Hareserva (the Reserve Corps)
Hareserva was formally set up in September 1944 as part of the Palmach’s reorganization process which took place during the second half of 1944.
The Palmach’s reserve corps, called ‘Hareserva’ was set up when the first of its members were released after completing two years of service towards the end of 1943 and the beginning of 1944, as part of the Palmach’s reorganization which took place during the second half of 1944. Other aspects of this process were the recruitment of the Hachsharot (recruited training – groups of young men and women who underwent a program of combined military training, agricultural work and Zionist education) and the creation of a four battalion construction.
Each senior member in the Palmach, who had served for at least a year and did not have an office in the Hagana or joined the British army, was included in the Palmach’s Reserve Corps’ list. Whoever was released after less than a year was transferred to the Infantry Unit because his training level was considered inadequate and the Reserve Corps could not train him sufficiently. On May or September, after a minimum of a two year service, the men would be enrolled to the Reserve Corps. The duration of service in the Reserve Corps was determined according to the demand for the military profession one had. A Palmach member was expected to volunteer for one month a year for training, advanced studies, seminars and different gatherings, without receiving payment. Other than that the men might be called upon for special, temporary, or urgent operations. The Palmach’s veterans usually arrived immediately upon receiving the call, and sometimes lost their jobs as a consequence. The will to serve voluntarily stemmed from the strong attachment the Palmach members felt towards the Palmach; they identified with its goals and saw it as their home, as the place which gave them the opportunity to prosper and develop.
On the eve of the War of Independence the tension between the Arab and Hebrew settlement grew and the Reserve Corps were recruited for longer periods of time, mainly for security missions in the Negev and for convoy escorting in Jerusalem. The recruitment of the Reserve Corps in 1947 increased the Palmach’s forces from four to six battalions in the course of a short period of time, and enabled the recruitment of new men and the creation of the three additional brigades in March and April 1948.
The Palamach’s Reserve system was one of the sources which most influenced the design of the I.D.F’s Reserve system after the War.
Each senior member in the Palmach, who had served for at least a year and did not have an office in the Hagana or joined the British army, was included in the Palmach’s Reserve Corps’ list. Whoever was released after less than a year was transferred to the Infantry Unit because his training level was considered inadequate and the Reserve Corps could not train him sufficiently. On May or September, after a minimum of a two year service, the men would be enrolled to the Reserve Corps. The duration of service in the Reserve Corps was determined according to the demand for the military profession one had. A Palmach member was expected to volunteer for one month a year for training, advanced studies, seminars and different gatherings, without receiving payment. Other than that the men might be called upon for special, temporary, or urgent operations. The Palmach’s veterans usually arrived immediately upon receiving the call, and sometimes lost their jobs as a consequence. The will to serve voluntarily stemmed from the strong attachment the Palmach members felt towards the Palmach; they identified with its goals and saw it as their home, as the place which gave them the opportunity to prosper and develop.
On the eve of the War of Independence the tension between the Arab and Hebrew settlement grew and the Reserve Corps were recruited for longer periods of time, mainly for security missions in the Negev and for convoy escorting in Jerusalem. The recruitment of the Reserve Corps in 1947 increased the Palmach’s forces from four to six battalions in the course of a short period of time, and enabled the recruitment of new men and the creation of the three additional brigades in March and April 1948.
The Palamach’s Reserve system was one of the sources which most influenced the design of the I.D.F’s Reserve system after the War.