Hadassah in the War of Independence, 1947–1949

Abstract

This chapter turns to Hadassah's activities during Israel's war of independence. The war began in 1947. It began as ‘“riots,” which quickly developed into the conflagration of battles’. In the first phase of the war, Arab gangs assisted by volunteers from neighbouring countries attacked essential transportation routes, concentrations of Jews in mixed (Jewish and Arab) cities, and isolated settlements. At this stage, resistance was mounted by underground organizations of the Yishuv, particularly the Haganah. When the British left, the regular armies of Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, as well as volunteer units from Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Yemen invaded, with the aim of destroying the State of Israel in its infancy. They were met by Israel's army, known since 1948 as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).