Volunteers from Abroad
During Israel's War of Independence, 1948-49, more than
4,800 volunteers, including 168 Christians, came from 59
countries to Israel's aid. Some had served as crew on the 10
American-purchased Aliyah Bet ships that brought so many
Holocaust survivors through the British naval blockade of
Palestine.
All risked not only their lives but often their citizenships in
their native countries.
The volunteers, known as "Machal," the Hebrew acronym
for "Volunteers from Outside Israel," were mostly veterans
of World War II. Their contributions not only aided the
the war effort, but served to train a new generation of native
Israelis in the mechanics and tactics of modern warfare.
As Israel declared Independence on May 14, 1948, Arab
leaders announced the coming war would be a momentous
massacre, a war of extinction of the Jewish People.
Machalniks brought knowledge of artillery, armor,
engineering, signal corps and medical corps services. They
formed 95% of the Air Force flight crews. Without American,
Canadian and South African volunteer pilots, Israel could
not have airlifted the desperately-needed weapons it
received from Czechoslovakia, nor could it have wrested
control of the skies over Israel from enemy forces.
"Machal"
Volunteers from Abroad
Mickey Marcus, a U.S. West Point
graduate, became the first person
to hold the rank of general in the
Israeli Army. He was killed while
commanding forces attempting
to rescue Jerusalem. A U.S. Naval
Academy graduate, Paul Shulman,
was named first commander of
the Navy.
123 Machalniks were killed during the War of Independence.
Machal's legacy is the enduring role they made in building
the foundation of the Israeli Defense Forces.
"You (Machal) came when we needed you
most, during those dark and uncertain days
in our War of Independence. You gave us
not only your experience, but your lives as
well. The People of Israel and the State of
Israel will never forget."
Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel
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