Israelis will observe the holiday of Yom Kippur on Sunday evening and Monday in the shadow of the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, when Egypt and Syria attacked on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
The surprise attack, which shocked Israeli intelligence, nearly overran the defenses of the Jewish state. Egyptian troops rowed across the Suez Canal and blasted holes in sand embankments using high-pressure water hoses. Using guided Sagger missiles, Egyptian infantry knocked out hundreds of Israeli tanks, and surrounded Israeli forts along the canal. Meanwhile, Syrian tanks advanced across the Golan Heights, armed with night vision and superior guns.
On both fronts, the Israeli Air Force was neutralized by Soviet-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries, which knocked fighter jets out of the sky and allowed Egyptian and Syrian ground forces to advance almost at will.
The Israeli government of Golda Meir only learned of the imminent attack hours before it began — at a time when Israelis were praying in synagogues. The army had not been mobilized, and the front had been left in the hands of outgunned units — many of which would fight valiantly, nonetheless, to hold the line. Meir decided not to launch a preemptive strike, gambling that the U.S. would be more likely to resupply Israel if it were seen as the victim.
Israel only began turning the tide of battle after several days, thanks largely to battlefield innovations. Tank drivers learned to move erratically, to kick up sand that would confuse the Saggers. And General Ariel Sharon launched a daring raid, crossing the Suez Canal behind Egyptian lines to encircle the invaders. Egypt had also made a crucial mistake by sending reserve armored units into a new attack, beyond the SAM umbrella, where they were destroyed.
Israeli armored units began advancing toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, until they were ordered to stop — thanks to pressure from U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who worried the Soviets would enter the war.
The war ended with Israeli victory, but at a terrible cost: nearly 2,700 soldiers were killed. Israel’s self-confidence, the legacy of the lightning victory in the Six Day War of 1967, was also permanently damaged.
But there were also positive outcomes — notably, the beginning of talks with Egypt, which resulted in the Camp David Accords of 1978, the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab state, which paved the way for subsequent peace agreements.
Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, involves fasting from sundown until nightfall the following evening. Jews attend synagogue to pray for forgiveness for the past year’s sins, and good fortune in the new year.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.