Hashomer

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Hashomer (Hebrew) (השומר) ("The Guard") was a Jewish defense organization in Palestine founded in 1909. It ceased to operate after founding of the Haganah in 1920. The purpose of the Hashomer was to provide guard services for Jewish settlements in the Yishuv and particularly kibbutzim, freeing Jewish communities from dependence upon foreign consulates and Arab watchmen for their security.

Hashomer was originated by Socialist Zionists, mostly members of Poalei Tziyon, including Israel Shochat, Manya Shochat, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Ben-Zvi's wife Rachel Yanaait, who had earlier formed a small secret guard society called Bar Giora, which guarded only the Sejera commune (now Illania) and Mes'ha (now Kfar Tavor). Bar Giora had been founded by Alexander Zeid and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi among others.Other significant founders were Alexander Zeid, and Yisrael Schochat, Yisrael Galili, and Yisrael Giladi.

Hashomer was successful in providing defense for settlements throughout the country; it aroused the ire of Arab watchmen who lost their jobs and of pilferers, and antagonized the Arab population by retaliatory raids. During World War I many of its members were exiled by the Ottoman government because they were enemy (Russian) nationals. When the Turks caught Yosef Lishanski of the Nili group he told all he knew, implicating twelve members of Hashomer. The group nonetheless survived.

In 1920 it was decided to organize the Haganah, a much broader-based group, to cope with new defense challenges and needs of the growing community in the new British Mandate of Palestine that had been established after the war.

In addition to their role as watchmen of the Jewish settlements in the country, members of HaShomer established a number of settlements of their own, including Tel Adashim, Tel Hai, and Kfar Giladi.

The motto of Hashomer was "In blood and fire, Judea fell; in blood and fire will Judea rise."