| 1938 Tiberias pogrom | |
|---|---|
Memorial and graves of victims in Tiberias' old cemetery |
|
| Location | Tiberias |
| Date | October 2, 1938 |
| Target | Jewish Kiryat Shmuel neighbourhood |
| Weapon(s) | Stabbing, Arson |
| Deaths | 19, 11 of whom were children |
| Defender(s) | 15 Jewish guards |
The Tiberias pogrom took place on October 2, 1938 during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, in the city of Tiberias. Tiberias was then located in the British Mandate of Palestine and today is located in the State of Israel.
After infiltrating the Jewish Kiryat Shmuel neighbourhood, Arab rioters killed 19 Jews in Tiberias, 11 of whom were children.[1] During the massacre, 70 armed Arabs set fire to Jewish homes and the local synagogue. In one house a mother and her five children were killed. The old beadle in the synagogue was stabbed to death, and another family of 4 was killed. At the time of the attack there were only 15 Jewish guards in the neighborhood of over 2,000 people. The coast of lake Kinneret remained unguarded, for it was the least expected direction for an attack. 2 Jewish guards were killed in the attack.[2]
A representative of the British mandate reported that: "It was systematically organized and savagely executed. Of the nineteen Jews killed, including women and children, all save four were stabbed to death. That night and the following day the troops engaged the raiding gangs".[3]
After the massacre, the Irgun wanted to make a joint retaliatory operation with Haganah to deter such events, but Haganah did not agree.[4] Shortly later Tiberian Arabs murdered the Jewish mayor, Isaac Zaki Alhadif, on October 27.[5] The Hagganah sent a party to investigate failing defense in the city, led by Yosef Avidar, a Hagganah leader later to become a Aluf in the IDF.