By Lloyd Levy
EILAT, Israel — I was privileged to witness for myself the arrival of the Klos-C, the Iranian arms ship, into Eilat port on Saturday, March 8. My wife and I happened to be staying in a hotel that had a panoramic view of the port and town, and although we were some distance away, it was a most remarkable and unforgettable experience.
Firstly the two returning Israeli warships went into the naval part of the dockyard. One was a corvette size vessel, and the other a large gunboat. Their crews were lined up on deck, on parade, and the Israeli flag was flying from the masts.
They were then followed by the ship carrying the Iranian supplied arms, which the Israelis had intercepted 1500 kilometres away. The Klos-C as the ship is called, was quite small, but in good condition, with a dark blue hull, and white bridge and superstructure. It docked in the commercial part of the port.
The weather that day had been glorious (unlike today which is torrential ), and the harbour had been absolutely full since the early hours with pleasure boats and wind surf boards. These had all been cleared out of the sea when the naval “armada” arrived.
However, a basic recounting of the story does not do the event justice. The ships’ arrival was full of symbolism. The Klos-C was docked exactly to the minute as Shabbat was “out.” Clearly this must have been deliberate. Maybe it was making a statement about this being a Jewish state now, with our own ways. Or maybe it was just an issue of the stevedores being able to set to work immediately on the ship’s arrival ?
Also this week itself could not be more significant, with Purim coming at the end of the week. How appropriate that Persia was our enemy even then, and on both occasions we survived their evil intent.
*
Lloyd Levy is a freelance writer and businessman who divides his time between London, England, and Eilat, Israel. He may be contacted via lloyd.levy@sdjewishworld.com
*
San Diego Jewish World seeks sponsorships to be placed, as this notice is, just below articles that appear on our site. This is an ideal opportunity for your corporate message or to personally remember a loved one’s contributions to our community. To inquire, call editor Donald H. Harrison at (619) 265-0808 or contact him via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com