Mahal (Israel)

Machal (Hebrew: מח"ל, an acronym for Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz (Hebrew: מתנדבי חוץ לארץ), lit. Volunteers from outside the Land [of Israel]) is a term used to describe both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who went to Israel to fight in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War including Aliyah Bet. About 4,000 volunteers from all over the world came to fight on the Israeli side.

Origins, numbers, and Aliyah Bet

Mahal Memorial in Israel

The Mahalniks were mostly World War II veterans from American and British armed forces. Allied armies were reduced considerably after the end of the war and many soldiers were demobilised; 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. There were Jews and Christians, both ideological supporters of Zionism and mercenaries.

The Ha'apala movement, also called "Aliyah Bet", which attempted to evade the 1939 and 1948 British Naval blockade restricting Jewish immigration to Palestine, was assisted by 236 Mahal former servicemen of the Allied Navies as crews of ten clandestine Jewish refugee ships, out of sixty-six participating vessels.

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw approximately 3,500 foreign volunteers from 43 countries among the Jewish forces, out of an estimated 29,677–108,300 total (its size grew considerably in later stages of the war owing to immigration into Palestine). A total of 119 Mahalniks were killed in battle.

One of the most senior Machal personnel was Mickey Marcus, a Jewish United States Army colonel who assisted Israeli forces during the war and became Israel's first Brigadier General. Marcus's wartime experience was vital in breaking the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem.

Israeli Air Force

list of fallen mahal soldiers in the independence war-in mahal memorial in Israel

The largest presence of Machal was felt in the Israeli Air Force (IAF), making up nearly a quarter of its personnel, to the point that English overtook Hebrew as the most common operational IAF service language.

A few hours before the final cease-fire on 7 January 1949, a flight of four British RAF Spitfires bypassed the southern Israeli border on a reconnaissance flight. They were attacked by a pair of Israeli Air Force Spitfires, resulting in three of the British planes shot down. The Israeli Spitfires were flown by Mahal volunteers "Slick" Goodlin (USA) and John McElroy (Canada). Both were former US Army Air Forces and Royal Canadian Air Force pilots, veterans of World War II.

Covert and overt cargo flights flown by Mahal air crews transported weapons and supplies to Palestine from Europe, and thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab countries. During the Egyptian Army siege on the Negev region in 1948, Machal 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 El Al was partially founded by Machal veterans.

Inscription in mahal memorial in Israel

The integration of Machal personnel into the Israel Defense Forces did not proceed without difficulty. Occasional tensions surfaced due to the superior pay and service conditions demanded by and given to the volunteers over native Israeli soldiers, mainly in the Air Force; some of the volunteers were adventurers with little commitment to Zionism or to a rigid, disciplined hierarchy. This culminated in the disbandment of the Air Transport Division, following "industrial action" by its Machal personnel over pay conditions. The division was re-established with Israeli personnel.

After the war

After the end of the war in 1949, the majority of the Machal returned to their home countries. Some remained to live in Israel; the village of Kfar Daniel near Lod was founded by Mahal veterans from North America and the UK.

Near the Sha'ar HaGai junction on the road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem the Machal memorial was erected, honouring the Machal soldiers together with a Bible verse from Joshua 1:14: "All those of valour shall pass armed among Your brethren, and shall help them."

Story of Ricki Hendreck, a South African pilot who volunteered to fight for Israel together with Phyllis, his wife and a nurse. Machalniks

Non-Israeli service with modern IDF

Overseas residents are able to serve with the modern IDF through various Mahal-IDF-Volunteers programs. These volunteer programs are for young non-Israeli Jews 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 consist typically of 14.5 months of IDF service (18 months, if IDF-Hebrew study program, or ulpan, is necessary) including extended training for those joining combat units or 1 month of non-combat training. All overseas volunteers serve in regular Israeli military units.

