55
Palestine 1948
On May 13, 1948, the British withdrew from Palestine. Eli’s 18th birthday had elapsed, and he wrote me from Toronto stating he wanted to return. He wanted to fight. I told him to stay put for the time being and I’d let him know. To myself, I thought, not a chance in hell. A British army Jeep, turned into the compound spewing dust. Our good friend, Lieutenant Cartwright-Jones. I believe we’d buttered him up, literally, with the aromatic coffee and fresh baked goods produced here on the kibbutz. But we knew he suspected something and couldn’t quite catch us out. The closest he came had to do with Eli. The young British soldier in the arms depot gave a good description and identified his accent as North American. Fortunately, before the British could arrest him, I arranged
