Yitzhak Magali - Visionary and Founder of the “H̱erut” Settlement Group
Yitzhak Magali was born during Hanukkah of 1884 in the city of Kharkov, Russia, into the affluent and land-owning Mogilevsky family. From an early age, he developed a love for agriculture and sought to study in an agricultural school - an aspiration that was extremely difficult for Jewish youth under the constraints of Tsarist Russia. The pervasive antisemitism of the era awakened in him a deep national consciousness, leading to his involvement in the Poalei Zion movement within the Zionist Organization.
In 1905, Magali fled the Russian army and immigrated to the Land of Israel. He settled in Petah Tikva, and, as the son of a wealthy family, immediately began purchasing land to establish a large agricultural enterprise. He acquired 1,500 dunams near the Arab village of Fajja and 430 dunams in Ein Hai, developing an expansive and well-equipped farm with twelve pairs of horses and extensive agricultural machinery. All the workers on his farm were Jewish - no outsider ever set foot there. In Petah Tikva, he also joined the local Shomrim (guard) organization and contributed to defense efforts.
Magali’s parents, who remained in Russia, were distressed that his desertion from the army meant he could not visit them. They urged him to return and complete his military service. Respecting their wishes, he returned to Russia.
After completing his service, Magali traveled to California to continue his agricultural studies, which he had begun in Russia. Upon completing his education, he returned to Eretz Israel and, en route, married Brakha Katzenelson, a cousin of Berl Katzenelson. The couple returned to the Land of Israel in 1914, just two weeks before the outbreak of World War I.
In 1917, Magali enlisted in the Jewish Legion of the British Army and rose to the rank of Sergeant - the highest rank attained by Jews in that framework at the time.
Between 1914 and 1917, during a period of severe hunger among the labor population in Petah Tikva, it was the Magali family who fed hundreds of workers with bread and tahini, entirely at their own expense.
In late 1917, Magali was arrested by the Ottoman authorities on charges of treason due to his affiliation with underground defense organizations. He was sentenced to death but managed to escape from the Kishla prison in Jerusalem and hid in the area around Petah Tikva. With the arrival of the British and their conquest of Petah Tikva, he was freed from the threat of imprisonment and execution.
Following the end of World War I, Magali’s parents also immigrated to Petah Tikva. In 1919, upon his discharge from the British army, Magali became one of the founders of the Haganah. He served as a member of the command in Petah Tikva and specialized in arms acquisition.
In 1925, he co-founded the Yachin Company, later known as Yachin Hakal. That same year, the idea of establishing an agricultural settlement group began to take shape. Together with several colleagues, Magali founded the “Herut” organization. His boundless energy and extraordinary conviction galvanized fellow members, inspiring them to undertake immense efforts to raise funds. At that time, membership in “Herut” was a source of great pride.
In 1929, the group established a nursery intended to provide both employment and high-quality, affordable citrus seedlings for planting. In 1930, deep plowing of the moshav’s land began - carried out entirely by members of the organization. In 1931, the settlers took possession of the land. For various reasons, Magali did not join the moshav himself.
There was a time when the names Magali and “Herut” were virtually synonymous. To say “Magali” was to say “Herut,” and vice versa. After his path diverged from that of the moshav, Magali assumed command of HaNodedet, the famed mobile unit of the Haganah in Tel Aviv. Later, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Haganah in Tel Aviv.
In 1937, Magali began working for the Jewish Agency. Officially, he was tasked with establishing general labor offices, but in practice, he was one of the key figures involved in the Aliyah Bet (clandestine immigration), helping Jews enter the country in defiance of British Mandate restrictions.
Despite his intense public activity, Magali always found time for reading and learning. He translated English military literature for the benefit of the Haganah. His personal library, comprising thousands of volumes, testified to his intellectual pursuits and love of knowledge. (A portion of the library was later donated by the family to Moshav Herut.)
He was known for his extraordinary energy and unshakable willpower, always the first to volunteer for any task.
In 1941, the Yishuv and its institutions were mobilizing Jewish enlistment into the British Army. On the 21st of Tishrei 5701 (October 22, 1940), a major parade of the Haganah was held, led by veterans of the Jewish Legion. Magali, commanding the Legion contingent, marched at their head down Allenby Street to the seashore. Upon reaching the shore, he suddenly collapsed and died in the arms of his comrades - at the age of just 57.
Source: Tel Mond Bloc Documentation Archive.