Thank you, Hagana
Without Haganah, today we would not be living in our own country, Israel, and Jews around the world would not be celebrating the fact that they know that their homeland will help them in times of need. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.
On Monday night, April 10, 1948, Haganah ran the entire 24 km solidly. A mountain road heading east from Bab el-Wad (present-day Shaar Haggai) to Jerusalem. The two-day battle culminated with the Haganah occupying land overlooking eight kilometers. Valley. Their forces fanned out around the valley in pursuit of the Arabs who fought them.
Haganah means “defense” in Hebrew. It was the main Zionist paramilitary organization founded in 1920 and operated for the Yishuv during the British Mandate. Its original purpose was to protect Jewish settlements from Arab attacks.
Until the end of World War II, Haganah activity remained moderate. At that point, the more radical forces, the Irgun and Stern Group, broke away from it. The Haganah received covert military support from Poland. Jewish youth mobilized for Haganah training, April 4, 1948. (Credit: WIKIPEDIA COMMONS)
At the end of World War II, Britain refused to lift restrictions on Jewish immigration that it had imposed under the 1939 White Paper. As a result, the Haganah led a Jewish revolt against the British in Palestine. They bombed bridges and railroads, as well as ships used to deport illegal Jewish immigrants.
After the adoption of the United Nations Plan for the Partition of Palestine in 1947, the Haganah rose to prominence as the largest Jewish fighting force, and successfully defeated Arab militias in the 1948 Palestinian Civil War.
Shortly after the start of the War of Independence in 1948, the Haganah merged with other militias and reorganized into the official armed forces of the State of Israel. The evolution went from Hashomer (The Watchmen) to the Haganah and finally to his IDF today.
The first head of the Haganah was 28-year-old Josef Hecht, a veteran of the Jewish Legion. Poland supported a Jewish state in Palestine to facilitate the mass emigration of Jews from the Palestinian territories. They also provided military training to the Haganah and sent much military supplies. Of course, Britain put a lot of pressure on Poland to stop shipping.
We owe a great debt to the brave members of the Haganah. So, on Independence Day, let’s sing them with gusto.
The author is the author of 14 books. dwaysman@gmail.com
