Kol Tsion HaLokhemet

Kol Tsion HaLokhemet (Hebrew: קוֹל צִיּוֹן הלוֹחֶמֶת) (lit. "Voice of Fighting Zion") was the underground radio station of the Irgun.[1]

Kol Tsion HaLokhemet
Broadcast areaPalestine
Programming
Language(s)Hebrew
AffiliationsIrgun
Ownership
OwnerIrgun

History

Kol Zion HaLokhemet was operated from February 1939.[2] It may have been the first underground radio station in the world.[3][4] It was located opposite Meir Park, in Tel Aviv.[5]

NKVD mug shot of Menachem Begin, 1940

The radio station used its broadcasts to give information about the goals and intentions of the Irgun.[6] Irgun leader Menachem Begin, who eluded capture during the struggle with the British during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine, used Kol Zion to communicate with the Jews of Palestine.[7][8] For example, he declared: "Not only were Jews injured and thousands of pounds worth of damage done to Jewish property in Jerusalem. Our national pride was injured as well. Once again we became 'protected Jews' as British troops pretended to defend us..."[9]

In 1939 Esther Raziel-Naor, the sister of fellow Irgun leader David Raziel, became the first broadcaster of the radio station.[10]

In September 1945 the radio station was used to attack Chaim Weizmann, of the Jewish Agency, as a "Jewish Quisling."[11]

In August 1946 the station was used to call for a revolt and war against the Palestine Administration.[12][13]

In November 1946 the station was used to denounce as lies British assertions that the Irgun intended to assassinate members of the government and the military.[14] That same month the Irgun used the station to appeal to the Haganah to join it in fighting the British.[15] It also used the station that month to indicate that it would be expanding its activities outside of Palestine.[16]

In December 1947, the station was used to announce "Enough [with restraint]. From now on we [shall attack] the nests of murderers."[17]

Altalena on fire

When the Irgun was attacked by the Haganah at the Altalena, Begin used the radio station to urge his men not to counter-attack.[18] while at the same time excoriating David Ben-Gurion.[19]

A number of its radio broadcast transcripts between 1936 and 1948 are collected by Psychological Warfare and Propaganda: Irgun Documentation.[6][20]

See also

References
  1. John, R.S. (1961). Builder of Israel: the story of Ben-Gurion. Doubleday. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  2. Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Jewish Problems in Palestine and Europe; United Nations. General Assembly. Special Committee on Palestine (1991). A Survey of Palestine. Vol. 3. Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 9780887282171. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  3. Niv, D. (1980). A short history of the Irgun Zevai Leumi. World Zionist Organization, Dept. of Education and Culture. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  4. Torstrick, R.L. (2004). Culture and Customs of Israel. Greenwood Press. p. 73. ISBN 9780313320910. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  5. Begin, M. (1979). The revolt. W.H. Allen. ISBN 9780491022033. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  6. The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. F. Cass. 1982. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  7. John, R.S. (1949). Shalom means peace. Doubleday. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  8. Fearn, R.W. (2007). Amoral America. publisher not identified. ISBN 9781553831570. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  9. "Besiege / Yehuda Lapidut - THE BRITISH BRING THE PALESTINE PROBLEM BEFORE THE UN". daat.ac.il. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  10. לפידות, יהודה. היום שרה הקטנה. Daat (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  11. "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search | Qusilings". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  12. "The Sydney Morning Herald - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  13. "Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  14. "The Canadian Jewish Chronicle - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  15. "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  16. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uwgtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5tUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2453,3296405&dq=voice-of-fighting-zion+radio&hl=en
  17. Morris, B. (2008). 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War. Yale University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780300145243. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  18. Telushkin, J. (1991). Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History. HarperCollins. p. 319. ISBN 9780688085063. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  19. Avishai, B. (2002). The Tragedy of Zionism: How Its Revolutionary Past Haunts Israeli Democracy. Helios Press. p. 181. ISBN 9781581152586. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  20. Tavin, E.J.; Alexander, Y.; Irgun tsevaʼi leʼumi (1982). Psychological warfare and propaganda: Irgun documentation. Scholarly Resourses(sic). ISBN 9780842021890. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
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