Cultural – Educational Goals
The information and cultural activities in the Palmach were aimed at acquiring knowledge and forging the warriors' spirit. The education of the Palmach was supposed to include the complex message of an egalitarian, volunteering unit, where each one is entitled to question and appeal, yet is committed to the values of the Yishuv labor group (pioneering, settlement, and social-Zionism).
The information and cultural activities in the Palmach were aimed at acquiring knowledge and forging the warriors' spirit. The education of the Palmach was supposed to include the complex message of an egalitarian, volunteering unit, where each one is entitled to question and appeal, yet is committed to the values of the Yishuv labor group (pioneering, settlement, and social-Zionism.) The unique living conditions of Palmach members (lack of resources, lack of proper infrastructure for activity, and a geographical dispersal of the units) made it hard to engage in cultural-educational activity, as was reflected in the cultural activity content.
The main cultural activity was educational-informative and was divided into four main areas:
1) Informative activity 2) Commander education 3) Entertainment 4) Sports games. Within this context, two separate orientations can be seen: Imparting knowledge and opinion, or approach.
Imparting knowledge means giving each Palmach member the right to widen his knowledge and cultural scope. Within this cultural activity, which was an integral part of the warriors' training to bestow certain cultural assets (in the Jewish-socialist spirit) upon them, the recruits met many artists, scholars and lecturers, who introduced them to the worlds of science, music, theatre and poetry of the highest level. Imparting knowledge meant to an experiential, ideological guidance on current events that directly or indirectly affected the Palmach. This guidance (some may call it indoctrination) was mainly achieved via the senior commandership of the Palmach, Hagana, Yishuv leaders and different lecturers.
The main cultural activity was educational-informative and was divided into four main areas:
1) Informative activity 2) Commander education 3) Entertainment 4) Sports games. Within this context, two separate orientations can be seen: Imparting knowledge and opinion, or approach.
Imparting knowledge means giving each Palmach member the right to widen his knowledge and cultural scope. Within this cultural activity, which was an integral part of the warriors' training to bestow certain cultural assets (in the Jewish-socialist spirit) upon them, the recruits met many artists, scholars and lecturers, who introduced them to the worlds of science, music, theatre and poetry of the highest level. Imparting knowledge meant to an experiential, ideological guidance on current events that directly or indirectly affected the Palmach. This guidance (some may call it indoctrination) was mainly achieved via the senior commandership of the Palmach, Hagana, Yishuv leaders and different lecturers.