West Hempstead hosts Palmach veteran

The battle for Jerusalem

By Sergey Kadinsky

More than six decades after Israel gained its independence, the sense of miracle that surrounded its birth has gradually faded. Fearing an erosion of Zionist values, a veteran of the Palmach who fought in 1948 has launched a speaking tour, with the help of his son, to rekindle the sense of miracle, and inspire local Jews.

“All of Israel is holy, but Jerusalem is the crown, the jewel atop the crest,” said event organizer David Scher. “This event should give us a better appreciation in quashing the idea of giving away Jerusalem.

Sponsored by four West Hempstead synagogues as a Yom Yerushalayim observance, Scher introduced Mordechai Schwartz as the guest of honor. However, the frail retiree has trouble speaking and his son, Rabbi Avi Schwartz, impressed the audience by recounting his father’s stories seemingly verbatim.

“In the desert, there was a new kind of Jew. They did not see themselves as second-class citizens,” recounted the younger Schwartz. “It was something we did not experience in 2,000 years.”

Schwartz spoke of his father’s unit, comprised largely of teenagers, with examples of their Jewish values, in selfless acts for the newborn Jewish state.

“The majority of Palmach were not religious, but they knew the persecution,” said Schwartz. “They wanted to redeem their forefathers and fulfill their promise.”

A third-generation Jerusalemite, Schwartz signed up to fight at age 19, and quickly took on the values of the Palmach. His last training mission before combat was a 20-mile run. “His foot hurt, but he did not stop once,” said Schwartz. “If he stopped, his whole unit would stop, so he kept going.” It turned out that there was a nail in his foot, but he did not want to compromise the mission.

The elder Schwartz earned the nickname Motzke haGazen, the Ax Man, because of one memorable act. During an attempt to “borrow” weapons frrm a British army camp, Schwartz and his comrades disguised themselves as painters. The Jewish painter who helped the fighters carry out their scheme was shot in the stomach by a British soldier.

Schwartz confronted the soldier with an ax, but instead of taking a life for a life, he turned the ax on its blunt side, and simply knocked the soldier unconscious. “Can you imagine a 19-year-old having that type of moral composure? That’s how one act demonstrated the Jewish soul,” said his son.

Mustering the strength to speak, Mordechai Schwartz spoke about Burma Road, the treacherous route that supplied food to besieged Jerusalemites. “Even a Jeep could not pass through. Then they saw 65-year-old Ben Gurion,” said Schwartz. “He said, ‘I’ll show you.’ He took a sack of food on his back and carried it into Jerusalem.”

Schwartz credited Israel’s first prime minister with inspiring the fighters to keep the supply lines going, even as they were shot at by Arab forces, perched atop the valleys. “Each soldier thought it was his last day, but they must go through,” said Schwartz.

In the audience, West Hempstead resident Yaakov Cohen, 20, who recently returned from Israel, expressed pride in the elderly veteran. “His stories are incredible,” said Cohen. “It’s amazing what they did for one another.” Cohen had just served in the Mahal, an Israel Defense Force program for foreign volunteers.

“They try to instill this in us, but the nail [in] his foot would never happen today,” said Cohen. “Who wouldn’t be complaining?”

Another West Hempstead resident, Rabbi Brian Thau, expressed pride in Schwartz’s son, for his ability to recount his father’s stories, and for his image as a black hat-wearing Zionist. “Sadly, among yeshiva students, the Satmar view is gaining ground,” said Thau. “One can be a complete Torah Jew and a believer that Medinat Yisrael is not an accident or mistake.”

Rabbi Schwartz said that initially his father was very shy to speak in public about the battles of Katamon, Mount Zion, and Bab el Wad, but as he saw Zionist values eroding, he felt a sense of mission to inspire the younger generations.

“That’s what a Palmachnik does,” said Schwartz. “Keep inspiring other people, because everyone has potential and obligations to Jewishness.”