Bar-Giora
Encyclopedia
Bar-Giora was a Jewish self-defense organization of the Second Aliyah
, the precursor of Hashomer
.
's unfurnished apartment in Jaffa
apartment formed Bar-Giora, a Jewish self-defense organization named for Simon Bar Giora
, one of the leaders of the Jewish Revolt against the Romans
. The founding members were Israel Shochat
, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
, Mendel Portugali
, Israel Giladi, Alexander Zaid
, Yehezkel Hankin, Yehezkel Nissanov and Moshe Givoni.
The goal of the organization was settling the land and guarding it from Arab attackers. Previously, Arab guards had been hired for protection. Many Jews refused to employ members of Bar-
Giora fearing it would cause more friction with the local Arabs.
As a motto, Bar-Giora chose a line from Yaakov Cohen's poem, Habiryonim: "In fire and blood did Judea fall; in blood and fire Judea shall rise." This was one of the mottos of the Jewish defenders during the pogroms in the Russian Empire
. Members swore an oath of secrecy, discipline, selfless service, devotion to the cause and loyalty. All decisions had to be ratified by unanimous vote. All members were required to have least a year's experience in farming. Guarding was put off until the members of the organization had gained enough experience and knowledge of the land.
When Hashomer
was formed in 1909, Bar-Giora was absorbed into it.
Second Aliyah
The Second Aliyah was an important and highly influential aliyah that took place between 1904 and 1914, during which approximately 40,000 Jews immigrated into Ottoman Palestine, mostly from the Russian Empire, some from Yemen....
, the precursor of Hashomer
Hashomer
Hashomer was a Jewish defense organization in Palestine founded out of Bar-Giora in April 1909. It ceased to operate after the founding of the Haganah in 1920. The purpose of Hashomer was to provide guard services for Jewish settlements in the Yishuv, freeing Jewish communities from dependence...
.
History
On September 28, 1907, a group of Poalei Zion members gathered at Yitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
's unfurnished apartment in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
apartment formed Bar-Giora, a Jewish self-defense organization named for Simon Bar Giora
Simon Bar Giora
Simon bar Giora d. 70 CE, was a leader of revolutionary forces during the First Jewish-Roman War in the 1st century Judea.- History :...
, one of the leaders of the Jewish Revolt against the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The founding members were Israel Shochat
Israel Shochat
Israel Shochat was a founder of and a key figure in "Bar-Giora" and Hashomer, one of the precursors of the IDF. He was married to Manya Shochat.- Biography :...
, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
, Mendel Portugali
Mendel Portugali
Mendel Portugali was one of the leading figures in the Second Aliya and a founder of the Hashomer movement.- Biography :Mendel Portugali was born in 1888, in Călărași, Bessarabia, then part of the Russian Empire, actual Republic of Moldova....
, Israel Giladi, Alexander Zaid
Alexander Zaïd
Alexander Zaïd was one of the founders of the Jewish defense organizations Bar Giora and Hashomer, and a prominent figure of the Second Aliyah.-Biography:Zaïd was born in 1886 in Zima, a town in Irkutsk Oblast, Siberia...
, Yehezkel Hankin, Yehezkel Nissanov and Moshe Givoni.
The goal of the organization was settling the land and guarding it from Arab attackers. Previously, Arab guards had been hired for protection. Many Jews refused to employ members of Bar-
Giora fearing it would cause more friction with the local Arabs.
As a motto, Bar-Giora chose a line from Yaakov Cohen's poem, Habiryonim: "In fire and blood did Judea fall; in blood and fire Judea shall rise." This was one of the mottos of the Jewish defenders during the pogroms in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Members swore an oath of secrecy, discipline, selfless service, devotion to the cause and loyalty. All decisions had to be ratified by unanimous vote. All members were required to have least a year's experience in farming. Guarding was put off until the members of the organization had gained enough experience and knowledge of the land.
When Hashomer
Hashomer
Hashomer was a Jewish defense organization in Palestine founded out of Bar-Giora in April 1909. It ceased to operate after the founding of the Haganah in 1920. The purpose of Hashomer was to provide guard services for Jewish settlements in the Yishuv, freeing Jewish communities from dependence...
was formed in 1909, Bar-Giora was absorbed into it.