2025-06-22 14:33 <br/> Tags: #EarlyZionism #people #Intel #Yishuv ![[image-26.png|270x355]] # Israel Shochat (1886-1962) - Russian Jew and early radical militant Zionist in Palestine. - Founder of [[Bar-Giora]], the earliest precursor to the Mossad and IDF. - Shochat arrived in Palestine in 1904 and soon connected with [[Alexander Zaid]]. - Shochat recruited a young [[David Ben-Gurion]] to his Marxist political conference. - [[Yitzhak Ben-Zvi]] joined the fray in 1907 and accompanied Shochat to the 1907 World Zionist Congress in The Hague. - At this time Shochat's inner circle met in secrecy to form the [[Bar-Giora]]. - The Bar Giora defended Jewish settlements and farms with armed guards. - In 1909 the Bar Giora remade itself as the equally secret [[Hashomer]]. Shochat was still leading the group. - Shochat joined Ben Gurion's political party the Ahdut HaAvoda which replaced the Hashomer with the [[Haganah]], a more official and well funded paramilitary wing of the [[Histadrut]] (socialist workers union). - Shochat's wife spent time in the United States collecting money from American Jews to send to the Haganah. ## Recommended Reading - Rise and Kill First - Ronen Bergman #### References - **“Israel Shochat,”** _Wikipedia_, last modified **14 July 2025**, 02:03 UTC, accessed **June 22 2025**, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Shochat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Shochat). - **"Israel Shochat (1886–1962), Founder / Leader of Bar-Giora & Hashomer 1920 ALS,"** _BidSquare_ (Early American History Auctions), auctioned March 20, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2025. [https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/early-american-history-auctions/israel-shochat-1886-1962-founder-leader-of-bar-giora-hashomer-1920-als-2132070](https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/early-american-history-auctions/israel-shochat-1886-1962-founder-leader-of-bar-giora-hashomer-1920-als-2132070).