Eighteen letters from the soldier Bezalel Zadikov to Bilha Lifshitz, correspondence starting in June 1947 and ending in June 1948.
Bezalel served at the time in the 9th regiment of the Negev Division and notes in each letter his position: Ramat Yochanan, Nir Am, Negev, Tze'elim, on the train between Gaza and the Egyptian border, Ruchama, Halutza and in the field. Reading the letters allows a first-hand view of historic developments during the transition period between fighting with the Palmach forces to the establishment of IDF: "We are in the midst of the Arab region which is one of the few water supply sources…we hear non-stop shooting but so far our well has not been hit.." On the other hand, this is also an exchange of letters between a soldier in the battlefield and his loved one in Tel-Aviv. "I am waiting every day for your letter…I miss you and I love you…"
Bezalel Zadikov, later – Amir (1925-1989), was born in Egypt and came to Eretz Israel in 1930. Joined the Palmach and was recruited when the Independence War started to the 9th regiment of the Negev Division. Later on he was moved to the division headquarters, switched to the armored corpses and was appointed as chief of Combat Doctrine Branch, General Staff. In his last position in the IDF he served as the Chief Education Officer.
Attached are 44 photos of Bilha Lifshitz and her friends in various sites in Israel (Sde Nahum, Sdot Ya'akov and Binyamina). Size varies, good condition.