The Change Has Been Unbelievable

By Jack Bellock

I go to Israel and the Technion frequently. The change in Israel is not only unbelievable from then to now, but from year to year.

I first came to Palestine from Poland in 1930, when I was 16. I went to the agriculture school Mikveh Israel from 1930 to 1933. Then, I tended to orange groves and started my own dairy business, selling milk to tourist hotels and restaurants. There were only two kosher restaurants in Tel Aviv; others were “Jewish style.” Everyone knew each other. Israel was a small country that was like a big family.

When the intifada began in 1936, tourists stopped coming. Thousands of Jews came illegally in the late 1930’s from Europe. I joined the Irgun in 1933. The Irgun was similar to the Haganah, but its aim was to create a future army for pre-state Israel, not to defend the settlements, which was the purpose of the much larger Haganah.

In March 1937, officers from the two groups came together for the first time and we were fortunate to have a chance to listen to David Ben-Gurion speak. He said, “We thought it would be sufficient to build a force to defend Jewish settlements, but we need an army to defend the pre-state Israel.”

Though I left for Australia in 1938, I visit Israel and the Technion frequently. The change in Israel is not only unbelievable from the 1930s to now, but from year to year. Two of the biggest buildings near the Technion campus are Microsoft and Intel. Why? The brainpower of the Technion.

The ATS has made this happen in many ways. Through the efforts of our supporters we have raised nearly $1.4 billion, which has built the campus, supported research, students, and faculty, including Israel’s Nobel scientists.