oct 2, 1938 - Tiberias massacre

Description:

On October 2, 1938, during the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine, a tragic event unfolded in the Tiberias Jewish neighborhood of Kiryat Shmuel, where 19 Jews, including 11 children, were brutally massacred by 70 armed Arab rioters. The assailants infiltrated the neighborhood, which was lightly guarded by only 15 Jewish guards among over 2,000 residents, set fire to homes and the local synagogue, and executed a rampage of stabbing, resulting in the deaths of most victims by this method.

The violence extended to the least expected areas, including the unguarded coastline of the Sea of Galilee, indicating the strategic planning behind the attack. Among the victims was a family of five and the synagogue's old beadle, who were killed in their home and the synagogue respectively. The severity and organized nature of this massacre were noted by a British mandate representative, highlighting its systematic execution.

In response to the massacre, the Zionist paramilitary organization Irgun suggested a joint retaliatory operation with the Haganah, though the latter declined the proposal. Subsequent to the massacre, on October 27, 1938, the Jewish mayor of Tiberias, Zaki Alhadif, was also murdered by local Arabs, further escalating the tensions.

Following these events, the Haganah conducted an investigation led by Yosef Avidar, a future general in the Israel Defense Forces, to understand and address the failures in defending the city. This massacre is one of the numerous violent episodes during the Arab revolt, reflecting the intense communal conflicts of the period under the British Mandate.

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