Day 84 of 599 of מלחמת העצמאות MILḤEMET HAʾAẒMAʾUT (War of Independence)

JTA's advance announcement scheduled the conference for 21–22 February at the Shoreham Hotel. Its subsequent account confirms a two-day weekend meeting. Those sources support the reconstructed opening on the twenty-first. AP's dispatch dated 22 February assigns the campaign launch to the second day.^{1 2 3}

The larger campaign sought$250 million, and an emergency appeal would seek$50 million over ten days. These were goals, not already deposited funds. The full launch study is UJA launched its $250 million campaign.. Keeping the opening and launch separate prevents the date of an advance notice from becoming the date of the fundraising action itself.

Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech Jones wrote to the UN commission's chairman on 21 February enclosing a financial statement intended for release the following day. It announced blocking most sterling balances and ending the territory's sterling-area membership effective 22 February.⁴

The accompanying policy left£7 million available for immediate needs and continued the currency board pending new arrangements. This was a restriction on access and control, not proof that every reserve had vanished. The full policy event is The English Empire blocked sterling balances of ארץ ישראל EREẒ YISRAʾEL..

The voluntary appeal and the imperial restriction operated on different funds. They should not be combined into a balance sheet of gains and losses. Together they show that preparing sovereignty required both mobilizing resources among יהודים YEHUDIM abroad and securing access to reserves controlled through the Mandatory financial system. Neither effort alone guaranteed that food, transport or defense could be financed when needed.

This is Day 84 of the 599-day civil-date series: 1948-02-21. Its daytime portion maps to י״א באדר א׳ ה׳תש״ח 11th 𝑜𝑓 Adar I, AM 5708. After local sunset, the Hebrew date changes to י״ב באדר א׳ ה׳תש״ח 12th 𝑜𝑓 Adar I, AM 5708. This calendar convention does not prove that every reported act occurred in daylight.

The conference opening is reconstructed from its 21–22 February schedule and subsequent two-day account. Its launch is explicitly 22 February. The financial communication is dated 21 February, effective 22 February and circulated 24 February. Precise local hours are not supplied. ⁵

• What does the dated evidence establish, and what remains uncertain?
• How did this event affect the safety, institutions or sovereignty of יהודים YEHUDIM?