Driving along Egyptian border
— Destroyed Egyptian tanks from the 1956 Sinai Campaign

Boat ride through the Haifa Port.
— Seeing the many Israel navy warships.
— The captured Egyptian destroyer & its new Israeli crew.
— Visiting the automobile and jeep assembly plants.

Haifa: “Big factories that make cars, (guns), etc.”
— Riding on the captured Egyptian destroyer.

Joining a Jerusalem patrol by the Jordanian border.
— Patrol was well-armed along with dogs that understood Hebrew.
— Speaking to Arabs in “only language they understand: guns & bullets.”

Kibbutzniks dressing up as Arabs in nightly raids
— The knife taken from an Egyptian soldier
— Setting up ambushes to fight the “Fedayhin” (Arab terrorists)

Guard duty on a kibbutz in the Gallil.
— Learning to use a machine gun
— Kibbutz retaliation to Arab attacks
— Israeli warplanes overhead: “They looked great”.
— Meeting Arab shepherds: “Very friendly”.

An encounter with Israelis at a pre-military camp.
— Arab attacks & Israel responds by “blasting” Syrian forts.
— UN jeeps rush in to prevent altercation between Israel & Arabs
— The boys & girls in army makes you “real proud you are a Jew”.

Last letter to parents
— Difficulties of overseas communication 1950’s

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

Construction of the Hebrew University, Givat Ram

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zichron Yaakov and the Carmel Winery
— Great tasting wine at only 50 cents a quart bottle
— Touring a Druze village & surprised by their loyalty to Israel
— Wall photos of sons in the army and General Moshe Dayan

Fasting and reciting “kinot” in Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av — “What a pity it’s (the Kotel) not in our hands”
— Jerusalem summer weather: Cool evenings, low humidity, no rain — Israeli produced irrigation system

Conversations with Arabs: “Arabs seem to respect strength”
— New Israeli factories with French financial backing
— Haifa Port: Speaking with Israeli sailors about “Sinai Campaign”
— School & farm for refugee children from 20 different lands

Spending Shabbat on Kibbutz
— Shabbat atmosphere felt even on a secular kibbutz
— On walk to Tzippori friendly Israelis offered grapes & drinks

Kibbutz: Wonderful experience living & working together
— “Some of the highest acre yields in the world”
— Kibbutzniks described as “settlers”

The roar of Israeli jets & artillery was “music to my ears”
— Talking with the “loyal” Arabs of Nazareth

The kibbutz with lush farmland in contrast to Negev
— Idealistic kibbutznicks
— Crops planted & harvested with modern equipment

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

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

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

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

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)

“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

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

— 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.