54:
255:
245:
386:
345:
144:; moreover, the service experience became mundane and did not suit some servicemen, particularly pilots. In various circumstances they were invited, or heard of the Jewish state's struggle for independence and volunteered. In some cases those who enlisted had no prior military experience. There were Jews and
406:
The memorial, funded by the Jewish
American Society for Historic Preservation, and the American Veterans of Israel Legacy Corporation, was designed by noted Israeli artist Sam Philipe. The Memorial is a massive relief boulder symbolizing Mahal as one of the foundational rocks in the birth of Israel.
289:
did not proceed without difficulty. Occasional tensions surfaced due to the superior pay and service conditions demanded by and given to the volunteers over resident or native
Israeli soldiers, mainly in the air force; some of the volunteers were adventurers with little commitment to Zionism or to a
709:
About 70 percent of the IAF personnel were overseas volunteers who had been recruited in sixteen countries. They served as pilots, navigators, radio operators, air gunners, aerial photographers, and bomb-chuckers. Of the 607 air crew personnel, 414 were overseas volunteers, as were 168 of 193 former
415:
Overseas residents can serve in the IDF through various volunteer programs which are for young non-Israelis of Jewish background who are legal residents in Israel (and descendants of a Jewish grandparent) and overseas
Israelis who are younger than 24 (men), 21 (women), 36 (physicians). The programs
178:
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw approximately 3500 foreign volunteers from 58 countries among the Jewish forces, out of an estimated 29,677–108,300 total (it grew considerably in size due to increasing levels of militarisation). A total of 123 Mahalniks were killed in battle (119 men and 4 women).
407:
Mounted on the boulder are bronze sculpted symbols of branches of the Israel
Defense Forces that Mahal contributed to, Air Force, Army, and Navy. The new Mahal memorial, with its interpretive historical signage, is seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
277:
region in 1948, Mahal pilots airlifted thousands of tons of supplies to communities behind enemy lines, usually by night landings of large cargo planes and converted airliners on makeshift, unpaved sand runways, hand lit by oil lamps. The national
Israeli airline
393:
Over the years, changing road configurations made accessibility to the Sha'ar HaGai memorial obscure with a corresponding, significant, drop off in visitation. Contemporary awareness of the vital role of Mahal in the birth of Israel diminished. The
301:
groups which procured planes in the critical months of 1948–9. One important such activity in
Australia led to the export to Israel of six planes, despite the arms blockade enforced only against Israel amongst the combatants.
416:
consist typically of 18 months of IDF service, including extended training for those joining combat units or 1 month of non-combat training. All overseas volunteers serve in regular
Israeli military units.
398:
recognized the problem and the necessity for historical memory. December 2017, a new Mahal memorial was dedicated on Mahal street in
Jerusalem directly across from Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill Museum to the
259:
248:
1032:
320:
flight. They were attacked by a pair of
Israeli Air Force Spitfires, resulting in three of the British planes being shot down. The Israeli Spitfires were flown by Mahal volunteers
217:, an English-born Palestinian Jew who had commanded a unit in the British Army during World War II. In 1947, while on a lecture tour of the United States, he was requested by the
830:
1022:
395:
812:
944:
536:
355:
After the end of the war in 1949, the majority of the Mahal returned to their home countries. Some remained to live in Israel; the village of
1002:
266:
120:
Mahal was disbanded after the war and most of the volunteers went home, although some remained in the country as permanent residents.
885:
752:
722:
907:
Weiss, Amy (2020). "1948's
Forgotten Soldiers?: The Shifting Reception of American Volunteers in Israel's War of Independence".
651:
613:
53:
766:
956:
1017:
848:
586:
966:
673:
Of the roughly 600 soldiers serving as the aircrew of the newly formed IAF, over 400 were volunteers from overseas.
265:
Cargo flights flown by Mahal air crews transported weapons and supplies to Palestine from Europe, and thousands of
87:. Some 4,000 volunteers, mostly Jews but also non-Jews, arrived from all over the world. Mahal is an acronym of
17:
371:
said "the Mahal Forces were the Diaspora's most important contribution to the survival of the State of Israel."
1027:
290:
rigid, disciplined hierarchy. This culminated in the disbandment of the Air Transport Division, following an "
389:
Jerusalem Memorial to Machal, the Foreign Volunteers who helped found Israel during the War of Independence.
221:
to organize the recruitment of men with "know-how" who could help in defending the newly established state.
502:
976:
43:
133:
35:
556:""When are foreign volunteers useful? Israel's transnational soldiers in the war of 1948 re-examined""
294:" by its Mahal personnel over pay conditions. The division was re-established with Israeli personnel.
