ALLAN GIDDY PALESTINE TRIP 1944

My Palestine Trip
February 1944
by ALLAN GIDDY

I don’t know whether to start at the end or the beginning. Now that the trip is over it all seems the same to me. The rush I had to catch the train last Sunday and the bath I had in Cairo this morning.

You remember, I had applied to go on this tour before – was told I could, and then later was told that it was cancelled. I thought no more about it, and expected to receive the £7-10-0d. I had paid in advance, back at some later date.

It was primarily a tour for farmers to study the agricultural methods of Palestine. However I had heard of the communal farms there, and their way of communal living and was sufficiently impressed to learn more – when I had, I wanted to go there – so I jumped at this opportunity. The tour was to include visits to historical and religious places, and drives through the country.

I won’t discuss the communal and co-operative farms now, but will so when I come to them, but you can see that was the real object of my visit and all my spare time I spent trying to find out more about them.

As you can realise, I cannot tell you as much about them as I would like to. From my map you can see that I could not possibly describe all the country we went through. Nor can I tell you as much as I know of all the historical places I visited. Nor the people I met. If I use the words “amazing”, “marvellous”, “wonderful” too often, please forgive me for that is just what it was.

To get back to last Sunday. When I was lying in bed, unshaven, at about 9 or 9.30 in the morning, I was told to be ready to leave on this trip in half-an-hour. Gosh, did I rush! Three other boys, Bill Rogers (in my tent), Reg West and Dagnall Quin were not keen on leaving at such short notice and had to be persuaded to go. Such was not my case. Luckily I had clean clothes and was soon ready. Only forgot one important thing – that was a letter from Syd asking me to call at a shop (in Haifa, I think) and enquire about a coat he had ordered for Hermine. I am so sorry that I forgot it, as I could easily have done so. However as I have two invitations to go to Palestine again, I may have another opportunity.

We got our leave certificates and rushed to Headquarters to meet the rest of the party – only to find that they had left being unable to wait for us any longer. However I persuaded our driver to take us to a station nearby where we could catch a train to Cairo. We knew that the Palestine train did not leave until 1.30 from Cairo.

We arrived in Cairo in quite nice time – but not in sufficient time to buy films for a camera I had borrowed from John Pike, my “co GPO ac”. One has to walk the streets to buy them. And when we got to the train, we found that we were there before the party.

A horrible train journey followed. Horrible is the wrong word. Uncomfortable is what I mean. Because you know, I get quite a lot of fun out of being uncomfortable. It was O.K during the afternoon because besides being interested in the scenery we could read in comfort sitting up. But at night! There were no lights. There was only just sufficient room to sit up. We were all grumpy for the first part of the evening too, as it had been dark since six and we did not have supper until eight. Two hours of sitting in the dark doing nothing doesn’t smooth down tempers. However after supper at one of the stations I put a newspaper on the floor of the corridor and with that as my bed I lay down. Had a candle and tried to finish “Way of a Transgressor”. When I had about 50 pages left I fell asleep. I had no blankets of course, but put my great-coat over me. As a matter of interest I still have 50 pages to read of that book.

We crossed the Suez Canal in the early evening. Amazing how narrow it is.

I awoke at about 4 with cold feet. Ate a couple of buns and naartjies I had bought in the evening and half slept until 6.30 or 7 when we arrived in Lydda.

Buses were there to meet us. Very comfortable and nice ones in which we travelled the time until we arrived back in Lydda to catch the train back to Cairo.

We were taken to Tel-a-Viv to an Army Club where we were given a nice breakfast. After it we were taken to our hotels and told to be at the club for an early lunch before going to the Nirkoeh Israel Agricultural School.

Thinking back the morning seems dull to me, but it did not seem so at the time. Tel-a-Viv is a modern town – only 35 years old with a population of about 200,000. It is nearly all Jewish. Rather a pleasant town with a very nice sea-front. Clean. Different from Egypt. Has large shops compared with Egypt but small compared to J.B. Went into Woolworths. Enquired about the price of a bag which in S.A would have cost about £ 1-10-0. It was £ 7! I decided there and then not to buy anything in Palestine. I met a R.A.F. boy from Baghdad who said the cost of living was even higher there. I could hardly believe it. Cairo seems cheap. I am not Irish, but I bought a film (127) for 4 /-. Broke my economical heart but I needed it badly. Spent some time on the sea-front smelling the sea and watching the breakers – there are none in Alex. It was too cold to bathe. Had the enclosed photos taken. Had a bottle of Mild Beer, a type of cider, which seemed quite common there. All the time being bothered by Jewish hawkers trying to sell odd things including rings, photos and contraceptives. They were more persistent than the Gyppos. One feels like screaming sometimes when in a bad mood.

