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Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Israel’s forgotten fighters: Two Canadians who served in Israel's 1948 war
Description: In 1947 and '48, thousands of foreign military personnel—including 300 from Canada—flew to the emerging State of Israel to fight for its survival against hostile Arab forces. Most volunteers were experienced Jewish veterans of the Second World War. Their vital military skills helped reinforce existing troops in prewar Palestine, then later the State of Israel; in the case of the air force, they actually helped create it. These fighters were known as the Machal, a name derived from Hebrew, meaning "volunteers from abroad".
Decades passed before Israel officially recognized the Machal's contribution. Today, very few of them are...