Bibliography

English language

• Aloni Shlomo. 101 Israel Air Force; First Fighter Squadron, Israel: IsraDecal Publications, 2007.
• Barber, Rowland. The Midnighters, New York: Crown Publishers, 1970.
• Bercuson, David Jay. The Secret Army, Toronto, Canada: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1983, and New York: Stein & Day, 1984.
• Burstein, Samuel. Rabbi with Wings, New York: Herzl Press, 1965.
• Cailingold, Asher. An Unlikely Heroine, London: Valentine Mitchell, 2000.
• Collins, Larry, and Lapierre Dominique. O Jerusalem, New York: Simon & Shuster, 1972.
• Cull, Brian with Nicolle, David & Aloni, Shlomo, Spitfires Over Israel, London: Grub Street, 1990-1994.
• Dahm, Evelyn M. Gutsy Guys and Rattletrap Planes that Helped Save a Nation, Lincoln: iUniverse Inc., 2005.
• Dunkelman, Ben. Dual Allegiance, Halifax, N.S.: Goodread Biographies, 1984.
• Fenton, D. Jason. Volunteers in the War of Independence, USA: D. Jason Fenton, 1995. (Also available as CDRom).
• Golan, Aviezer. The War of Independence, Tel Aviv: OT Press, 1974.
• Gorn, Lester H. The Anglo-Saxons, New York: Sagamore Press, 1958.
• Grauel, John. Grauel-Exodus, New Jersey: Ivory House, 1982.
• Greenspun, Hank. Where I Stand, New York: David McKay Co., 1966.
• Hadari Zeev with Tsahor Zeev, Voyage to Freedom: An Episode in the Illegal Immigration to Palestine, London UK, Totowa NJ: Vallentine, Mitchell, 1985.
• Heckelman, Joseph. American Volunteers and Israel’s War of Independence, New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1974.
• Hochstein, Joseph M./Greenfield, Murray S. The Jews Secret Fleet, Jerusalem: Gefen Publishers. New York: Hewlett, (Updated, 1999).
• Kaplansky, Eddy. The First Fliers: Israel Air Force Historical Branch, 1993.
• Katzew, Henry. South Africa’s 800: The Story of South African Volunteers in Israel’s War of Independence, Tel-Aviv: Telfed, 1997. 3rd edition 2003.
• Kurzman, Dan. Genesis 1948, New York: Da Capo Press, 1992.
• Levett, Gordon. Flying under Two Flags, An Ex-RAF Pilot in Israel’s War of Independence; London: Frank Cass & Co.Ltd., 1994.
• Levin, Aaron. Testament: At the Creation of the State of Israel. New York: Artisan, 1998.
• Lichtman, William. Between the Star and the Cross, 1st edition. New York: Citadel Press 1957.
• Livingston, Harold. The Coasts of the Earth, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1954.
• Livingston, Harold. Mission Impossible, USA: Stamford University Libraries, 1981, 1982.
• Livingston, Harold. No Trophy, No Sword, An American Volunteer in the Israel Air Force during the 1948 War of Independence. Chicago: Edition Q, 1994. Softcover edition: Destination Israel. Norwalk. Gates & Bridges, 1998.
• Lorch, Netanel. Israel’s War of Independence, 1947-1948, USA: Hartmore House Inc., 1961.
• Mardor, Munya M. Strictly Illegal, London: Robert Hale, 1957.
• Ondra, Winona Hollar, Lonesome & Coping: Pennsburg, Pennsylvania: Boyden Publishing, 1997.
• Patzert, Rudolph W. Running the Palestine Blockade: The Last Voyage of the Paducah, Shrewsbury: Airlife, 1994.
• Porath, Zipporah. Letters from Jerusalem 1947-1948, Jerusalem: Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel (AACI), 1987. 4th edition — Jonathan Publications, 2005.
• Sachs, Moshe B. Under Siege and After: Life in Jerusalem 1947-1949, Jerusalem: Dr. Moshe Sachs, 2006.
• Slater, Leonard. The Pledge, New York: Simon & Shuster, 1970.
• Spicehandler, Daniel. Let my Right Hand Wither, New York: The Beechcraft Press, 1950.
• Teperson, David. "The Volunteer", Israel: David Teperson, 1997.
• Weiss, Craig, and Jeffrey. I am My Brother’s Keeper: American Volunteers in Israel’s War of Independence 1947-1949. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1998.
• Weizman, Ezer. On Eagles’ Wings: the Personal Story of the Leading Commander of the Israeli Air Force, 1st American edition, New York: MacMillan, 1977.
• Yonay, Ehud. No Margin for Error: The Making of the Israel Air Force, 1st edition. New York: NY Pantheon Books, 1993.

Other than English

• Machal France. La guerre d’independence d’Israel 1948-1949, Temoignages de volontaires francais et francophones: Editions Machal, Juillet, 2006.
• Espersen, Søren, Israels Selvstændighedskrig – og de danske frivillige” (Israel’s War of Independence – and the Danish Volunteers), Hovedland, April 2007.

See also

• Foreign Legion
• Garin Tzabar
• George Beurling

External links

• FOCUS on Israel: MACHAL - Overseas Volunteers Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Machal and Aliyah Bet Virtual museum
• Machal veterans association
• Books by and on Machal Pilots, Multimedia files
• Spitfire vs Spitfire — Air Combat between the Israeli Air Force and the RAF
• Mahal IDF Volunteers: Guide & Assistant
• Machal Museum
• World Machal website