1880 - 1920.
Joseph Trumpeldor was a Russian Zionist activist who helped organize the Zion Mule Corps and bring Jewish immigrants to the Land of Israel. He became a Jewish national hero after dying while defending Tel Hai in 1920, reportedly uttering the words, "It is good to die for our country."
Born in the Russian Empire, Trumpeldor was raised with a strong Russian influence despite his Jewish heritage. Initially training as a dentist, he volunteered for the Russian army in 1902. During the Russo-Japanese War, he lost his left arm but continued serving, becoming the most decorated Jewish soldier in Russia. After being held captive in Japan, where he fostered Zionist ideals, Trumpeldor immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1911 and worked at Kibbutz Degania, close to the Kinneret.
In Egypt during World War I, Trumpeldor and Ze'ev Jabotinsky established the Zion Mule Corps, a Jewish volunteer transportation unit operating within the British army.
This marked the first time in almost two millennia that an all-Jewish military unit had been formed. They fought with the British in the Battle of Gallipoli (1915/1916). In August 1917, two years later, it was decided to form an infantry battalion comprising Jewish soldiers to be incorporated into a current British Army unit.
These Jewish brigades played a key role in developing the idea of self-defense and Jewish protection in the Yishuv.
On March 1, 1920, Tel Hai, a Jewish settlement in the Upper Galilee, came under attack by a Shiite Arab militia and local Bedouins. The clash, was the first armed conflict between Arabs and Zionists. Trumpeldor led reinforcements from a nearby kibbutz but was fatally wounded in the battle. Afterward, the Jews fled, and the settlement was destroyed. The eight Jewish casualties, including Trumpeldor, became martyrs.
Legend has it that just before he died, he declared, "It is good to die for our country."
The city of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel honors their memory, with the abandoned site of Tel Hai being linked to Kfar Giladi.
In 1923, Jabotinsky established the Betar Movement in Latvia to instill a sense of national pride and militancy in Jewish youth. Those who joined were obligated to serve in Betar legions for two years upon immigrating to Israel. "Betar" stands for Brit Yosef Trumpeldor, named after Joseph Trumpeldor.
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