Etzel Museum
Dramatic story connecting one ship and the whole country. Open until 16:30
Etzel Museum: The Altalena Affair
The museum is on the beach. So you might complete a couple of tasks more right here. There is a picturesque Instagrammable bridge nearby, enjoy the view!
On June 20, 1948, the Altalena ship arrived in Tel Aviv, with 930 refugees, 5,000 rifles, 4,000,000 rounds of ammunition, 300 machine guns, 150 grenade launchers, 5 armored vehicles and thousands of aerial bombs aboard. All this arrived to help the newly proclaimed state of Israel to wage war on the Arab states. However, the vessel ran aground and in an attempt to unload the contents, the Israel Defense Forces opened fire on the ship using the cannon (which was the only one in the city). The ship was engulfed in flames. The crew and passengers managed to get evacuated but the valuable cargo was destroyed. End of story.
For those who are unaware of the behind-the-scenes events leading up to it, the story looks like a real detective movie. In reality, it was one of the most tragic events in life of the young country, bringing it to the brink of civil war. It could lead to Israel being over before it had really began.
Even today there is no official statement on what happened. One thing is clear: politics is not about having clean hands. To help you gain an insight into the situation, this is the way things shaped up.
There was an organization named Irgun which fought for the establishment of the state of Israel. At the same time, there was Mapai, another organization pursuing the same goal. David Ben-Gurion, the future Prime Minister and Proclaimer of independence of Israel, was head of Mapai. Taking advantage of the situation, Irgun acquired a landing ship of the US Navy, which became no longer needed after World War II had been over. France supplied weapons to fight against Arabs.
Upon finding out that there was the ship full of weapons, Ben-Gurion delivered an ultimatum to Irgun: everything was to be handed over to Tzahal, the new Israel Defense Forces. Irgun leaders had an answer which was fair enough, “Our fighters are at the front, too. Why should we give up all our weapons?” They verbally agreed that 20% of the weapons would be dispatched to Irgun. The matter was complicated by the fact that in May UN Security Council adopted the resolution calling for a four-week cease-fire. UN observers might consider the arrival of the ship packed with weapons to be truce violation. Therefore, Ben-Gurion and his companions were against the idea of unloading the valuable cargo in the port of Tel Aviv. Instead, they suggested conducting a secret night operation in one of the fishing villages. It ended up in fire-fight between the parties. Eventually, the Altalena was dispatched to the water area of Tel Aviv. This was when the above-mentioned drama played out...
The museum is on the beach. So you might complete a couple of tasks more right here. There is a picturesque Instagrammable bridge nearby, enjoy the view!
On June 20, 1948, the Altalena ship arrived in Tel Aviv, with 930 refugees, 5,000 rifles, 4,000,000 rounds of ammunition, 300 machine guns, 150 grenade launchers, 5 armored vehicles and thousands of aerial bombs aboard. All this arrived to help the newly proclaimed state of Israel to wage war on the Arab states. However, the vessel ran aground and in an attempt to unload the contents, the Israel Defense Forces opened fire on the ship using the cannon (which was the only one in the city). The ship was engulfed in flames. The crew and passengers managed to get evacuated but the valuable cargo was destroyed. End of story.
For those who are unaware of the behind-the-scenes events leading up to it, the story looks like a real detective movie. In reality, it was one of the most tragic events in life of the young country, bringing it to the brink of civil war. It could lead to Israel being over before it had really began.
Even today there is no official statement on what happened. One thing is clear: politics is not about having clean hands. To help you gain an insight into the situation, this is the way things shaped up.
There was an organization named Irgun which fought for the establishment of the state of Israel. At the same time, there was Mapai, another organization pursuing the same goal. David Ben-Gurion, the future Prime Minister and Proclaimer of independence of Israel, was head of Mapai. Taking advantage of the situation, Irgun acquired a landing ship of the US Navy, which became no longer needed after World War II had been over. France supplied weapons to fight against Arabs.
Upon finding out that there was the ship full of weapons, Ben-Gurion delivered an ultimatum to Irgun: everything was to be handed over to Tzahal, the new Israel Defense Forces. Irgun leaders had an answer which was fair enough, “Our fighters are at the front, too. Why should we give up all our weapons?” They verbally agreed that 20% of the weapons would be dispatched to Irgun. The matter was complicated by the fact that in May UN Security Council adopted the resolution calling for a four-week cease-fire. UN observers might consider the arrival of the ship packed with weapons to be truce violation. Therefore, Ben-Gurion and his companions were against the idea of unloading the valuable cargo in the port of Tel Aviv. Instead, they suggested conducting a secret night operation in one of the fishing villages. It ended up in fire-fight between the parties. Eventually, the Altalena was dispatched to the water area of Tel Aviv. This was when the above-mentioned drama played out...
Task 10.1
So the museum is mostly dedicated to Irgun’s struggle for Israeli independence and its most important milestones. But we suggest you focus on this very tipping point. Study the history of the Altalena in the Etzel Museum. Answer the following questions in two sentences. Was it a rational decision to blow up the ship? Why? Send us your answer and the photo of your team against the background of a flag that was pulled out of fire of the burning vessel. Get 5 points for your team. Obviously, to answer the questions, you can use public sources and opinions of the staff of the museum.
5 points
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