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Allenby freed Jerusalem
from the Turkish rule
Cew. AHenby in Jerusalem, 1918, second from left. At far left is Chaim
Weiimann. '
by Max Ussberger
The immediate associations
with the name Allenby—to Israelis
and also to many visitors—have to
do with one of Tel Aviv's main
arteries and shopping streets. Very
few of them will think of General
Sir Edmund Allenby/‘Who just 60
years ago, captured Jerusalem
from the Turks, thus ending 400
years of Ottoman rule over the
city.
Tl)e conquest of the city came
none too soon for the city’s
population, which, at the
beginning of the First World War,
numbered 45,000 Jews, 25,000
Moslems and 10,000 Christians.
The numbers dwindled, however,
as oppression, economic hardship
and even famine forced many of
the city’s and the country's-
residents to leave the country.
At the outbreak of the war, most
Jews were cut off from their
sources of support in Germany and
Russia. They were accused and
persecuted by the Turks as spies
for the Allied forces. Undernour
ishment and epidemics were rife.
Nor were the Arab residents of
Palestine immune from persecu
tion. In 1916, 200 of them were
accused of spying for the British
and the French, and condemned to
hanging, exile or life imprison
ment. The Mufti of Gaza and his
son were hanged on the basis of
hearsay evidence that they were
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spying for the British..and
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Of the 200,000 Jews in Palestine
at the beginning of the century,
only 70,000 remained at the end of
the war, most of them hungry and
destitute.
General Allenby arrived in
Egypt in June, 1917, after
defeating the Germans at Arras in
France, to take over command of
the Egyptian expeditionary Force.
A clearer name in this day and age
would be the British Expedition
ary Force, for British Tommies
made up a good part of this army,
together with Australians t New
Zealanders, units from India and
Aden, and a sprinkling of French
and Italians. His task was to
repulse the Turks who were, at that
point, in control of all the Holy
Land down to the Sinai His first
major objective was Jerusalem.
Allenby’s men captured
Beersheba, Gaza and Jaffa in the
scorching heat- of summer,
compounded by a chronic dearth
< t
of water for men and beast (The
force had thousands of donkeys,
camels and horses as pack
animals). By the time they went up
in the hills towards Jerusalem,
winter had set in and the men had
to endure torrential rains and seas
of mud.
On December 9, 1917, the
mayor of Jerusalem surrendered,
and on the eleventh Allenby made
his entry into the city through Jaffa
Gate—on foot. His explanation of
this gesture: “How could it be
otherwise, where One had walked
before?" He also must have had in
mind a previous visitor, if not
conqueror, to the city—Kaiser
Wilhelm II of Germany, who 19
years earlier had ordered a section
of the ancient city walls removed
so he and his entourage could
make his entrance on horses and in
carriages.
The population of Jerusalem
acclaimed Allenby as their
liberator. Not only did he deliver
them from the Turkish yoke, his
troops brought with them food for
which there was a dire need. It
soon became dear that for the
Jews, the British Mandatory
government was far from being a
benign ruler. Still, Steps were taken
to transform Jerusalem from the
neglected poverty-stricken
provincial town of Turkish times
to a capital city.
A trip to the Holy Land in those
days was a hazardous undertaking.
One could either travel by steamer
to Egypt and then follow Allenby’s
route, albeit without having to
light the Turks, but xtiU no joyride.
The alternative .was to find a ship
headed for Jaffa and landing in the
fishing port by lighter. In
Jerusalem the visitor could put up
at less than a handful of hotels of
doubtful standards, and most ot
them made use of the pilgrims’
hospices.
Parents, campers A staff
cordially invited to—
BLUE STAR’S
ATLANTA AREA
GET-TOGETHER
Sun. Dec. 11-3 p.m.
Progressive Club
Moores Mill Rd.
For additional infor
mation call local
rtp rese natives:-
Mrs. Myra Abrams
355-0921
Mrs. Marilyn Bogas
IW7
993-16
J. Z1ER CSl CO.
RP0RATED
cni Members Principal Slock Exchanges
606^ Roswell Rd N E /Suite 605/Atlanta Georgia 30328
OOa-25B-27BO
HAPPY HANUKA
AND
BEST WISHES
Interior Designs By
3150 Piedmont Road, N. E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
TOR THE BEST CAMPING
EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE
ANYWHEREr
CONSIDER
CAMP BARNEY MEPINTZ
, For Children, Grades 2-11
CAMP BARNEY MEDINTZ
of the Atlanta Jewish Community Center
..invites You, Your Family and Friends
to a “Get-Together”
Sunday, December 11, 1977
8:00 P.M.
At The Atlanta JCC • 1745 P’tree. Rd.
Refreshments Servedl
Find out what Camp Barney Medintz is all about
Meet the Camp Barney Medintz Director, Larry I
Melnick
Learn about the Camp Barney Medintz Program
See elides of camp.
Learn why over 300 children have already registered
for the 1978 C.B.M. Program.
’ For A D—cripttv0 Brochure Wrftm:
CAMP BARNEY MEDINTZ
Atlanta Jewish Community Canter
1745 P’tree. Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA. 30309
or caN 875-7881, Ext 56
v 4 ... '
C.B.M. REUNION
DEC. 25 • 1:30 P.M.
AJCC
Pm«« 31 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 2, 1977