p.

5.

I was proud & interested to command a Jewish Unit
& explaining my reasons. I then outlined the
career of the Coy since February & laid stress on all
their successes & achievements & usefulness. Then I
told them about our intensive training for war, which
is going on at the moment. I then "lost" (got heated) my temper
about these ignorant & misinformed people who say that
the Palestinian Buffs are no more than police - I
asked them what could be more right than that the
Palestine garrison should be largely Palestinian - men
who will be fighting for their own country & who
know the country. I then shouted at them to join
up & not to delay a moment; not to wait for conscription
or the new man - or America - or victory by Russia, or by
the Allies, "that would be fatal, thousands of young
men may be too late. Let the Jews of Palestine show
the world, the Allies, the U.S.A., that they are in
the war. Let Hitler & his revolting gang who now enter
Nazi German feel our spirit & your will to conquer
& to repay the misery which he has brought to all
of us. Then we may enjoy to the full, together - the
victory was by all of us - together go forward to
make the peace & the New World". (loud applause).
All this, together with the translation took over 1/2 hour.
And when I sat down, Shertok nodded approvingly &
said it was very meaty. An old man, a Muktar from
one of the oldest Jewish settelements then spoke & told them
of his visit to Jewish units in Egypt, E. Africa, then
came Shertok. He is quite a small man, with a black
moustache, black crinkly hair, just a little bit like
Bill Paul apart from the crinkly hair. He is