400:
84:
329:
325:
190:
422:
is another IDF volunteer program open to Jews and non-Jews which focuses on non-combat support.
172:
317:
286:
83:), refers to the group of overseas volunteers who fought alongside Israeli forces during the
313:
309:
202:
137:
254:
175:
as crews of ten clandestine Jewish refugee ships, out of sixty-six participating vessels.
140:. Allied armies were reduced considerably after the end of the war and many soldiers were
8:
643:
701:
926:
730:
579:
Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Concentration Camp
486:
187:
244:
930:
831:"Machal Memorial (Jerusalem) – 2021 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)"
647:
609:
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291:
230:
198:
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A few hours before the final cease-fire on 7 January 1949, a flight of four British
918:
467:
461:
449:
437:
368:
321:
234:
210:
922:
382:: "All those of valour shall pass armed among your brethren, and shall help them."
637:
603:
431:
375:
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298:
238:
76:
62:
967:
Spitfire vs Spitfire — Air Combat between the Israeli Air Force and the RAF
909:
770:
364:
214:
141:
996:
385:
379:
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675:
473:
455:
270:
206:
183:
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129:
961:
356:
27:
Foreign volunteers who fought for Israel during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
555:
378:
on the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On it is inscribed a verse from
344:
971:
233:(IAF), making up nearly two-thirds of its personnel, to the point that
160:
145:
997:
Guide to the Records of MACHAL (Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz) and Aliyah Bet
866:
791:
349:
153:
297:
Logistic support of the founding of the IAF was provided by various
443:
164:
886:"From the Old Maccabees to the New Maccabees 'A wrong made right'"
710:
World War II pilots serving in the IAF in the War of Independence.
171:
to Palestine, was assisted by 236 Machal former servicemen of the
635:
218:
149:
992:
Above and Beyond: The Birth of the Israeli Air Force Sample Reel
419:
168:
47:
1003:
Teddy Eitan (Thadée Diffre), non-Jewish volunteer from France
991:
950:
702:"Machal: Overseas volunteers in Israel's war of independence"
279:
274:
58:
39:
986:
163:", which attempted to evade the 1939 and 1948 British naval
981:
753:"ISRAEL (ATTACKED BRITISH AIRCRAFT) (Hansard, 11 May 1949)"
316:
based in Egypt) bypassed the southern Israeli border on an
194:
537:
Not home alone: Foreigners came to Israel's rescue in 1948
374:
A memorial honoring the Mahal volunteers was erected near
241:
as the most widely used operational IAF service language.
1033:
Organizations supporting immigration and travel to Israel
817:
www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org
601:
363:
was founded by Mahal veterans from North America and the
360:
999:
at the American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY
636:
Wellesley Aron; Helen Silman-Cheong (September 1992).
629:
605:
The war for Palestine: rewriting the history of 1948
201:). Marcus' wartime experience was vital in the 1948
792:"Modern Places in Israel with Biblical references"
767:"Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel"
324:(USA) and John McElroy (Canada). Both were former
205:. Other important Mahalniks were Canadian officer
396:Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation
1009:
699:
602:Eugene L. Rogan; Avi Shlaim (19 November 2007).
962:Books by and on Machal Pilots, Multimedia files
554:Arielli, N. (April 2014). Vandervort, B (ed.).
849:"Jerusalem monument to be dedicated to Machal"
595:
229:The largest presence of Mahal was felt in the
945:FOCUS on Israel: MACHAL – Overseas Volunteers
525:1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War
182:One of the most famous Machal volunteers was
813:"American Jewish History, markers, articles"
639:Wellesley Aron, rebel with a cause: a memoir
285:The integration of Mahal personnel into the
972:Mahal IDF Volunteers: Guide & Assistant
410:
339:
224:
608:. Cambridge University Press. p. 80.
576:
506:, a 2014 documentary film about the Mahal
282:was partially founded by Mahal veterans.
1023:Expatriate military units and formations
581:. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
425:
384:
343:
253:
243:
52:
883:
553:
14:
1010:
906:
159:The Ha'apala movement, also called "
34:, the identically pronounced
947:Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
884:Klinger, Jerry (January 28, 2018).
853:The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com
267:Jewish refugees from Arab countries
80:
24:
900:
25:
1044:
938:
148:, both ideological supporters of
877:
859:
841:
823:
805:
784:
759:
745:
57:French Mahal volunteers in the
715:
693:
667:
570:
546:
530:
517:
13:
1:
923:10.2979/israelstudies.25.1.07
769:. Aaci.org.il. Archived from
510:
117:, "volunteers from abroad").
