On the biblical Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which fell on October 6 in 1973, Israel faced one of its most dangerous tests when it came under attack from the south and north. The two-pronged offensive from Egypt and Syria came as a complete surprise to most Israelis, including Golda Meir’s government and part of the Israel Defense Forces.
There may have been numerous signs of an attack plan by Egypt and Syria, but they were not fully recognized at the highest levels in Jerusalem and in the military. The shock for Israel was all the greater because just six years earlier, Israel had crushed the armed forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan in the Six-Day War. Israel had also taken over land, namely the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights and the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria.
Painful price
Radio was switched off nationwide on this, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The people fasted and prayed in the synagogue. Then the coordinated surprise attack on Israel from Egypt and Syria, which triggered a...
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3 responses to “Exactly 50 years ago: The Yom Kippur War”
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Thank you, Aviel, for sharing this song bringing before me the emotions of Israel’s Oct. ‘73 war, and God’s intervention.
The emotions of this song, somehow, also, brought the emotions of when the Child Jesus was taken into the temple, to do according to the custom of the law, and Simeon, a just man, taking Him in his arms blessed God, and said, “Behold, the Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:25-35)
God continues to tell His story through the nation of Israel–His story of love for our world and what He gave of Himself for our redemption.
Oops, my above response is to the article, “We are the Children of Winter ’73”.
Another lesson is being overlooked by the Jewish state. For an outsider like myself, “another lesson” is quite obvious: The miraculous victory of the Six-Day War was the miraculous work of the God of Israel. The whole nation should have celebrated and praised their God, the Holy One of Israel, who is alive and showed up with the miracle for His people. Instead, the nation gave all glory only to some individuals and made them the national heroes and idols. The whole population needed being humbled through the Yom Kippur War “before Him”. Yet, 50 years on, more than a third of the population still deny Him, and are only pursuing their own agenda, with some even following their religion of humanism.