Even prior to the United Nations resolution about the establishment of the State of Israel, still under the British Mandate, David Ben Gurion, chairman and head of the defense department in the Jewish Agency, ordered the immediate establishment of a conscription entity, vital for the defense of the Jewish Yishuv in the anticipated war. Therefore, The Jewish Agency and the National Committee established an entity to conduct a countrywide conscription immediately after the approval of the UN resolution. In October-November 1947 the conscription principles were set, and on November 19, 1947 the "National Census Bureau" was established.
The Census Bureau employed 75 functionaries and volunteers from all political parties, thus gaining wide public support.
In order to conduct the census the country was divided into a center and southern districts, and offices were established in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Afula, Tiberias, and Zephath. Several recruiting centers were established in agricultural and other districts.
The first placard, issued by the Census Bureau in November 28, 1947, summoned all men and women of 17 – 25 years of age to register "Toward the activation of the public-political policy to mobilize the necessary manpower to the service of the nation." Thus it was possible to gather the necessary data about the recruitment potential of the Yishuv. The initial reporting date was set to December 9, 1947.
The recruitment placards and orders were published for all to see and hear, including the British still stationed in Palestine.
In the following months boundaries were set between the functions of the Census Bureau and those of the Army in its infancy. The Census Bureau was in charge of recruiting personnel until the actual draft, that is: showing up to be registered, medical checks, and recruitment (or deferral/exemption). The Army dealt with the actual recruitment and assignment to units.
While conducting the recruitment, the Census Bureau was also responsible for the proper, as much as possible, functioning of the economy and utilities (electricity, water, transportation, ports, etc.), postponing the recruitment of employees vital in their posts, in coordination with the army.
Like in all organizations established on behalf of the forthcoming state, procedures were set to institutionalize the recruitment system, and passed to the recruitment center at the Ministry of Defense, which replaced the Census Bureau in June 1948. At David Ben Gurion's order, the center's name was changed from the "National Census Bureau" to the "Recruitment Center at the Ministry of Defense (interim Government).
In the next few months conflicts arose and were settled between the IDF and the Ministry of Defense, regarding jurisdiction in recruiting for military service. All these were put in order following the coming into force of the Defense Service Law in 1949, and all previous recruitment orders were canceled.
Even though recruitment began in December 1947, formal recruitment was instituted on February 1, 1948 with the introduction of service booklets and the ratification of a temporary compensation regulation.
The IDF and Defense Establishment Archive documents presented here show that over 200,000 men and women reported for military service, of which 116,184 were drafted from February 1948 to June 1949.
In the exhibition we present recruitment placards from The IDF and Defense Establishment Archive collection, mostly from a file containing random recruitment documents from the War of Independence. In order to present a fuller account of the recruitment, we present a list of the orders, decisions, and instructions issued by the Census Bureau, from its establishment until the end of March 1948.
The placards represent the recruitment process to the army during the War of Independence. One may learn about the need to broaden the base of recruitment as the war intensified, and about attitudes to the process of various population segments. There are placards urging the recruitment of former officers, new immigrants, orthodox Jews, Jerusalem residents, women heads of families, etc.
The first placard requiring the reporting for military service of 17 – 25 year old men and women was issued on November 28, 1949. The last exhibit in the exhibition, "Order no. 1," requires the reporting for medical checks and regular army service, subject to the Defense Service Law in 1949.
The placards are presented in a chronological order, unless their issuance date is unknown.