Bar Giora
Bar-Giora (Hebrew: בַּר גִּיּוֹרָא) was a Jewish clandestine organization of the Second Aliya, precursor of Hashomer. History
On September 28, 1907 a group of activists from Poalei Zion met in the small apartment of Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in Yafo. When there were no furniture, the men sat on the floor in a circle and used a drawer as a desk. Inspired by the ideas of Israel Shojat, it was agreed that the only way to fulfill the dream of becoming a Jewish nation was to rise up and assert itself through cultivating and defending their land themselves. The state of affairs in the early years of the twentieth century in the Ottoman Empire was such that Jewish farmers employed Arabs to work their farms and protect them, and in turn were subject to tenants. There was much discontent and disillusionment.
The group decided to form an organization to achieve its objectives. He was called Bar Giora by one of the leaders of the first Judeo-Roman war against the Romans. As a motto they opted for a line from Yaakov Cohen's poem, "Habiryonim": "To Judea blood and fire fell, with blood and fire Judea will rise again." This was one of the slogans of the Jewish defenders during the pogroms in the Russian Empire. Israel Shojat was elected leader. Members swore in secrecy, discipline, selfless service, devotion to cause, and loyalty. All decisions had to be ratified by unanimous vote. Ben-Zvi's role was to promote the cause and increase support for it.
Each member should have had at least one year of agricultural experience. Taking over custody of the region was postponed until the members of the organization had acquired sufficient experience and knowledge of the territory. They decided to operate in the Galilee and most of them were part of a commune in Sejera. Next, the agricultural holdings in Sejera and Masahe were monitored.
When Hashomer was created in 1909, Bar Giora was absorbed by it.
The founding members were Israel Shojat, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Mendel Portugali, Israel Giladi, Alexander Zaid, Yehzkel Hankin, Yehezkel Nissanov and Moshe Givoni. Sources
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