From Fighters To Soldiers: How the Israeli Defense Forces Began

by Yaacov N. Goldstein

The idea of armed self-defense was never foreign to the Jews throughout their long years of exile in the diaspora, but in conditions of discrimination and persecution engaging in self-defense, fierce and courageous as it may have been, was no different from the supreme form of religious protest, namely martyrdom. Drawing on the roots of 19th century nationalism, mixed with religious messianic hopes, there gradually took hold the idea that some kind of military force was necessary in order to promote ideas of a return to the homeland and the Jewish national concept. The story of Bar Giora and Hashommer is one of the most enthralling subjects in Jewish history. the manifestation of the new Jew, who met force with force, was jealous of his honor, and defended the Jewish interest with weapon in hand, well suited the Zionist and Yishuv ethos. The founders of Bar Giora were a group of youngsters from Czarist Russia who dedicated themselves to providing security for the Jewish settlers.
Their dream was to

302 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998