1957 Letters – Page 2

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).

August 11

Spending a weekend at a hotel on the of Lake Kinneret — The Syrian tanks which attacked Kibbutz Degania in 1948

August 12

Touring Mount Zion — The “Hall of Destruction” Holocaust memorial exhibit — King David’s Tomb — Conversations with Christian pilgrims and priests — Pro-American opinions of Israelis despite hatred of State Dept

August 13

Prime Minister Ben Gurion speaks to foreign youth groups — Thousands of youth pack the new Jerusalem convention hall — BG’s informal style and attire – open shirt & plain slacks — “No one opened the door for him – drove away in ’41 Plymouth

August 15

Metula: Israel’s northernmost border — Hadera, Nazareth, Tiberias and surrounding kibbutzim — Holy Jewish burial sites: The tombs of Hillel & Shamai — Scene of some of the hardest fighting in the War of Liberation — Huleh Valley: From swamp to green lush lands

August 20 Prices

“You go out & eat for the equivalent of less than $1” — “What is very expensive is luxury clothing, therefore, it just isn’t worn”

August 20 Mt. Herzl

Mt. Herzl: The graves of Israel’s soldiers who fell in battle — “One thing is for sure they haven’t died in vain”

August 22

The northern coastal city of Nahariya — Rest center for Israeli soldiers & resort town for tourists

August 23

Elaine sails back from Israel on the “SS Israel.” — Jewish War Veterans call for boycott of “Shell Oil” — The Bahai Temple in Haifa

August 25

Jewish refugees arriving in Haifa on the SS Artza — “I even felt like crying for joy with them” — Staying at the Hotel Carmelia in Haifa

August 26

If you think NY traffic is bad, driving here “is a madhouse” — Renting a jeep and driving in Tel Aviv — German trains as part of Holocaust Reparations

August 27 Kfar Maccabiah

Staying at the private homes of Israelis at Kfar Maccabiah — A jeep drive down south to the Heletz Oil Fields — The new port city of Ashkelon

August 27 Jeep Tour South

Jeep tour of south and Negev — New towns and farms of the south — The Negev called, “Israel’s Future”

August 28

Industrial zones between Netanaya & Tel Aviv — ZOA arranges a lunch with the Mayor — Elite Chocolate Factory in Ramat Gan

August 30

Construction of the Hebrew University, Givat Ram

August 31

Last Shabbat in Israel/Jerusalem — Prayer services in Yeshurun Shul & in Mea Shearim — Almost no traffic during Shabbat — The international boundary at Mandelbaum Gate

Prev 1 2 3 Next

Allan’s Lettter descptions