Caught On Guard

“We were completely caught off guard” Zion Siton remembers sitting in his tidy tastefully decorated Jerusalem apartment. He is dapper impeccably dressed. But his lips clench cigarettes one after another as he talks about those days that changed his life forever. “We were taken by such surprise. No one ever dreamed that anyone would start up with Israel after the awe and might the world saw during the Six Day War. It’s exactly what the Torah says — ‘kochi v’otzem yadi’ — that was the deadly mistake the army made.”

That mistake would cost many many lives. Before the IDF even had an inkling of what was going on Egyptian commandos had silently drilled their way into Israeli territory and marauding warplanes droned overhead. Syria was advancing from the Golan Heights. The element of surprise combined with Israel’s utter lack of preparedness would spell terrible death and destruction. Shocked paralyzed and weak Israel quickly succumbed to enemy forces. The men in the watchtower overlooking the Egyptian border would be reminded of the poignant liturgy they had missed that year. “Who by water and who by fire … Who will live and who will die …” After three days of being shelled by the Egyptians their end had come.

“Monday afternoon the third day of the war we saw an Egyptian tank approach our pillbox. Someone yelled at us to scatter and get into position but at that moment one of our men was killed and another one was wounded. The air outside was dense and foggy with gunpowder. The Egyptians were coming closer and closer. There was no way for Israeli forces to come and rescue us. We thought we were going to die.” Zion looks away.

“I’m an only son — an only child. All I could think about in those moments was how my parents would feel when they got the news that I was killed. My entire life flashed before my eyes from my earliest memories until that very moment. Our chances of survival were almost nil. The Egyptian army was working like clockwork; ours was one big balagan. We were totally powerless.”