Another Letter in The Jerusalem Post

Life of the Palmah

Sir, - I would like to correct a point in "In the underground" (UpFront, August 29) Alexander Zvielli's review of First Tithe, the memoirs of a decade in the life of Dr. Israel Eldad between 1938-1948, ably translated by Ze'ev Golan.

Zvielli wrote: "Lehi was finally dissolved together with the Irgun and the Palmah on May 29, 1948, and most of its members joined the IDF and the Herut political party."

In actuality, units of the Irgun and Lehi maintained an independent existence in Jerusalem until September 19, 1948, two days after the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte, at which time they were dissolved. The Palmah, however, continued to operate autonomous command groups within the IDF for two more months, and this throughout the country. It wasn't until November 7, 1948, that David Ben-Gurion asserted the state's authority over what had become the armed socialist militia of Mapam-Hashomer Hatza'ir.

It would have been interesting for your writer to explain how, in his opinion, Eldad "unjustly denigrates other existing Jewish youth movements" in the pre-war period. Betar members suffered severe discrimination at the hands of the Jewish Agency's immigration officers regarding their preparatory hachshara period, receiving certificates and, once in the Mandate, obtaining employment.

YISRAEL MEDAD
Shiloh