I had returned to London with my young family a few months before the war broke out. I immediately went to Rex House in Piccadilly which was the HQ of the Jewish Agency to see if I could volunteer as I felt so the need to be a part of what was happening in Israel.
I was put on the desk for sorting out the hundreds of volunteers who wanted to go to Israel to fight what we all thought was the existential battle. This was a most uplifting experience. Youngsters from all backgrounds poured into the building. Many were children of mixed marriages who begged to be recognized as Jewish, a precondition for volunteering.
It is frightening to project what would be the reaction today in the UK if Israel were, God forbid, attacked on all sides.
One day to my surprise my mother who was looking after the kids turned up as she too could not sit at home – I think she ended up sorting papers or making sandwiches. There were also shuls organized for blood donations, collection depots for jewelry and money and the ordinary man/woman in the street in London who watched the war in awe and admiration of the IDF and the Jewish State.
– Zelda
