Zippy Porath at the Modiin event

IN A PACKED venue in Modiin on March 9, our volunteers were treated, not only to a wonderful brunch prepared by our committee, but to an hour’s talk by 89-yearold Zippy Porath. Her enthralling account of her year in Jerusalem at the time of the siege kept us spellbound and wanting more of the fascinating anecdotes she shared with us. Her sharp mind and humorous asides made us grateful to her parents who had carefully preserved her letters, which she found in their New York apartment after their passing. A native New Yorker, Zippy arrived in Jerusalem in 1947 for a one-year program at the Hebrew University. Almost immediately, she found herself caught up in Israel’s War of Independence and the struggle for the survival of the nascent state.

Abandoning her studies, she secretly joined the underground Haganah defense forces, served as a medic during the siege of Jerusalem, and in the fledgling Israel Air Force.  The letters she wrote to her family during that incredible year vividly describe her impressions and feelings, and capture the historic events as they occurred. 

Her book, Letters from Jerusalem 1947-1948, now in its fifth printing, is a fascinating personal account that adds an authentic voice to the history of that pivotal period.  Those who attended were agreed that it was an excellent event.   “What a lovely brunch and an amazing guest speaker you had today. I could have listened to her for another hour,” commented Ros Fisher after the brunch. Dorothy Friedman said: “To go from a brunch at a restaurant to putting it all together the way you did, even with help from here and there, was quite a big deal – and you both pulled it off so well. “I heard nice comments about the menu and the speaker, and the prizes were quite lovely." Kol hakavod."   And Anita Bashary said: “It was a lovely brunch, and Tzippy was excellent.”

An extract from Letters from Jerusalem 

Sunday morning 11.00am November 30 1947

Dearest Mother, Dad and Naomi, I walked in a semi-daze through the crowds of happy faces, through the deafening singing of ‘David, Melech Yisrel, chai, chai vckyayam’ (David, King of Israel, lives and is alive), past the British tanks and jeeps piled high with pyramids of flag-waving, cheering children. I dodged motorcycles, wagons, cars and trucks which were racing madly up and down King George V Street, missing each other miraculously, their running boards and headlights overflowing with layer upon layer of elated happy people. I pushed my way past the crying, kissing, tumultuous crowds and the exultant shouts of “Mazal tov” and came back to the quiet of my room . . . to try to share with you this never-to-be-forgotten night. I can’t believe this year. So much has happened, but the most important thing by far is the birth of the State. I’ve been part of it and it will forever be part of me. I guess that means I am telling you I intend to see this war through and then remain on, whatever happens. This is my new HOME. Love, Zippy