676:"Israel's foreign defenders"
249:Mahal memorial (Shaar HaGai)
7:
957:Machal veterans association
560:Journal of Military History
480:
128:Many members of Mahal were
10:
1049:
193:who became Israel's first
123:
29:
403:during the Six Days War.
401:Battle of Ammunition Hill
88:
31:
577:Celinscak, Mark (2015).
411:Volunteer programs today
340:Legacy and commemoration
332:pilots, veterans of the
330:Royal Canadian Air Force
260:Mahal memorial in Israel
225:Aid to Israeli Air Force
30:Not to be confused with
890:blogs.timesofisrael.com
468:Milton "Milt" Rubenfeld
700:Mahal IDF Volunteers.
390:
367:. Then Prime Minister
352:
262:
251:
65:
1028:Israel Defense Forces
1018:1948 Arab–Israeli War
951:Machal and Aliyah Bet
426:Notable Mahal members
388:
347:
318:aerial reconnaissance
287:Israel Defense Forces
257:
247:
85:1948 Arab–Israeli War
71:, more often spelled
56:
982:World Machal website
552:Nir Arielli (2014),
314:No. 208 Squadron RAF
203:Battle for Jerusalem
138:British Armed Forces
987:Garin Mahal website
733:on October 22, 2013
723:"Australian planes"
644:Vallentine Mitchell
855:. 9 December 2017.
727:The History of Now
391:
353:
326:US Army Air Forces
263:
252:
188:United States Army
169:Jewish immigration
66:
653:978-0-85303-245-8
615:978-0-521-69934-1
292:industrial action
231:Israeli Air Force
199:brigadier general
16:(Redirected from
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871:www.facebook.com
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729:. Archived from
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680:IDF Spokesperson
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521:
503:Above and Beyond
462:Tom Derek Bowden
450:Ralph Lowenstein
438:Chalmers Goodlin
369:David Ben-Gurion
334:Second World War
211:Milton Rubenfeld
101:
82:
33:
21:
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901:Further reading
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646:. p. 120.
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432:George Beurling
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342:
322:"Slick" Goodlin
312:(possibly from
258:Inscription on
227:
209:and U.S. pilot
126:
63:Operation Horev
51:
44:political party
36:election symbol
28:
23:
22:
18:Mahal volunteer
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953:Virtual museum
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939:External links
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910:Israel Studies
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365:United Kingdom
348:Mahal Street,
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226:
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215:Wellesley Aron
132:veterans from
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977:Machal Museum
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773:on 2014-08-08
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588:9781442615700
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566:(2): 703–724.
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543:June 15, 2012
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527:, 2008, p.85.
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474:Paul L. Smith
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273:siege of the
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271:Egyptian Army
269:. During the
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213:, and Major
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184:Mickey Marcus
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173:Allied navies
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795:. Retrieved
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771:the original
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735:. Retrieved
731:the original
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683:. Retrieved
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619:. Retrieved
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497:Garin Tzabar
492:Lone soldier
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376:Sha'ar HaGai
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167:restricting
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130:World War II
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867:"Avilegacy"
835:Tripadvisor
737:January 29,
659:12 November
621:12 November
380:Joshua 1:14
357:Kfar Daniel
186:, a Jewish
154:mercenaries
142:demobilised
1012:Categories
917:(1): 149.
777:2013-06-19
511:References
476:, American
470:, American
458:, American
452:, American
440:, American
434:, Canadian
161:Aliyah Bet
146:Christians
42:, a major
931:208689204
685:April 26,
464:, British
350:Jerusalem
310:Spitfires
237:overtook
107:itnadvei
102: (
481:See also
446:, French
444:Paul Kor
299:diaspora
165:blockade
797:May 20,
541:Haaretz
235:English
219:Haganah
191:colonel
150:Zionism
124:History
61:during
929:
650:
612:
585:
420:Sar-El
239:Hebrew
115:aAretz
92:תנדבי
77:Hebrew
73:Machal
48:Israel
927:S2CID
705:(PDF)
359:near
280:El Al
275:Negev
69:Mahal
59:Negev
40:Likud
799:2011
739:2013
687:2012
661:2011
648:ISBN
623:2011
610:ISBN
583:ISBN
328:and
195:aluf
152:and
136:and
111:utz
81:מח"ל
919:doi
361:Lod
307:RAF
100:ארץ
96:וץ
46:in
38:of
32:מחל
1014::
925:.
915:25
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197:(
113:L
109:H
105:M
98:ל
94:ח
90:מ
75:(
20:)
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