1948 vets meet present-day volunteers
Veteran foreign volunteers who fought in the War of Independence held a
stirring meeting Wednesday with present-day volunteers in the IDF.
Some 250 Mahal veterans gathered as they do every year in a pine forest
at the Sha'ar Hagai memorial for 119 of their comrades who fell 57 years
ago.
They shared sandwiches and swapped war stories as they do every year.
Some brought their children and grandchildren; others made the trip from
abroad.
The gathering has become the traditional day to recollect their deeds
and relive the adventure of leaving their families back in 1948 for Palestine
to fight for the independence of the Jewish nation.
All told, about 3,500 volunteers, Jews and non-Jews, came from 43 countries.
They became known as Mahal, which is the Hebrew acronym for Mitnadvei
Hutz La'aretz, volunteers from outside of Israel.
This year, they came face to face with some of the modern-day foreign
volunteers. For the first time, the IDF dispatched an honor guard for
the memorial service. And the army chose, of course, to send a dozen foreign
volunteers currently serving in the army.
Dressed in clean "Alef" uniforms of the Nahal Brigade, a dozen
young men obeyed the orders called out by Mahal veteran Col. (ret.) David
Teperson, 79, a towering man with a pistol in his belt who came from South
Africa as a Mahal fighter in 1948.
When they broke up after the ceremony the veterans eagerly sought them
out for photographs and stories. Some chatted in English, others in French.
While the volunteers of 1948 were mainly veterans of World War II or
had skills the nascent IDF needed, the volunteers today are young Jewish
men just out of high school with only their brawn and spirit to offer.
"I always wanted to join the Marines since I was a kid," said
Pvt. Avraham Bilgoray, 19, from Brooklyn. "I used to see films and
wanted to be a marine. I had already done the physical and signed papers.
Then a friend of mine told me about Mahal. He gave me a telephone number
to call. I called them up and they took care of everything, so here I
am," he said, slinging his M-16 assault rifle over his shoulder.
Today there are some 115 foreigners volunteering in the IDF. In contrast
to new immigrants who serve, these volunteers sign up for only 14 and
a half months. Nearly all are in combat units. A third are from English-speaking
countries, a third from France and a third from the rest of the Diaspora.
They do not receive citizenship, but are given temporary-resident status.
Ask Pvt. Joshua Gross from Houston, Texas, how long it he has been in
the country and he says without hesitation, "In 17 days it'll be
a year." But who's counting?
A silver Magen David dangling from his neck visible through his open
uniform, his participation in the honor guard is a welcome respite from
the drills of basic training, where he has been for the past six weeks.
Gross, 20, came on a birthright israel program and was enchanted with
the country.
He remained here, living with an aunt, and searched for a program. He
considered yeshiva or a kibbutz.
"I was restless and I couldn't just sit down and study Torah,"
he said. He looked into the eight-week Marva program in the IDF for tourists.
"It didn't seem like enough time. I then heard about Mahal and chose
that," he said.
He was sent to a three-month Hebrew ulpan course in the IDF and is six
weeks into his basic training.
"I want to be a sniper and will want to extend my time in the army,"
the Texan said.
South African Justin Melman said he volunteered for the IDF Mahal instead
of immigrating and serving three full years because of family obligations.
"My father told me that I had to return home to Johannesburg to
enroll in university," Melman said.
Not all knew Hebrew when they arrived, but found the IDF was the best
language school.
"I came here not knowing a word of Hebrew. The Israeli soldiers
have so much respect for us. They try to spread us out so we learn Hebrew,"
said Bilgoray.
The Mahal veterans of 1948 had a major impact on the fledgling IDF. Many
of them stayed on in Israel. The phenomenon of foreign volunteers waned,
only to be revived during the periodic wars. In 2000, the program was
revitalized to encourage the contribution from abroad. Avi Naor, the chairman
of Mahal 2000, said he gets scores of requests from non-Jews around the
world to volunteer for the Israeli army. But the IDF policy is only to
accept Jews out of the fear that it would otherwise appear mercenary.
Even though they are not citizens, present-day Mahal veterans are treated
as regular soldiers. They also have the same obligations and dilemmas.
"Most of us who come to do the army feel an obligation to Israel.
We don't have to do the army. I was accepted to NYU [New York University].
I want to go back and finish my college degree. In New York, everyone
goes to college when they are 18, but here I am doing 14 months of service
in the IDF," Bilgoray said.
He has served seven months, including basic combat and some advanced
training. His unit is headed for patrols near Bethlehem. Later he will
participate in the disengagement from Gush Katif.
"In August we are headed for Gush Katif, which is something I really
don't want to do. I feel very awkward. I came to Israel to help the Jews
and now I have to throw them out of their houses," he said. "Let's
hope it brings peace."
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