joined them, shooting at the Jews. In the first attack, thirteen br

Jews were killed, and the looting and pillaging spread to other br

areas of the city. Gradually, the mob focused on the center of br

Zionism in the city, Bet Ha’Olim (Immigrant House).

In their simple naiveté and belief that Arabs and Jews br

could coexist in peace, the Zionists had acquired a large, two- br

story building in the all-Arab Ajemi section of Jaffa. At the time br

there were about one hundred new immigrants in the building br

that was the symbol of Jewish immigration. So great was the con- br

fidence of the Jews in their ability to live in peace with their neigh- br

bors that they had no weapons of any kind. After all, this was not br

Czarist Russia. This was the Land of Israel, the land to which the br

Jews had come to escape pogroms.

Around 1:00 P.M. the mob began to gather. Pioneers stand- br

ing in the street were stoned and beaten. One Arab attempted to br

throw a primitive homemade bomb, but it blew up in his hands br

and he was killed. This only infuriated the mob, which began to br

approach the building. The Jews ripped iron posts from the gate br

and blocked the entrance to the front and side yards. They beat br

off the Arabs’ first attack, and several Arabs were carried away br

by their comrades. It appeared that despite the huge mob, the br

Jews would be able to defend themselves.

At 2:00 P.M., the watchmen on the roof reported that several br

policemen were approaching. A general sigh of relief arose, until br

the police—Arabs—arrived. They suddenly began shooting at br

the Jews, and two grenades were thrown into the courtyard, kill- br

ing and wounding several of them. According to The Book of the br

Haganah, the attack was led by the head of the prison, Hana br

Burdkush, a member of a “respectable” Christian Arab family. br

The police burst into the yard, shouting to the mob: “What are br

you waiting for? Kill them all!”

Their spirits broken, most of the Jews attempted to flee. br

The males who were not fortunate enough to escape were brutal- br

ly murdered. Several women pleaded with a policeman to save br

them. He took them into an alley, stripped them of their valu- br

ables, and tried to rape one of them. When silence descended on br

the building, thirteen were dead and twenty-six-wounded, and br

for the rest of the day, Arabs looted Jewish stores and houses. br

Except for the language, the clothing, and the palm trees, it br

might very well have been Kishinev.