Hi Doves,
How interesting that this "Little David" shell (from the 1948 War of Independence) shows up at this time (in the Western Wall Plaza) when Israel is preparing to honor their 60th Anniversary.Apparently Michael Freund (who served in public office under Bibi Netanyahu when he was Prime Minister) found it interesting as well:
THE DAVIDKA "LITTLE DAVID" SHELL:
25 Nissan 5768, 4/30/2008A Reminder of the Fight for Jerusalem
Michael Freund
There was something immensely symbolic in the discovery made by archaeologists this week in the Old City of Jerusalem.
While carrying out excavations in the Western Wall Plaza, researchers unearthed a 60-year old Davidka mortar shell dating back to Israel's 1948 War of Independence.
http://www.davidpride.com/Israel/images/Givati_07.jpg
The Davidka was a homemade 3-inch shell developed by Jewish freedom fighters which was known more for the noise it made than any damage that it caused. But more importantly, it proved effective in scaring offinvading Arabunits during the Independence War, when Israel was vastly outnumbered in the struggle for its survival.
Now, just six decades later, the sovereign government of the State of Israel is negotiating away the future of Jerusalem, determined to divide the Holy City and turn over its eastern section to our foes.
But the tiny Davidka shell uncovered this week serves as a timely reminder that once upona time, the Jewish people were willing to fight for Jerusalem, the city we longed for throughout our dispersion.
Maybe, just maybe, this unexpected find will spark within our leadership the spirit of old, the spirit that cries out: Jerusalem is ours, and we shall never abandon her!
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1948 mortar shell unearthed near Western Wall
Archeologists working at the site uncover historic 'Davidka' shell used by Haganah during Independence WarEfrat Weiss
More than 60 years after it was buried, archeologists working an excavation in the Western Wall Plaza unearthed a completely intact 'Davidka' mortar shell on Tuesday afternoon.Sappers who were alerted to the scene removed the shell from the site and documented the finding before transported it outside city limits to detonate the explosives in a controlled environment.
Largely ineffective, the locally manufactured three-inch Davidka developed by the Haganah prior to the country's inception is remembered more for the noise it made rather than the damage it inflicted.The use of the Davidka and other similar models was phased out after the establishment of the IDF and the purchase of more sophisticated mortar shells, though many unused shells still stand at various monuments throughout the country.
