The Yom Kippur War in Home Movies

Edited by Ran Levi

Preface

Movie Clips

Preface

Ahead of the half-centennial anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, the Jerusalem Cinematheque’s Israel Film Archive put out a call for submissions to the general public, asking them to locate and share with the archive any relevant home movies they may have shot, during and after the war. The rationale behind this appeal is fairly straightforward: the digitisation process this footage will undergo will help to preserve and add it to the thousands of hours of existing archival footage chronicling life in Israel / Palestine over the last 125 years.

That being said, there is another – perhaps not quite as obvious – an advantage to documenting the war through home movies, versus official media or IDF film unit footage of the time.

The media, as is their nature, will be prone to focusing on news reporting – as such, they tend to highlight the “bigger moments,” e.g. major battles, key figures, and so forth. Miliary commissioned footage, meanwhile, is there to promote the organisation’s own agendas such as boosting soldiers’ and frontline morale, which is why it is shot and edited a certain way, to meet these very goals.

Home movies, on the other hand, are a form of far more immediate and ‘intimate’ documentation. They were shot by the soldiers themselves and as such, naturally tend to focus on the things that they considered important and interesting – an altogether different point of view in this context to that of the various media and military brass. Consequently, these home movies transport us to places and moments that were seldom, if ever captured in official footage, featuring scenes far more authentic and human. For better and for worse, this footage shows us the true face of war. Such is also the nature of the content we are about to explore in this collection.

On 11 November, Israel, Syria, and Egypt signed a joint ceasefire agreement. The official war may have been over – albeit only on paper, for in the months that followed, thousands of full time and reservist soldiers continued to hunker down in frozen trenches in an area nicknamed ‘the Syrian enclave’ – a chunk of Syrian territory taken by Israel in the final days of fighting – whereas in the south, thousands of soldiers were having to brave sweltering conditions in ‘the Land of Goshen’ – the [biblical-referencing] nickname given to the territory west of the Suez Canal. This was a scarcely documented period of history, compared to the days of actual fighting – and the footage I’ll be featuring in this collection gives viewers a rare glimpse of the hardships and challenges endured by tens of thousands of Israelis in the days and months after the war.

Thanks to Rachel Lev and Dr. Ziv Orenstein for the comprehensive investigation on which the collection is based.

Please note, all films were shot with an 8mm camera and are without a soundtrack.

Movie clips

Joy and Relief

On 16 October 1973, the first IDF soldiers arrived in the west bank of the Suez Canal. In the eight days that followed, the forces captured swathes of territory all over Egypt and set themselves up in various makeshift outposts and encampments. This footage shows a group of soldiers meeting at the entrance to one such outpost, presumably for the first time since the end of fighting. The sheer joy and relief on their faces betrays just how worried and anxious they had been for their friends who had fought alongside them throughout the horrors of the holding actions and counter offensives.

The footage was kindly donated to the Israel Film Archive by filmmaker and founder of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Renen Schorr. The identity of the original videographer remains unknown.

Oasis

the majority of Egyptian land in the Israeli-held ‘Land of Goshen’ enclave was an arid, barren desert; however, a long canal with fresh water from the Nile running through it created an artificial ‘oasis’ of sorts: it was a narrow strip along the Suez canal, surrounded by farmed agricultural land, diverse flora and fauna, and various settlements – the majority of which were abandoned during the war; possibly even earlier, in the days of the War of Attrition. The Israeli soldiers were quick to make use of this lush territory to vastly improve their otherwise grim service conditions in the sandy desert, as shown in this footage where a group of soldiers are seen slaughtering and plucking a local chicken (TRIGGER WARNING: Footage may be disturbing to some viewers.)

