Machal: The Forgotten Heroes

Israel National News ^ | 07 May 2003 | Solly Ganor

[yonif]

Machal were the volunteers from around the world, many of whom gave their lives to defend this country in the War of Independence.

I received an invitation from World Machal to participate in the Yom Hazikaron service to honor the memory of our 119 fallen comrades. They came from all over the world to lay down their lives for the defense of Israel. They didn´t have to come, yet they did, and they died to allow us to live here as a free people in the state of Israel. Soon after World War II ended, many volunteers came to help in the Yishuv. Many worked on ships helping to smuggle in Jews from Europe, mostly Holocaust survivors.

After the British left on May 14, 1948, and the State of Israel was established, approximately 3,500 volunteers from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa and from many countries around the world, began arriving to help defend the fledgling state against the combined armies of the Arab countries. Most of the volunteers were veterans of World War II, with considerable combat experience. Some were high-ranking officers in various branches of the military; many of them experienced pilots who were sorely needed in the newly established Israel Defense Forces.

What is not appreciated enough by Israeli military historians and the public in general, is the fact that these experienced volunteers were in many fields crucial for the defense of this country. They participated on all fronts, and their experience and expertise were often decisive in winning the battles.

I am a Holocaust survivor and at the time when Israel became a sovereign state, I was serving with the US Army in Germany as an interpreter. I was supposed to immigrate with my father to Canada, but decided instead to volunteer to join the IDF. There were those who couldn´t understand why I would risk my life after four years of horrors in concentration camps: "You have done enough by just surviving, let others do the fighting."; " It is a lost cause anyway. Israel will not survive the onslaught of a hundred million Arabs. Why do you want to die now when you have survived the worst slaughter of our people?" they kept on saying.

I couldn´t give them a rational explanation. Perhaps it was an irrational decision. All I knew was that I had to go.

It wasn´t until I met the Machal volunteers on the way to Israel that I understood why.

After saying good-bye to my father and friends, I left for France. Members of the "Bricha", mostly ex-Palestinian soldiers of the Jewish Brigade, whom I met in Germany, directed me to a camp near Marseilles, by name of Saint Jerome. There, members of the Hagana were training volunteers for the Israeli army. I decided to wear my American Army uniform and had no problems crossing the border from Germany to France and continue by train to Marseilles. From there, it was a short distance to the camp. Upon arrival in Saint Jerome, because of my Canadian papers, I was assigned to a group of English-speaking volunteers. They came from all over the world - the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, and other English-speaking countries. They were mostly older than I and they received me in their midst with great warmth. They had many explanations of why they volunteered, but deep down all of us had the same feeling: "We had a need" to come and defend our ancient homeland. It was as if a call echoing through all the generations of Jews had come down to us from Mount Sinai. Most of us were not religious people, but I heard that sentiment expressed by many of the volunteers.

There was one of us who knew how to put it into words. He was our military instructor and taught us how to handle weapons. He was a tough-looking man with a rugged face. He was much older than the rest of us, with graying hair, and those who knew him called him Cappy. He was an American who served with the Marines during World War II. I never did find out his name, as he remained in the camp after we left for Israel. But before we embarked on the SS Pan York, he held a short speech, which I remember to this day:

"Those of us who fought in World War II and helped defeat the Nazis were there for an additional purpose. We were being prepared by destiny for the battle for Israel. After twenty centuries of Galut we have the unique privilege to participate in the historical event of the resurrection of our ancient homeland. There will be those of us who will have to make the ultimate sacrifice in the coming battle, but never in the history of the Jewish people was there a worthier cause to fight for. Good luck and G-d bless."

At the Yom HaZikaron service, when the names of our fallen comrades were read, I remembered Cappy´s speech, and thought of those who came from around the world to “make the ultimate sacrifice” for this country. We should never forget them.

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Solly Ganor, an Israeli author from Herzliya, has lectured extensively throughout Germany. He can be reached at solganor@netvision.net.il.

[Slings and Arrows]

Am Yisrael Chai!