The Sabbath in which they tried to eliminate the Palmach: 'I played dumb, didn't turn anyone in'
He immigrated from Salonika to Florentin, was recruited to the Haganah at age 15 and a half by Shimon Peres, and was arrested by the British: Shabtai Meshulam will celebrate his 97th birthday this year,…
Assessment
A 97 year old former Palmach operative, recruited as a teenager by Shimon Peres, recounts his arrest by British forces during the Black Sabbath of 1946, exactly 80 years ago this week. His testimony preserves a firsthand account of the British crackdown on Jewish underground organizations in Mandatory Palestine. The story underscores the diminishing number of living witnesses to the pre state struggle, making each such recollection increasingly precious as living memory fades.