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From the archive: The Yom Kippur War in Israel and the UK
From the JC archive on October 12, 1973
October 13, 2022 12:46
From the JC archive on October 12, 1973
October 13, 2022 12:46On October 12, 1973, the JC covered the Yom Kippur attack on Israel from Egyptian and Syrian forces. Here is what the paper wrote:
Israel launches a counter-attack
Strong Israeli forces were preparing on Tuesday to launch decisive blows against the Egyptians who had crossed the Suez Canal and the Syrians who had already been forced back to the lines on the Golan Heights in existence before the war started on Yom Kippur.
The Israeli forces are meeting tough opposition. Some of the reports on Monday appeared to have been over-optimistic, but it became clear by Tuesday that the tide was beginning to turn in Israel’s favour. Arab states have immense resources in manpower and weapons, but the confidence of the Israeli high command in Israel’s ability to deal the Egyptian and Syrian armies a devastating blow remains undaunted. Both the Arab armies appear to be throwing everything they have into the battle. A new type of Soviet-made fighter-bomber, the Sukhoi-20, is being used by the Syrians and a number have been shot down. The Syrians have been firing Russian-made long-range surface-to-surface missiles at civilian settlements in the Jezreel Valley. But military observers stress that the missiles will not have an impact on the fighting on the front line as they are not accurate enough.
Mobilisation papers served in Israeli synagogues
In synagogues all over Tel Aviv on Saturday army couriers entered and handed mobilisation orders to praying Israelis. One by one they discarded their prayer shawls, closed their machzorim and quietly left. On Sunday the streets of Tel Aviv were half-deserted, with only the supermarkets full of housewives trying to secure what commodities they could. It was not exactly a rush, but queues were long and many com modities, including bread and sugar, were quickly depleted. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry promised that fresh supplies would soon be forthcoming, as there was no shortage.
Community shows its solidarity
Twenty-four hours after the Yom Kippur assault on Israel by the Egyptian and Syrian armies thousands of Jews representing all shades of religious and political opinion forgathered at Grosvenor Gardens, Belgravia, in a huge demonstration of solidarity. The demonstration was originally planned as a march to the Austrian Embassy, by the All-Party Parliamentary Committee for the Release of Soviet Jewry to try to induce a change of heart by the Austrian authorities following the threatened closure of the Schoenau transit camp near Vienna. But the outbreak of war rekindled the 1967 spirit and thousands of Jews, and many non-Jews, massed outside the Embassy while the delegation was inside, waving Israeli flags and singing the Hatikvah.