Oh! I had my first orange too. I thought there must be something wrong when the hotel proprietor gave us each one free. Later I discovered that before the war Palestine used to export 15,000,000 cases – now she exports none. Farmers let you take as many as you can carry. Little Arab boys pick them and then come and sell them to us for about 5 or 6 mills (2½d). Sometimes they “diddle” us and we only get 3 – sometimes we are clever enough to get 10. They really are lovely oranges. Usually Jaffa’s.

The agricultural school won’t be of much interest to you as it was not to me, apart from the fact that it was founded in 1870 by a far-seeing Jew who was trying to give some help to Jewish colonization many years later. It was the first Jewish institution. Is for boys and girls (amazing the number of girls) of about 14 or 15.They spend three years there working on the farm half the day and studying the other half. Pay is £6 per month. The rest of the cost is made up by profits from the farm.

I ate oranges until I could not eat anymore. Lucky David isn’t there or he would burst. And wandered about watching the children at play. They, as all Jewish children, very unselfconscious, very happy and very healthy.

I forgot to say that before going out there we drove about the town being shown various places including a huge Jewish Theatre of Music.

There was a soldiers’ dance at “The Ark” that evening – naturally I went. The three others from my Regiment went with me, but when they saw the number of soldiers , they left. Going off to drink vodka with a Jewish officer on the trip with us. By means of a lot of pushing, which I dislike intensely, I managed to do a lot of dancing. Too crowded. Girls were rather nice. Seemed to be mostly ex Germany.

Earlier in the evening we had been to a concert – highlight was a girl singing “Always in my heart”.

Was up soon after 6.30 next morning. This was our procedure throughout the trip. It was necessary in order to do as much as we did. I did not mind as I was so keen on doing something more.

We visited Richen-El-Zion. It is the first settlement the Jews made in Palestine. Came from Russia. Did not work on the co-operative basis, so had much difficulty. There we visited some famous wine cellars. After inspecting them, we were allowed to drink as much wine as we wished. The boys were unusually bright when we left.I had a photo taken of four of us drinking out of bottles. You need not worry, we did not drink the whole bottles ourselves.

From there we went to the Rekouoth and to a Research Institute. Not being very interested, I left them after a while, ate oranges and sat in the bus reading pamphlets on the Kivutgot.

When the Jews decided to make Palestine their national home, they realised that it would be necessary to have a peasant class as the basis of their colonization. With that object in mind they started all over the world. Incidentally South Africa, in proportion to its population, is the biggest contributor in the world.

By means of this fund they buy land in Palestine from the Arabs and lease it to the settlers with the right to pass it on to descendants but not to sell it. It remains the property of the Jewish nation. They also improve the land by draining swamps, building canals etc.

They also formed the Federation of Jewish Labour. It is a combined Trade Union to which all the co-operative farmers, many other farmers and productive workers belong. It is a very powerful organization.

There are also some very large buying and selling co-operatives through which all the settlements do the great majority of their trading.

Altogether there are about 280 farming settlements with a population of over 150,000. Of these about 150 have been started by the national fund .The others have been started by other means including private enterprise.

In the main these 150 are divided into two types. The “Kibbuz” or “Koutza” and the “Moshav Odin”.

In the “Kibbuz” everything is done communally, both farming and living. The settlers have no money or private possessions beyond their clothes and odds and ends in their rooms, and receive their needs as far as the settlement is able to provide. Every man and woman has to do an equal amount of work. It is no social disgrace to do manual labour, work in the kitchen (which is done in rotation), or clean the dustbins. They believe in what they call “The Dignity of Labour”. They work the land themselves and are not allowed to exploit hired labour although in unusual circumstances they do employ Jews and pay them wages.

Each man and wife have one room. Usually two bachelors or spinsters share a room. Their children do not live with them but in separate buildings. They have a communal dining room, reading rooms, concert hall, school etc. and a store from which every person gets what he needs.

The settlement is run by a committee elected by a general meeting, in the most democratic of democratic ways. Everyone is completely free to leave when he wishes and is asked to leave if he does not do his share. They have no police nor crime. Children are sent away to see what the capitalist world is like before they are allowed to become members.

The settlers believe in their way of living. Believe it is ideal and are idealists. Thus they join a “Moshav Odin” not because they think it is any easier or less of a change, but because they believe it is the ideal.

