Machal
Machal ( Hebrew מח״ל, Acronym of the Hebrew words Mitnadvei Chutz LaAretz , Hebrew מתנדבי חוץ לארץ, in German: volunteers from outside the country ) is the voluntary military service in the Israel Defense Forces , which is now open to Jewish men and women who are not citizens of the State of Israel . Depending on the language skills, the service lasts 14 or 18 months, the upper age limit for women is 21 and for men 24 years. Doctors can volunteer up to the age of 36.
During the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, many non-Jewish people also served in the Israel Defense Forces. In 1948 there were around 4,000 volunteers, 119 of whom died, including the first Israeli general David Marcus . In their honor, the State of Israel erected a monument in Jitzchak Rabin Park in 1993 , on which all names and nations are noted.
Even today, men and women of non-Jewish faith can voluntarily serve without a weapon in the Sar-El program.
literature
- Anonymous: La guerre d'independance d'Israël 1848–1949. Témoignages de volontaires français et francophones . 3. Edition. Machel France, Paris 2007. ISBN 978-2-9526704-1-8 .
- Vard Yoren: AL. The Israel Prometheus . Atlantic Publ., Ocala, Fl. 2018, ISBN 978-1-62023-525-6 .
Movies
- Nancy Spielberg, Roberta Grossman: Above and beyond. The birth of the Israeli Air Force . USA 2015 (85 minutes)
