Bidspirit auction | Hashomer: The First Jewish Guard

Hashomer: The First Jewish Guard in Eretz Israel - Early Publication in the United States about the Hebrew ”Hashomer” Organization. New York - 1939 - Hashomer: The First Jewish Watch in Palestine ”Hashomer: The First Jewish Watch in Eretz Israel” - an early publication about the Hebrew ”Hashomer” organization in Eretz Israel, by Lotta Levensohn, published by ”Vaad Bitachon”, which operated on Fifth Avenue in New York at the height of the Great Arab Revolt - 1939 - first edition. Rare. An early publication surveying, in real time, the history of the first Jewish defense organization established in Eretz Israel - ”Hashomer”. The ”Hashomer” organization was founded in 1909 (as a continuation of the ”Bar Giora” organization) with the aim of realizing the concept of the ”conquest of guarding”. Its members aspired to transfer responsibility for the security of the Jewish colonies into Jewish hands, while forging the image of the ”new Jew”, capable of courageously defending himself and confronting threats on his own. The year 1939, in which the book was written, was a critical year - the height of the Great Arab Revolt (1936–1939), the publication of the Passfield/Malcolm MacDonald ”White Paper”, and the outbreak of World War II. The booklet recounts the story of the ”Hashomer” organization (and, before it, ”Bar Giora”), and presents the heroic deeds of members of the Second Aliyah in the Galilee and Samaria. The author directly links the historical legacy of ”Hashomer” with the security and settlement policing apparatus that operated during those years under the leadership of the Histadrut and the ”Haganah”. Among other things, she describes the organization's earliest days, at the secret meeting (”in absolute secrecy”) where the idea was raised of establishing a Jewish guard force in order to eliminate dependence on Arab guards. At this meeting, the ”Bar Giora” organization was established, named after Shimon Bar Giora, and its famous motto was adopted: ”In blood and fire Judea fell, in blood and fire Judea shall rise.” The booklet details how, on the last day of Passover in 1909, in Mes'ha (Kfar Tavor), the establishment of the ”Hashomer” organization was decided upon. The booklet cites the organization's regulations, which defined it as a guild of Jewish guards requiring physical fitness, a willingness to place duty above every personal concern, and six months of practical guarding experience. It also mentions the first ”triumvirate” leadership: Israel Giladi, Mendel Portugali, and Israel Shochat. Throughout the booklet are dramatic accounts documenting security incidents in which the ”Hashomrim” confronted Arab enemies and Bedouins face to face, including the story of Yigal (Shochat/Paikovitch) at Merhavia, the struggle over his mare, and the confrontation with an Arab ambush in the fields, alongside a description of the settlement's internal organization during an alarm and calls for blood vengeance. Also described are the internal difficulties and struggles within Tel Adashim, and the split that led Giladi's group to the Galilee (the establishment of Kfar Giladi). The booklet is accompanied by historical photographs of members of the ”Hashomer” organization, including: Jewish guards in the Galilee - a 1939 photograph of a unit of Jewish policemen/guards in the Jezreel Valley. A photograph of Jewish policemen conducting a search in the mountainous region in the north. American settlers on their way to settle at Ein Hashofet in the valley, and more. The author, Lotta Levensohn, was an American-Israeli journalist, translator, and Zionist activist who was closely associated with the circles of the Histadrut, Hadassah, and the Labor Movement, and published numerous works in English intended for a Jewish-American audience, with the aim of bringing it closer to the Zionist enterprise. Rare. Only three records in the WorldCat global library catalog. 70 [2] pages. Wear to the cover. Good condition.