Yosef Trumpeldor

"What is a pioneer? Is he a worker only? No! The definition includes much more. The pioneers should be workers but that is not all. We shall need people who will be “everything” – everything that Eretz Yisrael needs. A worker has his labor interests, a soldier his “esprit de corps”, a doctor and an engineer, their special inclinations. A generation of iron-men; iron from which you can forge everything the national machinery needs. You need a wheel? Here I am. A nail, a screw, a block? – here take me. You need a man to till the soil? – I’m ready. A soldier? I am here. Policeman, doctor, lawyer, artist, teacher, water carrier?  Here I am. I have no form. I have no psychology. I have no personal feeling, no name. I am a servant of Zion. Ready to do everything, not bound to do anything. I have only one aim – creation."
- Yosef Trumpeldor

Throughout Israel’s history, from the time of Avraham until today, there has been one single phrase that has consistently expressed the willingness to accept responsibility and work towards the collective good. Hineini – “here I am” – has forever been the watchword of readiness to answer a call. Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook writes in Musar Avicha that the words hineini use the language of modesty and hastened enthusiasm. It is an expression that connotes total readiness to carry out the will of the caller. A person who says hineini is not only prepared to complete a task, he approaches it with a zealous enthusiasm. Whether in response to a prophetic calling from G-D or to one deep in a man’s own conscience, hineini forever symbolizes selfless and heroic dedication on behalf of Israel’s collective destiny.

Not every person can truly say hineini. The statement alone is a great sacrifice because it automatically opens one up to a higher calling. A person who feels hineini is one who, deep in his soul, is idealistically charged to complete an essential task. For most it is impractical as it takes people away from their personal aspirations. In today’s cynical world, people often calculate interests rather than answer Divine calls. But there was one man – a symbol of courage – in Israel’s recent history that made hineini his trademark and lived up to its connotation. He always heard the call of Israel’s needs and valiantly rose to the challenge of easing the national burden.

Pyatigorsk is a picturesque city in Russia’s northern Caucasus region. There, in 5640 (1880), Yosef Trumpeldor was born. His father, Wulf Trumpeldor, was conscripted as a cantonist into the czarist army for twenty five years. Despite his lengthy service and callous anti-Semitism, he maintained his Jewish identity and influenced his son to take pride in descending from Israel. Yosef Trumpeldor, unlike many Jews of that region, grew up fiercely proud of belonging to the Hebrew nation.

In 5662 (1902), after graduating from the prestigious gymnasium high school, Yosef enrolled in university to study dentistry. Throughout his youth, he was disturbed by the cowardly image of Jews throughout Russia. What troubled him more was that this erroneous stereotype went largely unchallenged. When he learnt of Herzl’s World Zionist Congress in Basel, Trumpeldor became immediately engrossed in the initiative. The idea of a national renaissance for the ancient Hebrew nation caused Trumpeldor great excitement. Strongly influenced by the teachings of Peter Kropotkin and the collective model of a farming commune he had seen, he connected the ideals of anarchist communism with the settlement of Eretz Yisrael and a future Hebrew state. While rejecting the idea of central government control, Trumpeldor favored the principles of a communalist society. He dreamt of transforming the Jewish people from an oppressed and scattered minority into a proud unified nation. Believing that the nation of Israel could be revived only through the sweat of Hebrew workers, Trumpeldor hoped to facilitate this transformation through establishing productive agricultural communities in Palestine where Jews would work their own soil and defend their land when necessary. Although these fantasies very much occupied Trumpeldor’s imagination in his youth, several events would transpire before he would work to bring them to fruition.

The Russo-Japanese war broke out in 5664 (1904). Eagar to fulfill his civic duty, Trumpeldor immediately volunteered for service in the Russian military. He later explained that although Jews were severely persecuted in Russia, he felt obligated to disprove the indictment of “Jewish cowardice” through his behavior as a personal example. He saw it as his task to show the Russians the error of their bigotry. He approached this mission, like so many later in his life, with a single minded determination. He was to be an example of Hebrew courage that would inspire awe in all he came in contact with.

