Palestine Posts: An Eyewitness Account of the Birth of Israel: Based on the letters of Mordecai S. Chertoff

by Daniel Chertoff

Mordecai Chertoff came to Palestine in 1947 as a twenty-five-year-old, determined to make his contribution to the emerging Jewish state. In vivid and often moving letters to his family Mordecai describes the news of the UN vote for partition, the siege of Jerusalem, the bombing of the Palestine Post, the declaration of the State of Israel, his travels along the dangerous Jerusalem-Tel-Aviv highway, and, inevitably, the loss of friends. The correspondence, filled with details of everyday life in Jerusalem and meetings with famous and soon-to-be-famous people, includes historical information never before disclosed. Mordecai Chertoff's powerful first-person account allows us to re-experience a momentous turning point in Jewish history, while we accompany his son, Daniel, on his journey to penetrate into the heart and mind of his father.

466 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2019

Reviews

[Chava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a deadline as incentive to finish a book.

I enjoyed this book because I have an interest in the pre-state and early history of Israel. Many of the places mentioned are near where I live - Bab el Wad (Sha'ar Hagai), Latrun, the Burma Road. I also enjoy the format of correspondence, in this case the author's father exchanged letters with his parents and sister and brother. He is in Jerusalem (sometimes Tel Aviv), and his parents are in New York, his brother in New Jersey, and his sister in Cleveland. It made me nostalgic for the pre-internet days when people wrote chatty letters and getting a personal letter in the mail was exciting. For the most part, I enjoyed the combination of both factual and historical information and the author's father's personal information about his career plans and his love life.

But...the book is 529 pages, is often repetitive, and sometimes hard to follow because the letters refer to previous letters or communications that are not included. So unless you have an interest in the subject matter, it is not a book someone would pick up for light reading

[Perlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a window into a time and place, as well as a peek into a certain Jewish world that existed at that time. The blend of family gossip, events in Palestine, and the world scene was an interesting blend. It was interesting to see other people mentioned whom I've read about: Zipporah Porath, Toby Bar-Ilan (his daughter is a family friend), and others. I appreciated the author's interspersion of brief summaries of historical events to give context for the letters. The photographs added. The only thing I felt was missing were maps, which I think would have helped. The author is candid about his struggle to connect with his father, and how it's sometimes hard for children to relate to their parents as people; that the letters helped him do that. While I didn't think that Chertoff senior came across as very likeable, his letters do shed light on the fight for Jewish statehood.

[TheQueensBooksII · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about Israel's birth and unfolding seen from a very human perspective.

[Henri Noach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting, informative and very moving account of the birth of the modern State of Israel, viewed through the prism of a son's reflections on his father's correspondence, articles and memoirs. The narrative enables the reader to vicariously experience the dramatic events of that seminal period, but does something more: to examine the complexities and contradictions of the human personality, and of the often fraught relationships between fathers and sons.
Daniel Chertoff has most certainly lived up to the challenging task of having done justice to his heroic father's legacy, as well as to my well met expectations!