1957 Letters – 1957 Letters

The 1957 Letters

Overview

Below are the 38 letters which Bob Jacobs sent to his family in the USA during his 1957 summer trip to Israel. They are arranged by date. The first 31 letters were addressed to his parents. Following these letters are 7 additional letters to his younger brother Alan, whose content differ significantly to those sent to his parents.

The Page Structure

Each of the letter links below contain a brief list of the main points of that particular letter. The “Read More” button will open the specific page of each letter. Each page contains:
1) A photo related to a subject of the letter
2) A typed copy of the original letter
3) A “Comment Section” giving detailed explanations of each letter and comparing Israel of 1957 to the Israel of today.
4) Links: Many interesting links are found in the comments sections. These links (in blue) provide further detail and expand upon many of the subjects.
5) A scanned copy of the original hand-written letter (bottom of each page).

July 19

— Departing from the US to Israel on EL AL on a 28 hour trip — The “delicious” food and the “smooth” ride — First letter home written on original EL AL stationary — Refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland.

July 21

Arrival in Israel after stopping in Gander,London,Paris & Athens – Speaking Hebrew with taxi driver – Surprising girlfriend Elaine at her dorm in Jerusalem

July 23

“This place is like a storybook dream coming true” — Jerusalem Corridor – 1948 War of Liberation memorials — Beer Sheva looking like a western “boom town” — Israeli soldier’s knowledge of political & foreign affairs — Dead Sea potash and bromide factories — Floating in Dead Sea — Israel’s iron, copper & magnesium mines

July 23- Night

Touring southern Israel — Private transportation: Old cars and Vespa Scooters — The building of Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem — Visiting Hadassah vocational schools in Jerusalem — Meeting NAHAL (pre-army) boys at Shoresh Pool in Judean Hills — Passing the “Ma’abarot” (makeshift refugee centers)

July 24

Women International Zionist Organization (WIZO) tour — Vocational schools and children’s village — Tank traps and barbed wire along Jerusalem border

July 26 Kibbutz

Volunteering and sorting potatoes at Kibbutz Hasolalim — The “kibbutz is run as an efficient economic unit”

July 26 Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv experience — A crowded city lit all hours of the night — New municipal swimming pools all over| — Only $1.80 for a full course meat meal

July 27

Shabbat in Jerusalem — “Buses weren’t running and only a few cars moved to break Shabbas.” — Participating in the blessings of the Cohanim — Israelis informal dress – even in Parliament — Arabs looking at us from Old City with machine guns. — The openness and friendly spirit of the Israelis