Supplies to the Besieged Enemy

In a makeshift encampment on the Cairo-Suez motorway, about 101km (63 miles) from Cairo, Israeli and Egyptian delegates were negotiating the terms of a ceasefire – and the fate of Egypt’s Third Field Army which, at the time, was besieged and surrounded by Israeli troops in the east bank of the canal. The siege of the Third Army which comprised over 30,000 Egyptian soldiers and 300 tanks gave the Israelis tremendous leverage over Egypt, ultimately forcing their hand into agreeing to return Israeli prisoners of war, for instance – however, following pressure from several international powers, Israel too eventually caved and agreed let the UN deliver food and water to the besieged Egyptian troops. Part of the soldiers’ field activities involved coordinating this delivery and supervising the Egyptian soldiers who were loading up the bags of food onto lorries and barges – as shown in the film.

This footage was shot by journalist and author, Yehezkel Hameiri (1934-1989), who had covered the fighting in both fronts for [Israeli daily paper] Yedioth Ahronoth and radio station, Voice of Israel (‘Kol Israel’). Hameiri had a recording device, still camera, and his own 8mm videocam with him, which he shot the film on. His son, Eyal Hameiri, kindly donated the footage shot by his father to the Israel Film Archive.

The Yellow Fleet

It seems more than likely that life in the barren and arid Land of Goshen wasn’t especially teeming with excitement, to put it mildly. That said, one major local “attraction” was ‘the Yellow Fleet’ – this was the name given to a group of 14 ill-timed freight ships that were just about to cross the Suez Canal when the Six-Day War broke out in 1967. As both ends of the canal were effectively blocked off to traffic, the ships had no choice but to dock in the Great Bitter Lake, in the southern end of the canal. Months turned to years and with time, the ships’ crewmembers developed their own routines which included a host of social events, artisanal stamp-making (which, over the years, became highly sought after collectibles), and even sport competitions. With time, the ships became covered in desert sand which earned them the nickname, ‘the Yellow Fleet’. In the footage, we see Israeli soldiers and officers who would take small boats over to the Yellow Fleet to deliver supplies, and also to chat with and befriend the crews.

The footage was kindly donated to the Israeli Film Archive by filmmaker and founder of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Renen Schorr. The identity of the original videographer remains unknown.

A Monument to British Soldiers

Ever since the Suez Canal was originally dug in the middle of the 19th century and also, owing to its relative proximity to Iraq and Iran’s oil fields, Egypt became a crucial pawn in the global chess game between various international powers and indeed, over the years its territory has seen many a bloody battle that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers of all sides.

One can only wonder what was going through Israeli soldiers’ heads who were looking through their binoculars at the monument in Ismailia, erected by the UK in memory of all the British soldiers who had perished in the battles against the Ottomans during WWI, 50 years earlier.

The film was shot by Danny Bross – a pilot and then-deputy commander of the RAF Fayid miliary airfield (aka ‘Nachshon’) – who is also the one looking at the monument through the field telescope in the clip. Bross had been an amateur videographer from a young age and edited his film, Is Fayid Burning, using around 15 reels he had shot, including some aerial footage from his helicopter window near the airport.

The footage was kindly donated to the Israel Film Archive by Danny’s son, Rammy Bross.

The Military Cemetery in Fayid

Another area of historical interest in the Fayid town vicinity was the local military cemetery where around 1,000 allied soldiers were laid to rest during WWII. Extra special attention was given by the Israeli visitors to the graves of Jewish soldiers of various armies, marked by a Star of David. In the footage, a number of tributes left on the grave of one Jewish soldier are visible. They read: “To my father, from your daughter Tovah”; To David, from your sister Alegra”; “from your sister, Dessie.”

Bombings in the city of Suez

Before the Six-Day War, the city of Suez, located on the coast of Suez Bay, south of the canal, was the third largest city in Egypt with over 250,000 residents. Many of the locals had already fled the city during the War of Attrition – however, the city itself remained a key logistical hub for the Egyptian army, especially for the Third Field Army that was fighting the IDF in the southern sector of the canal.

