This here dude is a Machalnik. Not very many alive today. Mahal (Hebrew: מח”ל‎‎, sometimes transliterated “machal”) were both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who went to Israel to fight in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The War Of Independence. About 1,00...

by mordechai

This here dude is a Machalnik. Not very many alive today. Mahal (Hebrew: מח"ל‎‎, sometimes transliterated "machal") were both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who went to Israel to fight in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The War Of Independence. About 1,000 volunteers from all over the world came to fight on the Israeli side. Mahal made up a small fraction of the Israeli forces. Mahal was disbanded after the war, and most volunteers left Israel. The Hebrew term מח"ל is an acronym of מתנדבי חוץ לארץ (Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz), which means Volunteers from outside the Land [of Israel]. The volunteers were referred to as Machalniks (or Mahalniks). Although there were some 5 million jews living in the U.S. & Canada in '48, only a handful were involved in the war as combatants. Those who did serve are so unique that few American jews today have ever met one of the veterans. (it was extremely difficult for an american to serve, even if he/she wanted to. The U.S. wasn't the friend of Israel that it is today. and all passports that year were stamped 'NOT VALID FOR TRAVEL TO OR IN ANY FOREIGN STATE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENTERING OR SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES OF SUCH A STATE'. Americans were threatened with loss of citizenship if they served...it was ruled americans who served had their citizenship suspended during their service and could claim no rights if captured by the Arabs. most people recruited were veterans of WWII with greatly needed military skills