Davidka Square

[1][2] It features a small memorial to the Davidka, a homemade Israeli mortar used in the defense of Jerusalem and other cities during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

In the early stages of the War of Independence, the Israeli army had no artillery other than a primitive, homemade mortar that was not accurate but that made a thunderous explosion.

[2][5][6] Mistaking the Davidka's explosion for an atomic bomb, the Arabs abandoned the northern town of Safed.

[4] The Israeli army used the Davidka exclusively until July 1948, when it was able to acquire conventional artillery such as mountain howitzers, cannons and field guns.

[2][5] Two small, rounded projections on one side of the memorial and one larger protection on the other evoke the shape of the cap worn by Palmach soldiers.

Another Davidka memorial stands a few meters south of Safed's Town Hall, opposite the old British police station.

Davidka Square at night, looking toward the back of the Davidka memorial and Jaffa Road.
The memorial in 2011.
Partial view of Davidka Square at night, with the Davidka memorial at center and vertically-lit stone columns fronting the shopping arcade.