In the final days of the war, a heavy bombing campaign was launched against the city’s oil refiners and petrol tanks whose thick smoke clouds can be seen in the horizon in this footage, shot by Yitzhak Frank, one of the first members of the Israeli Armoured Corps who had also fought in the 1948 War of Independence. During the Six-Day War, Frank served in the armoured corps’ 19^th battalion that had suffered heavy casualties. He then returned to the same battalion in the Yom Kippur War. Seffi Frank, Yitzhak’s son, was himself a battalion commander, deputy brigade commander, and head of the IDF’s Battle Research Branch, and has kindly donated this footage to the Israel Film Archive.

A Playground for Bored Soldiers

On the final day of fighting, just before the ceasefire was about to take effect, Defence Secretary Moshe Dayan – in a complete U-turn on the government’s decision, taken just the previous day – ordered that that the city of Suez be taken. The IDF would pay dearly for the slapdash planning of this incursion mission: 80 soldiers perished in the unsuccessful battle for Suez, and 120 were wounded. As seen in the footage, the devastated ruins of this ghost town still bore the scars of those fierce battles – and later became this absurdly macabre play area for the bored soldiers at the end of the war.

Transportation Services from the Land of Goshen

Contact with the rest of Israel was naturally rather limited: the great distance and rough, patchy roads made going home for the weekend quite the undertaking. Playing their part in the war effort, Israeli bus companies Dan and Egged both stepped up and launched special shuttle services from Sinai, and even as far as the Land of Goshen, that would take soldiers home on leave.

The film was shot by Charlie Ben Hayun (1936-2015) who was called to the draft when war broke out as a reservist. When he came home on leave the first time, Ben Hayun made sure to bring back his 8mm camera so that he could capture IDF life in the aftermath of the fighting. His films were kindly donated to the Israel Film Archive by his son, Ron Ben Hayun.

Impromptu Entertainment

Every so often, the odd Israeli visitors would show up at the various military outposts – those were usually senior officers such as Defence Secretary, Moshe Dayan, then-Chief-of-Staff David Elazar, and others – however, visits from friends and family were naturally few and far between. As a result, the impromptu variety shows performed by the IDF’s various military troupes, as well as a host of standup comedians and other similar entertainers would draw very large crowds: now ‘large’ is of course a relative concept – and at this particular gig, only a few dozen soldiers are seen enjoying one such show in a makeshift amphitheatre.

Israel’s 8th General Election

The most major event to have taken place during the IDF’s sojourn to “Africa” was perhaps Israel’s 8^th general election that was held about two months after the end of fighting, highlighted by the exceptionally high turnout in military ballots. The short time that had gone by since the end of fighting wasn’t enough for the results to reflect the deep-seated trauma and shock felt by the Israeli public in the aftermath of an intelligence fiasco of such epic proportions and heavy toll taken by the war – however, the relative success of ‘Likud’, an up-and-coming political party, with the electorate was a harbinger of the seismic earthquake that would upend Israeli politics in just a few years’ time, and mark the fall from grace of MAPAI (Israel’s Labour party) – the country’s hitherto untouchable ruling party since the state was established.

A Journey Through the Syrian Enclave

On the sixth day of fighting in the Golan War, the IDF shifted its defensive strategy and went on the offensive: Israeli armoured troops crossed the Purple Line – the name given to the pre-war borderline – and began to advance north and eastbound towards Damascus. The troops managed to capture a 20km-wide (12.5mi) strip, deep in the Syrian heartland, and at one point were just 40km (25mi) away from the capital – well within artillery range. IDF forces spent around eight months in the Syrian enclave, during which the Syrians were waging a relentless war of attrition against them: mortar and canon fire were commonplace, as were commando incursions as part of the Syrians’ efforts to retake all the strategic posts they had lost on Mt. Hermon. Just the March-May period alone recorded over a thousand shootings that claimed the lives of 60 soldiers and injured hundreds of civilians. Life on the outposts meant always being on high alert, with the charred and mangled remains of tanks, jeeps, and cannons cluttering the roadsides serving as a constant reminder of this unabating threat.

