“Night Of The Railways”
(November 1, 1945)
In the first cooperative effort between the Haganah, the Irgun, and Lehi, railroad tracks all over Palestine were blown up. This unification was known as Tnuat HaMeri Ha’ivri (The Hebrew (Jewish) Resistance Movement.
The Haganah sabotaged railway tracks in 153 places throughout the country. The Irgun-Lehi unit, commanded by Eitan Livni, attacked the main railway station at Lydda (Lod). In addition to the railways, the Palmach’s marine unit, the Palyam, sank three British guard boats; two in Haifa and one in Jaffa. These boats were involved in preventing illegal immigration
The movement included two representatives of the Haganah (Yisrael Galili and Moshe Sneh), an Irgun delegate (Menachem Begin) and a Lehi delegate (Nathan Yellin-Mor). All operations were authorized by the Haganah command, which had the right of veto based on strategic, or political considerations.
The operation raised morale in the Yishuv which was suffering under British restrictions on Aliyah and settlement. It also demonstrated the ability of the underground forces to conduct simultaneous operations around the country.
Sources: Beyond Time and Place;
“Night of the Trains,” Wikipedia.
Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library
