DECEMBER 15/TEVET 3

Eighth day of Chanukah

Max and Gabriel Shamir; Tonyjeff, based on national symbol created in 1948

1947:  

The Arab Legion of Jordan surrounded Jerusalem and isolated its 100,000 Jews from the rest of pre-State Israel. By March 1948 the city was under full siege and in May, Jordan invaded and occupied east Jerusalem, dividing the city for the first time in its history, and driving thousands of Jews into exile. Arabs proceeded to destroy 58 synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, and used Jewish gravestones from the Mount of Olives to build roads and latrines. The Western Wall was off-limits to Jews (in spite of the cease-fire agreement granting freedom of access to holy places), until Israel's victory in the 1967 war.