The footage was shot by Assaf Agin (1930-2019) who, during the war, served as a reservist in the Air Force’s intelligence unit. Agin shot the film whilst showing a group of his fellow unit soldiers around the Syrian enclave. His son, Guy Agin, kindly donated the footage to the Israel Film Archive.

General Winter

An enemy just as ruthless in the northern sector was mother nature, herself. Winter pummelled the Syrian enclave with all its fury, burying the land under inches of snow as temperatures dropped to perilous lows. In November 1973, for instance, two reservist soldiers stationed on Mt. Hermon froze to death – whilst the soldier sent over to rescue them also perished. Snow and mud proved a constant hassle for soldiers’ vehicles in the enclave.

The footage was shot by Assaf Agin (1930-2019) who, during the war, served as a reservist in the Air Force’s intelligence unit. Agin had filmed it whilst showing a group of his fellow unit soldiers around the Syrian enclave. His son, Guy Agin, kindly donated the footage to the Israel Film Archive.

The Locals

A notably interesting detail that has emerged in these home movies is the presence of local residents – or rather, female local residents, in the small villages on the Syrian Golan Heights. Whereas in the Suez region, the majority of locals had already fled their homes during the War of Attrition, leaving entire ghost towns in their wake – these Syrian villages somehow still remained partially populated, after the war. In this footage, shot by journalist Yehezkel Hameiri as an IDF force drove through the area, local women can be seen standing outside what was most likely their homes that were destroyed during the fighting.

This footage was shot by journalist and author, Yehezkel Hameiri (1934-1989), who had covered the fighting in both fronts for [Israeli daily paper] Yedioth Ahronoth and radio station, Voice of Israel (‘Kol Israel’). Hameiri had a recording device, still camera, and his own 8mm videocam with him which he shot the film on. His son, Eyal Hameiri, kindly donated the footage shot by his father to the Israeli Film Archive.

Evacuation of the Air Force Base in Fayid

On 18 January 1974, Israel and Egypt both signed an agreement on the disengagement of forces, essentially signalling the retreat of Israeli troops back to the eastern side of the canal. Nachshon Airport which, in fact, was an Egyptian airfield by the town of Fayid and was captured during the western incursion, became one of the IDF’s most crucial bases west of the canal, and was used both as a logistics and supply hub (what with the planes landing there), a major field hospital where many of the injured were taken and treated such as those wounded in the Suez Battle – and even a key transport hub from which Israeli bus company, Egged, operated a shuttle service to and from home for soldiers. In this footage, shot by pilot and base deputy commander, Danny Bross, we see the soldiers holding a ceremony to mark the end of their stay in the Land of Goshen, and the Israeli retreat from the airfield.

A Controlled Explosion

Following the liquidation of the Israeli air force’s base in Fayid, base commander Eliezer (aka ‘Cheetah’) Cohen decided to raze all structures onsite before returning them to the Egyptians. Danny Bross, his second-in-command, captured the bombing of the deserted airfield, and the controlled explosion of the various remaining structures on camera.

Fare Thee Well Africa

After the signing of the agreement on the disengagement of forces, infantry soldiers in the southern front started making their way home to Israel in convoys of vans and buses, some of which had signs on them that read, “Pharoah sent us away, Arik Sharon sent us in, Kissinger got us out of Egypt. Fare thee well Africa,” as seen in this footage shot by Danny Bross. The troops’ fellow soldiers, up in the Golan Heights, would have to endure an additional four-month wait before eventually going home at the end of May 1974.

Those who made it back from the frontline came home with an almighty fury over the catalogue of catastrophic failures that led to this war. Their rage would subsequently lead to far-reaching changes in Israeli politics and society as a whole. The films shot by these soldiers on their personal cameras serve as a silent testimony to their harrowing ordeals. What is more, they help those of us observing these events, two generations down the line, wrap our heads and hearts around even some of what they went through in that wretched war. It is my hope that this collection of fascinating home movies you have found here has shown you the true merits and profound importance of preserving ancient, crumbling footage such as this – and if that is the case then please, consider having a word about it with mum and dad the next Friday night dinner.