In this type of settlement each family owns their own farm, or at least has a hereditary lease, works it themselves, and live alone in their house. But they are members of the community, elect a committee in general meeting, can be expelled or leave of their own free will, and do everything else communally. For instance they have their own system of taxes by means of which they run the school, build the concert hall and library, buy the heavy equipment such as tractors etc, and pay state taxes for the community. Thus their earnings vary. I was told at Kfar Vitkin that one farmer paid ten times as much as another in taxes.

Both types seem to progress very well, but I don’t think the Moshav,(co-operative settlement) has the same opportunities for development as the Kibbuz (communal settlement).For instance I don’t think it will be possible on a Moshav, to build the huge jam factory that they have on Givat Brenner. On the other hand at a Moshav named Nakalal they run a large Girl’s Agricultural School which takes students from all over the country. Besides these two types there are a few others – e.g. where the settlers live communally but work as on the Moshav and vice versa. Incidentally the settlements which have started on private initiative or on a capitalist basis appear to have progressed very little.

I am afraid I have only given a very brief and probably incoherent account of this type of living. However I will try to get a pamphlet on them and send it home. Whether they are or not, Puck and David ought to be very interested in them.

The Jews are doing a lot of good to Palestine. They made a beautiful and progressive country out of a desolate and barren one. There is no idea of driving the Arabs out of the country or segregating them. The Jews believe that the Arabs have an equal right to live there and carry their belief out in practice. With the result that the Arabs are beginning to progress. Dislike of the Jews is being kept alive by the wealthy Arab landowners and usurers as far as possible as they are losing their power. For example we were told that they used to lend money at 300% interest at one time.

The Jews are very proud of their achievements. Proud to have a home too. And to be able to entertain us. They try to forget that they ever belonged to any other country, and it is difficult to get them to tell us of their past life. It was difficult for me to find out that Shlomoh had walked from Poland to Palestine 10 years ago at the age of 12. Took him 3 months but he would say no more.

I hope I am not boring you. I will try to go a bit quicker.

After leaving Redovoth we went to have lunch at Givat Brenner, a Kibbuz. The food was plain but healthy. The dining room plain but clean. We drank out of cups without handles. Only had one knife, fork and spoon and no bread plate. We spent the whole afternoon going around the farm. It was started 17 years ago by 25 settlers. Now there are 1,300 people living on 1,400 acres, (about the size of Zanadu and Woodlands I should imagine) but they have a jam factory too. Built entirely by themselves out of their own profits. An amazing feat of work, although their community includes ex-engineers. Palestine is the only country in the world where there is a trend from the cities to the land. And it is mostly the best educated boys and girls that go to the farms.
The adults live in small rooms in wooden huts (some brick). But you should see the children’s quarters! Lovely, spacious, well furnished and airy. Their schools and kindergartens are the same. Tiled bathrooms, (lavatories without seats! They think this is the best way!) There are 380 children and 140 of the women are allocated in various ways to care for these children. Whereas the parents are often small and unhealthy, the children could not be healthier or happier. And so full of confidence in themselves. They are taught by a system in which they work because they want to by making them interested. The Doiye system or something. Puck, you ought to know as I think you told me about it once. Owing to this they grow up into finer people than their parents – and know it. I heard it is said that this made them arrogant towards their parents but I think independence and eagerness to improve their country may have been misunderstood as this. Usually the grown children do not want to stay on the established, comfortable settlements, but want to go out into the most barren country they can and put up with the hardships with which their parents had to put up! Incidentally the child mortality rate in Palestine is second only to New Zealand. And on the communal settlements it is half of New Zealand’s rate. But to offset this, the birth-rate is very low. The high standard of living and high cost of rearing the children probably account for this.

A common question often is whether parents and children do not often become estranged. I don’t know but I don’t think so. The parents have their children with them for a minimum of 3 or 4 hours a day. When at Givat I was in the kindergarten playing with two little boys aged about 4 in the bedroom. Another was lying on his bed watching when his father, a soldier on leave, walked in. His joy was as real as any I have seen a child show.

More oranges there of course.

That evening (Tuesday) I spent with some boys on the trip. Had a short talk with a hawker, Julius Marx, and promised to visit his brother K Marx, who has a business in Loveday street (Henwoods Bldgs, I think), when I return. Asked him why he was not on the farm. He said he had been for two years but could not get used to the life. Perhaps he was kicked off.

Next morning we visited Kfar Vitkin, a Moshav. There is nothing of particular interest to tell you about that except that I started my friendship with Shlomoh there. He was accompanying us as a guide. He belonged to a Kibbuz but was then working for the Jewish Hospitality Committee who arranges these tours. Also we went through a terrific hailstorm and saw a truck turn over in front of us. We had an interesting drive up to Haifa along the coastal plain. Arrived there about 3 for lunch. Saw a bit of Haifa driving around in the bus. I really have not time to go into detail, but it is rather like Cape Town with a high mountain just behind it.

