Recognition, Immigration and Divergent Expectations: The Reception of Foreign Volunteers in Israel during and after the Wars of 1948 and 1967

Abstract

Recognition, Immigration and Divergent Expectations: The Reception of Foreign Volunteers in Israel during and after the Wars of 1948 and 1967 This article examines two instances where thousands of foreigners - predominantly, though not exclusively, Jews - offered their services to the Israeli state in the context of a military conflict. It assesses wartime encounters between the volunteers and their Israeli hosts in 1948 and 1967. After each of these conflicts, the state sought to incorporate as many foreign volunteers as possible into Israeli society. However, the majority of the volunteers saw their mobilisation as temporary and chose to return to their countries of origin. Furthermore, they expected the Israelis to do more to acknowledge their contribution. Yet, as the article shows, official recognition emerged gradually over the course of several decades.