I fought in the Etzel

Shlomo Goldhor, 91, was born in Jerusalem and lived there his whole life. He was a member of the Etzel (otherwise known as the Irgun), a paramilitary organization that fought against the British to establish a Jewish state in Israel.

Etzel — National Military Organization

"I was admitted to the Etzel after I passed an admissions committee with an officer, who was behind a screen, so as to not be seen. We did not know the high commanders they spoke to us behind a screen so that if we were caught by the British, we could not describe our commanders. My job was Platoon Commander, and my nickname was "number one" because I was the tallest. There were no ranks in the Irgun, so much so that when my daughter received the rank of officer in the army, I was very excitedbecause we did not have any."

90 years of the Etzel

"A long time has passed since 1931, the year in which the Irgun was established. This year, we are celebrating 90 years of the Etzel. Today when I talk to young people, they do not know that we fought a bitter war against the British. We had a lot of arguments with the community in the Land of Israel about the way we should fight them. We believed that they needed to be fought in order for them to leave the land that actually belonged to us. It was impossible to live like this. The laws of the British Mandate went beyond all logic, and each time, they issued more and more severe laws. They killed anyone who was caught with a weapon in their territory."

The Ideal

"We understood that we needed to establish a Jewish state no matter the cost. We were told to go out on every mission without hesitation. The ideal overcame all obstacles. We knew we had to expel the British in order to establish a state. We knew our way was the right way. We understood that we had to fight with weapons, and we were right. "

Return of the state

"On the day of [Israel’s] declaration of independence, people went out onto the streets, and there was joy and celebration. I stayed home and did not go out. I was glad we had a country, but I knew that the next evening, the Arabs would start attacking us and that a war was coming, and that's exactly what happened.”

Establishment of the IDF

"After the state was established, there was an agreement that all of the underground paramilitary organizations would join the IDF. All over the country, the Etzel organization disbanded and joined the army. At first, they looked at us with a kind of inferiority and condescension, but, in the end, it worked out. We did not have enough weapons and food because the roads were under Arab control, and we were in a difficult situation—but we were glad we knew how to fight and defend ourselves. There were weapons in the Altalena ship that the IDF severely needed. The ship was full of weapons, and I could not even begin to remember what their names were, but we just knew that the IDF needed those weapons. "

The Mission — To Preserve the State of Israel

"There is one Jewish state in the world, and that is the state that we have. From the times of Moses in the bible to today, the Blessed One promised us this state. This is our country, we received it by right and not by grace, and we must therefore fight and strive to preserve it."