And then on to Gvat, a communal settlement. It was there that I played with the two little boys, Rammy and Victor, and also Elmer. They shrieked with laughter every time I said Damn Afrika (Hebrew for South Africa). All children are brought up to speak Hebrew and nearly all the Jews speak it. English and Arabic are taught at schools so most adults speak English. They would not let me go until I promised to return the next day.

We had supper there with Shlomoh. I helped to clean up afterwards and prepare for the party. They were soon ordering me about. The party was great fun. Lots to eat. Wine from the farm. (Jews drink very little especially on the farms). Two little girls sang. They sang Hebrew songs. We sang Afrikaans and Zulu songs. A few of us (including me) joined in their folk dances, polka, old-fashioned waltz! When time came to leave we did not want to go. However it was about 12 and our guide would not agree to us staying later.

After passing Acre, where the Crusaders were besieged, we went on to a stud farm next morning. I took a photo of one of the lovely Arab horses there.

Then to another Kibbuz , Kfar Hackoresh, high up in the stony hills where even the Arabs could not make a living. The Jews have, assisted by reforestry work they do for the National Fund, and a Health Resort run on peculiar lines; not for profit but for the wages of the people who work in it

Then to Nazareth, where we visited Joseph’s workshop where he went on his return from Egypt. Mary’s house or cave and a couple of R.C. churches. Oranges. And then went on to Tiberias a small city on the sea of Gallilee.(How do you spell it?). Wonderful sight. Queer to be at the hill on which Jesus fed the multitude with two or three fishes (or something like that). See the water on which He walked. And where He found His disciples. We had lunch there and saw the famous hot springs which come from 6ooo feet in the earth and are at a temperature of 60ºC.

The next place we saw was Dagania. The first Kibbuz founded in Palestine 35(?) years ago. Their show place. But owing to shortage of time we were not able to visit it.

We had a very interesting journey back to Haifa as shown on the map. We saw the Hydro-electric plant established by the J.N Fund which supplies the whole of Palestine. The very fertile Jordan valley, a communal farm run entirely by children with supervisors to teach them the life. The Mount of Transfiguration. Beisan. Affulek. The Plain of Armageddon, where the last battle of civilization is to be fought. And so on back to Haifa.

That evening I had dinner with Shlomoh and spent the whole evening talking to him until about 11pm. It was most interesting. I was given a letter inviting me to stay at one of the communal farms. I did not know my way back to my hotel but I met an ex-Czechoslovakian who walked with me to it. Again interesting. He was unusual in that he spoke of his home, his family of whom he had not heard for three years and wanted to go back.

Please excuse the interruption but there are another couple of interesting things about the communal settlements. The children are allowed to get married as soon as they like and having no financial considerations do get married very young, but usually not before 18. Also it is not necessary to go through the ceremony of marriage unless they want to. They usually do get married in the synagogue. The synagogues are open to any suitable person, irrespective of race or creed but at least 99.5 % are Jewish. Public opinion plays a big part in the control of the lives of settlers.

To go on to Friday, we visited Nahalal, the first “Moshav” and another show place. I took some photos there. I bought some sweets at their co-operative store.

Then after being in the ‘future’ (one has that feeling in them or least I had) I was knocked slap bang back a 1000 or 2000 years.

Throughout all this description you must have missed the emotional experience I had had and was to have. It was as if I was having my emotions hit with a hammer.

Well we went on through the mountains of Samaria and Judea to Jerusalem. We went through Affulek, Jenin, Nablus where we saw Samaritans (a dying race as very few girls are born). They still go up to the mountain and sacrifice their sheep every year. How can I tell you about the amazing country we passed through with the old little towns? I really wish I could.

When we arrived in Jerusalem, the boys were too tired to do more. I wasn’t. After a conversation with a girl from America at a Soldier’s Club, I went alone to the Old City.

It is surrounded by stone walls and is part of the new city with its suburbs and shopping areas. There are a few gates in the walls. What an amazing place! Everything is stone. No ground can be seen anywhere. Is built on the ruins of when it was destroyed. High, strong, unshapely buildings. A labyrinth of narrow twisting paths. Dark. And Arabs all over the place. I had a moving experience when I entered. A young Turk was sitting on a stone with his head in his hands sobbing, with dirty little children watching him or laughing. I enquired what the trouble was. And was told that he had just come from Turkey, could not speak Arabic or Hebrew. (probably a pilgrim). He had fallen asleep and had had £400 stolen out of his pocket. Made me think back to the farms, when apart from story books, they never heard of money. By the way, parents of settlers are looked after by the community, and sometimes live on the farms. They only make a contribution if they are young enough to work.

