ment was represented by a new high commissioner named Chan- br

cellor, who—because of his recent arrival—allowed most of the br

decisions to be made by his chief aide, Harry Luke, a bitter anti- br

Zionist. Luke was the son of an assimilated Jewish family from br

Hungary named Lukach. The father had emigrated to England br

and in one fell swoop acquired a new country, religion, and br

name. The Hungarian Jew Lukach was now the British Protes- br

tant Luke. And having converted, Luke now acquired a gentile br

characteristic: he became anti-Semitic. No better friend in court br

did the Arabs have than Luke, whose policy of noninterference br

with the Mufti and Arab mobs led to the murder of scores of br

Jews.

Jerusalem

The pogrom in Jerusalem began on the Muslim holy day, br

Friday 17 Av (August 23). Thousands of Arabs streamed into br

the city carrying iron bars, sticks, and knives. In the courtyard br

inciters from Jerusalem and the two nearby villages of Lifta and br

Kalandia heated the atmosphere, and at 12:30 P.M. the mob br

burst forth, heading in two directions: toward the Jaffa and Da- br

mascus gates. At Jaffa gate, Jews who inadvertently passed by br

were attacked. Despite the presence of police, the two Rutten- br

berg brothers were beaten and stabbed to death. On Jaffa Road, br

Jewish stores were smashed by some sixty Arabs from Lifta and br

a Jewish newsman murdered. In the small Georgian quarter, br

home of poor Jewish families, four Jews including a woman and br

child were slaughtered and the humble homes looted. An at- br

tempt to smash into the Mea Sh’arim quarter was thwarted.

The worst attacks were on the outlying Jewish neighbor- br

hoods in the new, Jewish, part of the city. The neighborhood of br

Romema, through the Diskin Orphan Home, Givat Shaul, br

Montefiore, Bet Hakerem, Yefe Nof, and Bayit V’Gan, were br

targets of a large attack led by Arabs from the villages of Dir br

Yassin, Ein Kerem, and Lifta. Dir Yassin Arabs were the lead- br

ers and organizers of the attack, and the village became world- br

famous in 1948 when it received its just reward for the many br

Jews slaughtered by its citizens.

It was only an incredibly valiant defense by the Jews that br

prevented a massacre of major proportions. With few men and br

weapons, the defenders succeeded in throwing back thousands br