Joseph – that’s right, dismiss anything that doesn’t agree with your view as not true. It’s not from some “Zionist book” – it’s a widely-quoted story that is cited by many non-Zionist sources as well (I googled it and found multiple sources immediately). I also found the following re: Rav Chaim Shmulevitz ZT”L of Mir:
“At the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, when throughout the country the alarm was sounded at the height of the day, yeshiva students gathered at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem shelter to hear words of encouragement. The Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l first began addressing the fighting in the front: ‘The soldiers,’ he said, ‘who risk their lives for our rescue at this time – the entire world cannot stand in their midst. Our obligation is to pray about and for them has no bounds. If for a person who opened the door of his house before his friend Chazal have said that he owes him his life, let alone those who give up their lives, we must thank him without limit.’ ”
So, to the original question – can you please enlighten us as to why in your Gadlus you disagree with Rav Shlomo Zalman, ZT”L? For that matter – with Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, ZT”L too? I’m sure you must have a good reason to disagree with the Gedolim, oh Wise One of the YWN Coffee Room.
Also – you are ignoring the answer I gave as to why this particular day was chosen – it is the Yahrtzeit of a large group of Jews who were massacred by Arabs because they were Jews.
an Israeli Yid