On through the narrow, weird paths between the old stone buildings. Soon I was lost. Quite by chance I come across the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was almost hidden amongst the huge buildings. I refused a guide who wanted to show me over it. It was dark inside. I tripped over some altar or something. Chanting somewhere inside and a couple of processions moving about. There were dull coloured lamps and candles sometimes.

I went out but it was getting dark then. Someone jumped out of a hole in the wall next to me. I began to think of stories I had heard of Arabs stabbing their best friends in the back. I went into a synagogue. Another old building. Inside there were a few very orthodox Jews swaying about and chanting – sounded like howling to me. I wondered how I would get out. Should I take a chance and allow one of the Arab boys asking for “bakshees” (a present) to show me the way or would he lead me to an opium den?

Have you ever been woken while having a nightmare or a weird dream, and felt annoyed at being woken? Almost a wish to go back to it? That is just as I felt when I bumped into a party of South Africans being escorted around. They were not my party – I joined them. And after going round (seemed dull in comparison) I went in their bus to dinner at the Club.

As Greta Garbo would have said “I want to be alone”-and soon was successful in losing myself in the new city. Caught a bus, passed a large building - ? – it was the Y.M.C.A – the largest in the world. I looked at the massive building and walked into a door – up a short flight of steps – another door closed – I opened it and walking in…. it was a stage - oh Gosh! – with Russian Cossack soldiers dancing – I dashed out again and went into the hall through the correct door.

Here I saw Askaris do War dances – in Palestine of all places. Also heard free French singing – Poles, Greeks and soldiers of other nations dancing etc.

But I wanted to explore some more – so I did. And much to my surprise and delight came across a dance. There was a snag, as there were only American soldiers there. This did not deter me and I was soon told that I would be only too welcome. There were too many girls! Something unknown up here. And such delightful girls. After living in the past and future I jumped into the present for a while. I met Bridget Lazarus, who had been born in Berlin, but as she had had an English governess she spoke English perfectly. We had such a lot to say to each other – but before I knew where I was, I was dancing with a beautiful young Chinese Jewess – luscious but I think she preferred the officers. And I was dancing with Barbara Barrett. As far as I could gather the daughter of a British army officer who had been stationed in Palestine for some time. She danced beautifully. A typical English girl. I think Bridget was beginning to get annoyed with me. But I could not dance with two or three girls at the same time. She was distinctly unfriendly when the dance was over. Barbara asked to visit her mother and herself next time I was in Palestine. I won’t say anymore about the dance as you must have realised how much I enjoyed the entire change of having the delightful company of those people.

I had not the faintest idea of how to find my way home. And hoped that I would not. But unfortunately I met two R.A.F boys who insisted on walking all the way with me .They were rather an interesting “type”. They were stationed in Jerusalem but had never been in the Old City! I thought that they were joking at first.

I had some advice from Syd as to things to see in Jerusalem, but owing to the great rush the next morning, I was not able to follow it.

I think the photos I am enclosing explain my visits that morning. I am sure you must be tired of trying to decipher my handwriting by now. The Old City was very different in the daylight with a guide but still amazingly interesting. I may have got the wrong impression of it, because beside the Mohammedan quarter in which I spent most of my time there are Christian and Jewish sections.

And then bang! All was over. We went by bus to Lydda. Laid in a stack of oranges. And were soon having the same uncomfortable journey back to Egypt. We passed over the ditch called the Suez Canal. And arrived in Cairo early on Sunday morning.

Although most of the others went out to camp straight away, I remained there. I wanted to be alone and just think.

I had a hot bath, shave etc. and breakfast. I walked about the streets for a while but as the crowds and traffic do not permit much wandering of thoughts I went and sat in Ouma’s Club. After lunch I went to see a bioscope. “Seven Sweethearts”. But I did not see much of it.

After supper I realised that I had better think of getting back to camp. Then of all the unbelievable luck, I came across, in the street, a truck load of boys from my Battery just about to leave for camp.

Soon I was saying one hundred times: “Yes, thank you, I really had a wonderful time”. Occasionally, as when I saw Maurice, more detail was requested.

I am sorry (you are probably glad) that I have not time to write a longer and better description, but this has taken me longer than I expected.

P.S. I have written more than a writing-pad-full.