In the Beginning
On the 9th of October 1973, I and six of my closest friends got on a plane and flew to Israel. For us, this was the culmination of a dream of going to the Jewish homeland, and the beginning of a new dream, to be part of the historic effort to nurture and contribute to the growth, the prosperity and the security of the Jewish State. It was a date we had been waiting for and planning for almost two years.
All of us left behind families consumed by fear for our safety, because, as we flew out of England, Israel was fighting for her survival on the Golan Heights and in Sinai – the October 1973, Yom Kippur War was at its height and there were very real fears that the Jewish State would fall.
I know all the guys look the same (1973 fashion) but try and “Spot the Phil”
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. My father had died five years previously and my younger brother, Michael, was in Israel on a one-year agricultural study program. My mother drove me to the airport, she didn’t say a word. When we got there, I met up with the rest of the group, and still my mother maintained her silence. I was angry, couldn’t she understand what a great thing it was that we were doing? Why wasn’t she happy for me?
As the time drew close to our departure and we began to make our way to passport control, she hugged me and said: “Be careful Philip” and we parted.
Now, as a parent and grandparent, I finally understand what she was going through. In her mind, her oldest son was going off to war, to a place where her only other child was already in the middle of a war zone. The media was reporting only disastrous news regarding the war, painting a bleak picture that made it seem as if the Arab dream of pushing Israel into the sea, was about to be realized. And I was leaving her alone to deal with her fears.
The hubris of youth!
Our flight was full of Israelis, rushing home to join their units to fight for Israel’s safety. We were the only non-Israelis on the flight and had been given special permission because we were going to work on a kibbutz and release men for reserve duty.
As we approached Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, we were told to close all the windows. Just as I pulled the blind down, I saw a flight of fighter jets escorting us in. As young Brits we knew nothing of the military, of war and we didn’t understand the significance of our escort.
We landed and were rushed through immigration where a clerk inadvertently (or not) changed my name from Philip Barney to Philip Bar Nia. We were met by someone from the kibbutz we were going to, Mevo Hama, the southernmost settlement on the Golan Heights. He told us that the kibbutz had been evacuated because Syrian troops were getting close and that we would be staying on Kibbutz Afikim in the Jordan Valley.
As we drove off, we saw that cars were travelling with headlights blacked out, leaving just a sliver of light to show the way. We passed huge conveys of IDF trucks and, at one stage, were delayed for hours as columns of tanks, armored vehicles and trucks wound their way up to the Golan Heights. Again, totally ignorant of war and danger, for us this was an exciting experience.
For the first few days we picked grapefruit. Then as the battles on the Golan abated, we were bussed up to what was to be our new home to help bring in the cotton harvest. Our job was to jump up and down on piles of freshly picked cotton to compress it into huge bales. We thought this was hilarious and had a great time – especially watching the dog fights between Syrian and Israeli planes above us – once again, oblivious to the significance of what we were seeing.
50 Years On
The next Chief of Staff?
Almost 50 years have passed since those first days in our new country. All of us married, had families and now have grandchildren. All of us had a dream that was voiced with the birth of each child – when they reach 18, they won’t have to go into the army. A dream that has still yet to be realized. A couple of years ago, we said goodbye to our first grandchild, Shani, as she joined the IDF for her compulsory service. She has now completed her service and is studying in Tel Aviv. Our next grandchild, Nevo, still has 4 years before his call-up.
Israel today it is totally different from the Israel I met when I first arrived. As an old “geezer” (I am, after all, a Brit, so forgive the slang), I look back on those days with nostalgia. Is Israel a better place now? In many ways, most definitely. We have grown, the standard of living has improved, health care is excellent, education is available to all and we have signed peace treaties with four of our Arab neighbors.
But we still face existential threats from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah has tens of thousands of missiles and rockets aimed at Israel. Many can reach far into the Israeli heartland with devastating accuracy. The stated intention of their leadership is to wipe Israel from the face of the earth, and they are supported by an oppressive Syrian regime and fundamentalist Iran which has also vowed to destroy the “Zionist entity”.
In Syria, after 70+ years of hostility, warfare and hatred, the regime is still unwilling to consider any peace deal with Israel. Instead, they choose to align with fundamental and despotic regimes to maintain its power over its people. And the world stands by as Syria butchers tens of thousands of its population and ethnic minorities.
The Palestinian population of the West Bank sees itself as a people whose freedom was taken from them in 1967 and who are suffering under Israeli rule. In Gaza, a hostile regime thinks nothing of firing rockets indiscriminately iinto Israelwhile depriving its people of the opportunity to improve their situation as funds meant for humanitarian aid are diverted to weapons development programs or the building of attack tunnels into Israel.
A Nation Divided?
Within Israel, over the years I have witnessed many changes – most for the better. However, one change that is especially worrying is the increasing divide between people based on political viewpoints. Over the past few years, Israel has had numerous general elections. All ended in a deadlock with no single party being able to form a stable government. Each election was characterized by even greater levels of divisive and, yes, even hate filled, propaganda. Those against the ruling party were often branded as traitors, anarchists, left-wing extremists. Those supporting the ruling party were called fascists, anti-democrats, and accused of supporting corruption and attempts to subvert Israel’s democracy.
If there is one thing that bolsters my spirits it is that, despite the challenges, the dangers, the fears, our community, and family are strong. We do what we can to support each other, helping each other overcome the hurdles they are faced with. So, despite the trials and tribulations my country has gone through and continues to experience, over the past year – my faith in humanity, in the basic goodness of people has been strengthened and I know that we will come out of this on the other side, better people and, I hope, a better society.
Stay safe and healthy