Hashomer
Encyclopedia
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
founded out of Bar-Giora
Bar-Giora
Bar-Giora was a Jewish self-defense organization of the Second Aliyah, the precursor of Hashomer.- History :On September 28, 1907, a group of Poalei Zion members gathered at Yitzhak Ben-Zvi's unfurnished apartment in Jaffa apartment formed Bar-Giora, a Jewish self-defense organization named for...
in April 1909. It ceased to operate after the founding of the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
in 1920. The purpose of Hashomer was to provide guard services for Jewish settlements in the Yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
, freeing Jewish communities from dependence upon foreign consulates and Arab watchmen for their security. It was headed by a committee of three - 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 :...
, Israel Giladi, and 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....
.
History
Hashomer was originated by Socialist Zionists, mostly members of Poale ZionPoale Zion
Poale Zion was a Movement of Marxist Zionist Jewish workers circles founded in various cities of the Russian Empire about the turn of the century after the Bund rejected Zionism in 1901.-Formation and early years:Poale Zion parties and organisations were started across the Jewish diaspora in the...
, including 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 :...
, Manya Shochat
Manya Shochat
Manya Shochat , née Wilbushewich / Wilbuszewicz, was Russian Jewish politician and the "mother" of the collective settlement in Palestine, the forerunner of the kibbutz movement.-Russia and early days in Palestine:...
, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
and Ben-Zvi's wife Rachel Yanait, several of whom had earlier formed a small secret guard society called Bar-Giora
Bar-Giora
Bar-Giora was a Jewish self-defense organization of the Second Aliyah, the precursor of Hashomer.- History :On September 28, 1907, a group of Poalei Zion members gathered at Yitzhak Ben-Zvi's unfurnished apartment in Jaffa apartment formed Bar-Giora, a Jewish self-defense organization named for...
, which guarded the Sejera commune (now Ilaniya
Ilaniya
- Bibliography : * ed. Yuval Elazari - Map's Concise Gazetteer of Israel Today MAP - Mapping and Publishing, Tel Aviv, 2003...
) and Mes'ha (now Kfar Tavor
Kfar Tavor
-External links:*...
). Bar-Giora was founded by 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 :...
, Alexander Zeid and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
, among others. Whilst earlier settlers had undertaken to defend their lands and communities, Hashomer was the first attempt to provide an organized defence for all the Jewish communities in Palestine. A serious obstacle was the lack of funds with which to buy arms. On Yehoshua Hankin
Yehoshua Hankin
Yehoshua Hankin was a Zionist activist who was responsible for most of the major land purchases of the World Zionist Organization in Ottoman Palestine....
's advice, they asked Eliahu Krause, the manager at Sejera, to lend them the money. The first guns were bought, several of the members refusing to part from them even for a moment.
They adopted local dress, and many of the customs of the Bedouins, Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
and Circassians. They also drew inspiration from the history of the Cossacks. The first few 'Shomrim' (guards), worked on foot, but soon acquired horses, which vastly increased their effectiveness.
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....
laid down the rules of engagement.
You do not seek an encounter with the thief; you chase him off, and only when you have no choice do you shoot. After all, he is out to steal a bag of grain, not to murder you, so don't murder him, drive him off. Don't sleep at night. If you hear footsteps, fire into the distance. If you feel he is a few steps away and you can fire without him falling upon you, fire into the distance. Only if your life is in danger - fire.
Guns used were the same as the locals', which included the 'jift', a single, or double-barrelled shotgun, the 'yunani' and 'osmanli' single-shot muskets, various rifles and Mauser
Mauser C96
The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937...
pistols. Modern rifles, known as 'Abu-Hamsa' (father of five), were the most prestigious, and were prone to theft by the locals. The 'shibriyeh'http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1986M112.184 (Arab dagger) and 'nabut' (club or mace) were carried by all. Ammunition was expensive and hard to come by, so primitive production centers were set up.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
many of its members were exiled to Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
government because they were enemy (Russian) nationals. Several were hanged. When the Turks caught Yosef Lishanski of the Nili
Nili
Nili of Israel will not lie") was a Jewish espionage network which assisted the United Kingdom in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I.-Establishment:...
group, he told all he knew, implicating twelve members of Hashomer. The group nonetheless survived.
In 1920 it was decided to organize the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
, a much broader-based group, to cope with new defense challenges and needs of the growing Jewish community in Palestine. Many members of Hashomer joined the Jewish Legion
Jewish Legion
The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Army's 38th through 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers...
, while others joined the mounted police, and played a prominent part in the defense of Tel Hai
Tel Hai
Tel Hai is the modern name of a settlement in northern Israel, the site of an early battle in the Arab–Israeli conflict, and of a noted monument, tourist attraction, and a college...
and Jerusalem during the Arab riots in 1920 and 1921. In June 1920 HaShomer ceased to exist as a separate body. Its members, however, maintained contact and made an important contribution to the yishuv's defense.
In addition to their role as watchmen of the Jewish settlements in the country, members of HaShomer established a number of settlements of their own, including Tel Adashim
Tel Adashim
Tel Adashim is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Afula, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 744....
, Tel Hai
Tel Hai
Tel Hai is the modern name of a settlement in northern Israel, the site of an early battle in the Arab–Israeli conflict, and of a noted monument, tourist attraction, and a college...
, and Kfar Giladi
Kfar Giladi
-External links:* * Jewish Agency for Israel*...
.
Notable members
- Israel ShochatIsrael ShochatIsrael 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 :...
- One of the founders and leaders of the movement. - Manya ShochatManya ShochatManya Shochat , née Wilbushewich / Wilbuszewicz, was Russian Jewish politician and the "mother" of the collective settlement in Palestine, the forerunner of the kibbutz movement.-Russia and early days in Palestine:...
- The mother of collective settlement in Israel. - Yitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
- Second President of IsraelPresident of IsraelThe President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
as well as a founder. - Alexander ZaidAlexander ZaïdAlexander 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...
- A founder. - Mendel PortugaliMendel PortugaliMendel 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....
- A founder. - Israel Giladi - A founder.
- Yehezqel Nissanov - A founder.
- Eliyahu GolombEliyahu GolombEliyahu Golomb was the leader of the Jewish defense effort in Mandate Palestine and chief architect of the Haganah, the underground military organization for defense of the Yishuv between 1920 and 1948.-Early life:...
- One of the major Hagana leaders. - Haim Sturman - An active figure in the Hagana and the Jezreel ValleyJezreel Valley-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...
settlements. - Pinhas Sneerson - An active figure in "Gdudei HaAvoda" and the Hagana.
- Avraham Yosef Berl - The first fatality in the movement.
Sources
- The Jewish Agency for Israel
- "Anshei Hashomer Bechayehem Ubemotam" (Hashomer Members in Life and Death) Gershon Gera.