Originally this room was one of the two lookout towers of

the Latrun Tigart Fortress. The inside has been redesigned but a couple things have remained the same.

The holes along the walls are windows with shutters that open and close. You'll understand why the

troops inside the fort have the advantage to troops trying to storm the fort. You can stick your gun out

the little windows here, and shoot under cover at those trying to storm the building.Youll also see little

water droplets falling on the walls. These symbolize the tears that have been wept for those that fell in

battle.

There's a quote on the outside from the Talmud. Though at times the gates of prayer seem

closed, the gates of tears are never closed."

The tears, little water droplets, fall and are gathered beneath us in a body of water. In Judaism,

the water is a symbol for life. The Hebrew word for water is Mayim, and the Hebrew word for Life is

Chayim. Theyre very similar words, and the prayer is that the tears that have been wept will allow

better lives for future generations.


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6: Merkava Generation Four: New Borders, New Technology

We're in the very center of Israel right now. You see in the distance those skyscrapers. That's the

city of Tel Aviv, a half-hour drive from here, and it's on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. You keep

going in that direction (West), you'll hit the beach. A half hour drive in the other direction (East) is the

city of Jerusalem and the Jordan River. Up until 1948, the Israeli border was right here at Latrun, with

Jordanians controlling this hill up until the Jordan River. Part of the Security issue before 1967 was the

fear that the neighboring countries would gather up the forces in this territory, pave their way to the

Sea, and cut Israel in half.

It's also important to note, that even with the territory captured in '67, its only about a 1.5 hour

drive, from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. Length-wise, Israel is an eight hour drive from top to

bottom, Tzfat to Eilat.

About the tank: It's made in Israel. This is the tank the IDF uses nowadays to patrol their

borders. Each one costs about 5 million dollars to make.

I'm sure on your airplane ride here you each had LCD screens attached to the front of your seat.

Each of the crew members in this tank has the same thing. But, instead of watching films, they get a live

feed from the cameras on the outside of the tank. The cameras have day-vision and night-vision, so that

they can remain alert at all times.

That just about wraps up our tour. Thank you everybody for coming to the Tank Museum. Feel

free to climb on any tanks that have staircases and take pictures of whatever you wish. G-d Bless!

(photo credits: Latrun website.)

latrun tour - english - 2014

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