Palmach Culture
The information and cultural activities in the Palmach were aimed at acquiring knowledge and forging the warriors' spirit.
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.)
Since the early days of the Palmach, the cultural, educational and information activities were made a priority in the daily work of the Palmach HQ and its units.
The main information tool was the Palmach magazine.
The Palmach adopted symbols and rituals that were prevalent among the pioneering youth movements, such as: Gathering around the bonfire with the Finjan (small metal pot for making coffee) and Chizbat "ritual," touring around the country, lack of military formality – all these contributed to the sense of uniqueness of Palmach members, their esprit de corps and warriors' brotherhood. The Palmach enjoyed outside cultural activities beyond the original culture formed and crystallized among its soldiers, commanders, cultural officers and the Chzibatron troop.
There were cultural officers like Benny Marshak, whose personal connections and initiative brought top artists to perform for the Palmach. Marshak was a regular in the Tel-Aviv bohemian scene, and no one refused Benny when he asked them to perform for Palmach soldiers. And so the most prominent 'Habima' theatre actors such as Meskin, Bertonov, Rodensky and Channa Robina, went to perform for the Palmach members. Channa Robina performed in kibbutz Hanita under the headlights of a truck, reciting a poem, and got all nervous and excited by the occasion," just like a little girl."
Since the early days of the Palmach, the cultural, educational and information activities were made a priority in the daily work of the Palmach HQ and its units.
The main information tool was the Palmach magazine.
The Palmach adopted symbols and rituals that were prevalent among the pioneering youth movements, such as: Gathering around the bonfire with the Finjan (small metal pot for making coffee) and Chizbat "ritual," touring around the country, lack of military formality – all these contributed to the sense of uniqueness of Palmach members, their esprit de corps and warriors' brotherhood. The Palmach enjoyed outside cultural activities beyond the original culture formed and crystallized among its soldiers, commanders, cultural officers and the Chzibatron troop.
There were cultural officers like Benny Marshak, whose personal connections and initiative brought top artists to perform for the Palmach. Marshak was a regular in the Tel-Aviv bohemian scene, and no one refused Benny when he asked them to perform for Palmach soldiers. And so the most prominent 'Habima' theatre actors such as Meskin, Bertonov, Rodensky and Channa Robina, went to perform for the Palmach members. Channa Robina performed in kibbutz Hanita under the headlights of a truck, reciting a poem, and got all nervous and excited by the occasion," just like a little girl."