Yom Kippur: The Day Of Atonement

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It was October 6, 1973. I recall it well. It was Yom Kippur; the Day of Atonement when Jews neither eat nor drink but spend the day in prayer. That is the day our enemies attacked. We were surprised on two fronts; Syria attacked in the north and Egypt in the south. Iraq and Jordan sent in troops. Smaller contingents and aid arrived from Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Pakistan, as well as Arabs living in Israel itself. The attack was overwhelming. Once again we were outmanned and outgunned. Syrian troops in the north and Egyptian troops in the south overpowered the Israeli positions and were moving deep into our territory. They had advanced Soviet weapons, antitank missiles, rocket propelled grenades, and Sagger missiles. …show more content…

The political leadership of Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir refused; they did not want the world to say that Israel provoked the war, and they were still not convinced that war was imminent. However, the key factor in Prime Minister Golda Meir’s final decision was that Israel might need American assistance later on, and it was imperative that Israel not be blamed for starting the war. After the war, Meir was forced by the Israeli public to resign her post, in shame. And so, Israel found itself in a life threatening situation. It was time for a miracle.
Dado
A great hero emerged; the greatest chief of staff in the history of modern Israel—David “Dado” Elazar. He smiled and said, “We will not be defeated. Things will turn out well.” It is said that his optimism was the turning point in the war. Israel had lost many of its war planes and tanks. It was time for Israel’s special weapon—the reserves.
Up to the front went our gardener, Sadok the Yemenite from Rosh HaAyin, and our neighbor, Eitan the bus driver’s son whose mother still had on her arms the numbers the Nazis had burned into her, and our mailman, and all the able-bodied teachers from my school. These were the people who were going to save us. Air raids sounded at night and we all ran to the nearest bomb shelters, school was