Israel Shochat

Israel Shochat (1886–1962) was a founder of and a key figure in Bar-Giora and Hashomer, one of the precursors of the Israel Defense Forces. He was married to Manya Shochat.

Israel Shochat was born in 1886 in Lyskovo, in the Grodno Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus). As a child, he had tutors for Hebrew and Russian. At age 18, he was involved in a Jewish defence group and in Poale Zion. He went to Germany to study agronomy but left his studies after only three months and immigrated to Palestine with his brother, Eliezer, in 1904. They worked as field hands in the fields and orchards of Petah Tikva. He moved to Rishon LeZion to work in the winery. There Israel met Alexander Zaïd and shared with him his radical socialist ideas. Zaid received them enthusiastically and declared "I'm with you, for life or death, let's start as of now!" In Rishon LeZion, he suffered the first bout of fever, which was to plague him for the remainder of his life.

Israel Shochat moved to Jerusalem to persuade the yeshivot leaders to join the efforts to create a national workforce. His attempts failed. To support himself, he shined shoes at Jaffa Gate. As a result of ill health, he was forced to give up manual labour and worked as Israel Belkind's assistant. He became interested in the Circassians living in Palestine, as an example of how a small minority could preserve its identity and pride in an often hostile environment. The key for Shochat was that they cultivated their land and protected it with their own hands.

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