Letters from Jerusalem 1947-1948 by Zipporah Porath, Jonathan Publications 2008. 233 pages. Softcover

When I wrote the letters reproduced in this book I didn’t expect to be reading them forty years later. In my wildest reveries, as I was growing up in New York, I never imagined that I would see the Zionist dream of a Jewish State materialize in my own lifetime or that I would personally take part in making it come true. Nor could I have anticipated the wondrous achievements of the state, nor the changes – some of them troubling – that have marked its development. (Excerpt from the Epilogue)

History has many faces. We can learn our country's history from official sources, from political and military leaders and from intellectuals. And then there are the personal accounts, the oral histories, written by the ordinary people  who were on the scene, and lived through the time.

Oral histories are often written from memories after the events. It is rare to find a document composed at the time of the events. This is "Letters From Jerusalem 1947 - 1948" Zipporah Porath's story told through letters written to her family during the period of Israel's struggle for independence.

Upon winning a scholarship to study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1947, Zipporah Porath set sail for Haifa and her destiny. Her adventures are chronicled in letters that she wrote to her family back in the US. Through her eyes readers are led through a place in history that while familiar, comes alive with fascinating new insights. This is a story written as it happened, by an idealistic young Zionist full of hopes and dreams.

We have read accounts of these events from heroes like David Ben Gurion, and Yigal Yadin. Even more interesting are the stories of real people just living through the time, and the uncommon experiences and activities that made them heroes as well.

One particularly moving passage deals with the events following the passing of the Partition Plan and the spontaneous celebrations that took place all over Jerusalem. Porath describes the feelings that washed over her as she stood near the Jewish Agency building to hear David Ben-Gurion's passionate address, and how there was not a dry eye in the crowd as they sang Hitkvah together. Like any story these emotional highs are offset by devastating tragedies like the bombing of the Jewish Agency.

Porath’s experiences are not solely dedicated to the War of Independence. Many of her anecdotes regarding the bureaucracy of Palestine in the 1940s show how little things change.

Throughout the story Porath writes with a sense of purpose and hope that needs to be read first hand to understand entirely.

This book is available at:
Gur Arieh Bookstore, Yoel Solomon St 8, Jerusalem
Tel: 02-625-7486. Fax: 02-625-4265

Books can be ordered from eLuna.com, for delivery in Israel only.