In addition to Russians, the czarist army was comprised of many various ethnic groups. On one occasion, when a party for the soldiers was being planned, an officer announced that a soldier from each cultural group would sing an ethnic song at the party. After a representative was chosen from each nationality, Trumpeldor stood up and announced that he too wished to sing a song. “But you are a Russian!” answered the officer. “I am a Jew! And I want to sing a Jewish song.” The officer and soldiers were stunned by the revelation. The valiant Trumpeldor was anything but what they assumed a Jew should be. Surprised, the commander agreed that Trumpeldor could sing an ethnic song at the party. Immediately following, another Jewish soldier in the unit reminded Trumpeldor that “you don’t know any Jewish songs. What are you going to sing?” Trumpeldor thought for a moment and then decided on a place he could quickly learn a Jewish song. The two Jewish soldiers quickly traveled to a nearby Synagogue and asked the rabbi to teach them the most important song of the Hebrew nation. The rabbi, interested in helping the two, brought the cantor and taught them Kol Nidre from the Yom Kippur service. After learning the prayer in order to sing it at the party, Trumpeldor asked the rabbi about a large section of Jewish graves near his base. The rabbi explained despondently that these graves were of Jewish victims who were recently massacred by the Russians. Hearing of the pogrom, Trumpeldor was puzzled as to why the Jews did not bother to defend themselves. “If I were there,” he proclaimed to the rabbi, “I would have fought to defend the honor of my people.”

In the defense of Port Arthur, which bore the brunt of the Japanese attacks, Trumpeldor volunteered for service in a special force of shock troops. His name soon became the pride of the regiment. Preceding one battle, a commanding officer expressed the hope that, as he had no Jews in his unit, there would be no cowards or traitors. Without delay, Trumpeldor stepped out of line and announced, “Sir, I am a Jew”.

During the fierce battle of Ugloway Hill in 5664 (1904), Trumpeldor’s left arm was hit by a piece of shrapnel and later amputated from just above the elbow. Upon leaving the hospital, he wrote to his commander requesting permission to return to the front. “True, I have now but one arm, but it is the right one capable of handling a sword or a rifle.” Trumpeldor was accepted back to the warfront and promoted to a non-commissioned rank. Even with one arm, he displayed such outstanding heroism that he received all four of the highest decorations for bravery – honors no Jew in Russia had ever received. When Port Arthur fell, Trumpeldor was among those captured and interned at a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

While in prison, Trumpeldor once saw two Jewish inmates in a quarrel. Although he succeeded in defusing the situation, he became deeply troubled by what had transpired. He sought to understand how his people lacked the solidarity he knew they so desperately needed. He struggled to realize what could be done to inspire the nation of Israel to feel a sense of brotherhood. And then it dawned on him – through the national aspirations of Hebrew liberation. The Zionist endeavor he had dreamt of in his youth contained the power to unite the Hebrew nation as one. Trumpeldor immediately set out to organize a Zionist society which rapidly grew to over five hundred Jewish prisoners, suddenly unified in common purpose and destiny.

When the war ended and Trumpeldor was released in 5665 (1905), he was introduced to the Czarina of Russia. By royal decree, she promoted him to the rank of officer despite the prevalent anti-Semitism of the region. By this time, however, something had transformed inside the young war hero. Yosef Trumpeldor’s conscience had heard a national calling. His heart had awoken to Israel’s needs and was being called home to Zion. Although he could have succeeded in Russian society – as a dentist or career soldier – these things now paled in comparison to the national call. His accomplishments in prison of unifying the Jewish inmates now challenged him to do the same for his people throughout Russia. And in response to this calling, Trumpeldor answered “hineini”.

Moshe desired to dwell with the man; and he gave his daughter Tziporah to Moshe. She gave birth to a son and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a strange land.” (SHEMOT 2:21-22)

Moshe desired to dwell with Yitro in Midian. He enjoyed prestige as a gallant warrior and was given one of Yitro’s virtuous daughters as a wife. Life was good for Moshe in Midian. Then his wife bore a son and Moshe strangely named him Gershom, indicating that he felt like a stranger in a strange land. Moshe had suddenly remembered his people. And then the G-D of Israel called out to him.

HaShem saw that he turned aside to see; and G-D called out to him from amid the bush and said, “Moshe, Moshe,” and he replied, “Hineini!” (SHEMOT 3:4)

After Moshe’s acknowledgment of being a stranger in a strange land, he suddenly hears a call and responds with alacrity. He is hence given the revolutionary mission of redeeming the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. Now Trumpeldor, who had earned himself high prestige and success as a Russian, heard an inner calling to unite the Hebrews behind a revolutionary Zionism.

