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The Hebrew inscription on this stamp means "security" and the emblem shown is that of the Haganah, a defense organization that signified security to the Yishuv in pre-State days.
The Haganah was the underground military organization of the Yishuv (Jewish settlement) in Eretz Israel during the British Mandate. Soon after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Haganah turned into the regular army of Israel.
Security was an issue in the Yishuv from early on. The pioneer immigrants of the Second Aliyah realized early in the 20th century that they had to organize for self-defense. The first such organization, Ha-Shomer, came into being in 1909 to defend settlements against raids by Arabs. Seeing that this body could not fend off repeated Arab attack and that the British authorities would not take responsibility for defense of Jewish settlements, Ha-Shomer disbanded in 1920 and the Haganah (meaning "Defense) was founded as an independent, underground defense organization for Jewish settlers, which had to answer only to Jewish authorities in Palestine.
In 1921 the Haganah proved its effectiveness in repelling Arab attacks. Of note was its success in November at ousting an Arab mob from the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The need for further strengthening of the organization was seen by the havoc wreaked during the Arab riots of 1929.
Except for local commander, Haganah members were volunteers who trained after work or on Saturday. Branches of the organization were the major cities and on a number of agricultural settlements. The organization had limited arms, mostly revolvers and hand grenades. Volunteers were called to guard duty when security problems were anticipated.
During the years 1936 to 1939, Jewish settlements were under unrelenting attacks by Arabs. It was during those years that the Haganah matured from a militia into an organized military body. Acquiescing to the Jewish Agency policy of restraint, Haganah endeavors were mainly defensive. The unceasing pressure of Arab attacks resulted, however, in the formation of the Special Night Squads a British military officer, Orde Wingate. These squads took the initiative and raided Arab terrorists. By the close of 1939 there were 25,000 Haganah members and the organization had smuggled some 6,000 rifles and over 200 machine guns into Palestine.
World War II saw many Haganah members in the British Army's Jewish Brigade, serving in Egypt, Italy, and northwest Europe. In Palestine itself the Haganah general staff carried on its defense work and also created in 1941 the Palmah strike force Palmah. After the war, when the British mandatory authority still would not allow free Jewish immigration into Eretz Israel, the Haganah acted against it, at times in conjunction with the other resistance groups, the Etzel and Lehi.. From 1945 to 1948 the thrust of Haganah efforts was on organizing Aliyah Bet, the "illegal" immigration to Eretz Israel.
At the start of Israel's War of Independence, from May 15, 1948, Haganah forces had to fend off attacks throughout the country by the regular armies of the surrounding Arab states. On May 31, 1948, the Haganah was proclaimed the regular army of the State of Israel by David Ben-Gurion.
The feat of the Haganah's achievements and its success in acquiring crucial weapons and warding off attacks under unfavorable odds made it a symbol of defense in the annals of the emerging state.
On the face of the stamp appear two sums, one larger, one smaller. The smaller one was for designated for defense purposes. The Hebrew inscription on the tab translates as "Security of Israel."
