HaSchomer
HaSchomer ( הַשּׁוֹמֵר ha-Šōmer , German 'the guardian' ) was a military organization of the Jews in Palestine during the time of the Ottoman rule . It existed from 1909 to 1920 and was active as an underground organization from 1914 . HaSchomer was a predecessor organization of the Hagana .
history
The group was founded on April 17, 1909 at the Seder in Kfar Tavor by pioneers of the second Aliyah , who had already formed a ten-member underground organization in Jaffa called Bar Giora in 1907 , which was responsible for the guarding of Sejera (Ilaniya) and Mesha (Kfar Tavor) in Galilee was responsible. The aim of the group was to replace the Bedouin and Circassian guards who guarded Jewish settlements at the beginning of the 20th century with Jewish guards. The founding members included Jitzhak Ben Zwi (later President of Israel), Alexander Zaïd , Israel Shochat and Israel Giladi, namesake of the kibbutz Kfar Giladi, which was founded in 1916 .
HaSchomer was a very disciplined, strictly hierarchical organization. Her motto was "Judea fell in blood and fire; it will rise again in blood and fire." . In 1914 the organization had about 40 members, with 50-60 additional candidates applying for membership. The candidates had to pass a one-year probationary period and be accepted by a two-thirds majority at the annual general assembly. The members spoke Arabic, wore a mixture of Arabic and Circassian clothing, and were armed with modern weapons.
The members of HaSchomer managed to gain a foothold in seven villages within three years, including Hadera , Rechovot and Rishon LeZion .
When the First World War broke out , HaSchomer decided to go underground. Manja and Israel Shochat were deported to the Anatolian city of Bursa by the Turkish authorities in 1915 . Internal divisions added to these difficulties. HaSchomer fought the espionage activities of the Nili group and decided to execute Joseph Lischansky. Lischansky (1890-1917) had performed guard services for HaSchomer, but had not been accepted as a member. As a member of NILI, he escaped the stalking of HaSchomer, was captured by the Turkish authorities, disclosed his knowledge of HaSchomer to them and was executed by hanging in Damascus . During this time, some members of the HaSchomer joined the Jewish Legion . Others worked as mounted policemen and participated in the defense of Tel Chai and Jerusalem .
After the British occupation of Palestine and the establishment of the British mandate , the leaders of the yishuv concluded that there was a need to build a larger self-defense organization. On June 15, 1920, HaSchomer was dissolved. However, the members continued to maintain contact with one another, many of whom later worked in the Hagana .
See also (name similarity)
- Hashomer Hatzair (הַשּׁוֹמֵר הַצָּעִיר ha-Šōmer ha-Zaʿīr , German 'the young guardian' ), later a scout and kibbutz organization; Name in the initial phase also only "Haschomer" (since 1913/14)
literature
- Encyclopedia Judaica , Volume 7, pp. 1370-1372.
Individual evidence
- ^ Mordecai Naor: Eretz Israel: das 20. Jahrhundert, Könemann, Cologne, 1998, ISBN 3-89508-594-4 , p. 43.