Trumpeldor began preparing a group of Halutzim (pioneers) to travel to the Land of Israel and realize his dream of agricultural communities. While studying law at the University of St. Petersburg, he organized a Zionist youth group that frequently met in Romni, Ukraine. To his students he defined the meaning of a Halutz. “A pioneer is everything. A worker and a fighter, a builder and a soldier. One who sacrifices everything for his country and expects no reward for his efforts. A son of his people. The vanguard of suffering millions. He belongs to no class; he represents no class. He is prepared to perform every kind of work and becomes the right man on the right job wherever he is sent.”

In 5672 (1912) Trumpeldor traveled with his first group of Halutzim to Eretz Yisrael. He worked in the kibbutz of Degania for some time before attending the thirteenth World Zionist Congress in Vienna. An early founder and advocate of Socialist Zionism, Trumpeldor’s vision for a syndicalist network of socialist communities were clearly reflected in the first kibbutzim. Declaring himself as both an anarcho-communist and a Zionist, he favored the ideals of a communalist society while rejecting the notion of central government control. When World War I broke out in 5674 (1914), Trumpeldor was deported from Palestine by the Ottoman Turks. In Alexandria, he met Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who enthralled Trumpeldor with his plans to establish a Jewish Legion that would fight as part of the British armed forces to liberate Palestine from Ottoman rule.

 After much lobbying by Jabotinsky in London, the formation the Jewish Legion was rejected by the British, but the Zion Mule Corps was formed as an auxiliary detachment. Although Jabotinsky originally opposed the formation of a non-combat unit, Trumpeldor saw it as a necessary first step and enthusiastically accepted the commission of captain (Jabotinsky conceded in later years that Trumpeldor’s approach was in fact correct). Initially heading the Zion Mule Corps was the British Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson. But in 5676 (1916), Trumpeldor took over complete command of the squad. He was always the first to face danger and served as an example of valor and dedication. With a deep sense of responsibility, he calmly led the Jewish soldiers through the thick of the battle at Gallipoli, where the Zion Mule Corps served with great distinction. Colonel Patterson related that “During all the time of that terrible war, this gentle Captain showed an unparalleled valor and unflinching determination. By his devotion to duty he set an example to all. When bullets were showering upon us, I warned him to take heed, but Trumpeldor, with his charming, simple smile answered ‘never mind, I am all right’.”

After the disbandment of the Zion Mule Corps, Jabotinsky, succeeded in convincing the British War Office of the need for a Jewish Legion in Palestine. Although the combat unit was finally established, Trumpeldor’s request to join it was turned down by the military command.

In 5677 (1917), Trumpeldor returned to Russia with the hope of recruiting and training Jews that would journey to Eretz Yisrael and join the Jewish Legion. But while he was recruiting in Petrograd, local Russian peasants began a revolt against Czar Nicholas II, who under tremendous pressure abdicated his power. The early stages of the Russian Revolution had broken out and a provisional government had replaced the czarist regime. Realizing that the Jews of Petrograd were in peril, Trumpeldor immediately ceased his recruitment for the Jewish Legion and instead directed his energies towards local security. Without delay, he organized a Jewish defense league that would protect communities from renewed threats of violence. Eight months later, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks deposed the provisional government and took complete control of Russia, creating what would become the Soviet Union. As the Communists enforced complete regional control, even the defense league had to disband. Seeing great danger on the horizon, Trumpeldor began to advocate a mass evacuation of Jews from Europe to the Land of Israel. The Zionist leadership, however, lacked the necessary foresight to initiate such an enterprise and Trumpeldor’s warnings were discarded as embellishments.

In the summer of 5679 (1919), Trumpeldor set out on his third and final journey to Eretz Yisrael. The Great War was over and there seemed to be fresh hope for the ancient dream of reestablishing an independent Jewish state in the borders of the Israeli homeland. Great Britain had drafted the Balfour Declaration in 5677, pledging Palestine as a national homeland for the Jewish nation. Palestine, at that time was comprised of what is today the State of Israel and what is now the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Following World War I, the Balfour Declaration won legal ratification by the League of Nations at the San Remo Conference of 5680 (1920). Great Britain was given a mandate to govern Palestine for an interim period in order to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish homeland therein.

But upon assuming their mandate, the British Colonial Office began to strategize methods of negating the Balfour Declaration and retaining British dominion over the Middle East. Turning to their traditional policy of “divide and rule”, they incited Arab violence against the Jewish community in hopes it would create a public impression of instability.

