August 26
German Reparations & nasty Drivers
“I went to Tel Aviv in new trains built with German Reparations.”
GERMAN REPARATIONS & NASTY DRIVERS
August 26, 1957
Dear Mom Dad & Alan,
This morning I left Haifa for Tel Aviv by train after going through some of the industrial plants in Haifa Bay. I went to Tel Aviv in new trains built with German Reparations. In Tel AvivI met the boy (Paul) who I am going to travel through the Negev with and also Europe. He had rented a jeep and so we spent the day roaming around Tel Aviv.
Since I have an Israeli Driver’s license I also drove. If you think N.Y. traffic is bad & drivers nasty just try driving over here. It is the worst mad house you have ever seen. The only thing is you are always moving.
I haven’t heard from you for almost 2 weeks but I guess that is because they haven’t been forwarding the mail from Jerusalem.
How is everything at home? I of course have to repeat – I wish you all could enjoy this trip with me. Thinking of all of you.
Love,
Bob
David’s Comments:
“This morning I left Haifa for Tel Aviv …….in new trains built with German Reparations.”
Another word for reparations would be compensation.
Following the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, the Germans offered the government of Israel reparations as an apology for their country’s participation in the murder of six million Jews.
Many Jews, including my father, opposed taking this “blood money.”
Former Israel Knesset Member Dov Shilansky agreed with my father and was even arrested trying to stop the reparations.
In October 1952, Shilansky was arrested while attempting to bring a suitcase bomb into the Israeli Foreign Ministry as a protest against the Reparations and was sentenced to two years in prison.
My father’s protest against the Germans included his commitment not to buy German products.
“If you think N.Y. traffic is bad & drivers nasty just try driving over here. It is the worst mad house you have ever seen. The only thing is you are always moving”
Things have not changed much. Drivers in Tel Aviv in 2019 are still just as nasty. The only difference is that Tel Aviv in 1957 was not as crowded and you were always moving.
DRAFT (ADD info about road fatalities and how Israel spent billions on building safer roads but without a change in driving attitude the problem won’t be solved)