On the 21st of Shvat 5679 (January 22nd 1919), Jabotinsky had written to Chaim Weitzman, then president of the World Zionist Organization, about the growing danger of Arab attacks against Jewish settlements. Habitually remote from the reality on the ground, Weitzman discarded these warnings by declaring that the British were on the side of the Jews and that there was no reason for concern. As the Arabs were preparing to attack Jewish communities in the Upper Galil, the HaShomer HaTzair youth movement asked Trumpeldor to organize the defense of its northern settlements. Understanding the danger, Trumpeldor answered “hineini”.

A dispute had arisen as to the border between French Syria and British Palestine. A number of small Jewish settlements lay in the disputed region from which both French and British troops temporarily withdrew. The Arabs decided to take advantage of the situation by massing their forces to destroy these isolated colonies. They attacked and raided the communities daily. The situation was critical. Working diligently to fortify the northern settlements, Trumpeldor vainly requested Haganah reinforcements from Tel Aviv. He warned the Zionist leadership that Metulah was on the verge of destruction, with the settlements of Kfar Giladi and Tel Chai also in serious danger. Even Jabotinsky beseeched his old friend to evacuate the Jews from those settlements and return south. Trumpeldor refused as Jabotinsky knew he would. While most pioneers withdrew from the northern territory, there was no way Yosef Trumpeldor would surrender portions of Israel’s homeland. He organized a group of volunteers consisting of thirty five men and two women that were determined to defend the settlement of Tel Chai.

On the morning of the eleventh of Adar 5680 (March 1st 1920), a mob of several hundred Arab raiders made their first attack on Tel Chai. Under Trumpeldor’s command, the Arab assault was beaten back. The raiders retreated but soon returned with Bedouin reinforcements. Again they were repelled but this time Trumpeldor was wounded. When he saw that a third attack by more than two thousand Arabs was imminent, Trumpeldor refused to allow himself to be carried indoors. He instead remained to direct Tel Chai’s defense. The Arabs approached under a white flag of truce and a neighborhood sheik asked to speak personally with Trumpeldor. When the hero appeared, there was a rifle volley and the Arabs turned their horses and fled. Attempting to close Tel Chai’s gate, Trumpeldor exposed himself and was fatally shot in the abdomen. When his comrades found him, he smiled and said “never mind, I only want a bandage”. He then calmly directed the bandaging of his wound. “These are my last moments,” he said as his wounds were being dressed. “Tell our comrades to defend the honor of our people until the last.” When a doctor finally arrived, it was already too late. Yosef Trumpeldor’s last words were ein davar, tov lamut b’ad artzeinu – “never mind, it is good to die for our homeland”. He was one of eight Hebrew defenders to fall at Tel Chai that day.

Yosef Trumpeldor was memorialized by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who said that “there was never such pure blood spilt as that of Tel Chai”. Jabotinsky would later name his nationalist youth movement Betar (Covenant of Yosef Trumpeldor) after his fallen friend. “Tel Chai” would become the official greeting of Betar and the memory of Trumpeldor would serve as its inspiration for what an Israeli should be. Many Betar youth would later match the heroism exhibited by Trumpeldor while participating in the underground struggle to free Israel from British rule. Yair Stern, a leading underground figure, would later explain a historical thread linking Yosef Trumpeldor to Yosef of Gamla, who had fallen nearly 2,000 years earlier leading the defense of Israel’s north.

Trumpeldor’s memory was also honored by Israel’s political left. The radical HaShomer HaTzair movement recalls Trumpeldor as the defender of its kibbutzim and has established several commemoratives to pay homage to his memory. The northern city of Kiryat Shmona (City of Eight) is named after Trumpledor and the seven others who gave their lives at Tel Chai. A great monument of a roaring lion was erected at Tel Chai over Trumpeldor’s grave.

A highly respected Russian war hero, Trumpeldor had every reason in the world to assimilate but always allowed his Hebrew soul to be exposed. Throughout his esteemed career as a soldier in a foreign army, he made himself “the Jew” in every situation although he had every opportunity to cover it up. Even without any Torah education, Trumpeldor sought to express his Jewish identity in any way possible.

It is believed that had he lived, Yosef Trumpeldor would have been the greatest of Zionist leaders, able to unite the right and left behind a true course of national responsibility. Throughout his life, Trumpeldor carried an attitude of passionate modesty that gave him the ability to hear an inner call. Always looking to find where he was most needed, Trumpeldor dedicated his life to Israel’s rebirth and could have been the essential shepherd during Zionism’s most crucial years. Although he died early, his fundamental nature continues to inspire Israel’s youth. Through the ancient Hebrew spirit of “hineini”, Trumpeldor set a shining example of valor for generations to follow.