Ma'arachot

Ma'arachot is the publishing house of the Israel Defense Forces and one of Israel’s longstanding institutions for military writing, security research, and military history. Founded in 1939—before the establishment of the State of Israel and the IDF—it developed from a professional channel for distributing military knowledge into an important research and cultural center. Across decades of war and state-building, Ma'arachot helped shape the professional language of Israeli officers while preserving the record of the conflicts and security challenges that shaped the country.

Founding and institutional development

Ma'arachot was founded by Colonel Elazar Galili, who directed the publishing house for 28 years. Its early editorial staff included Gershon Rivlin, Avraham Tamir, Shlomo Gazit, and Avraham Eylon, all of whom went on to hold senior positions in the IDF or the defense establishment. Their combination of military experience, research, and editorial work gave Ma'arachot a distinctive role: it was not merely a publisher of professional material, but a framework for organized learning, debate, and the accumulation of institutional experience.

Over the years, the publishing house was also commanded by Colonel Yaakov Ziskind, Colonel Hillel Ben-Meir, Colonel Uri Dromi, and Lieutenant Colonel Hagai Golan. Their leadership sustained Ma'arachot’s place within Israel’s military and research institutions and maintained a publishing continuity that reached from the pre-state period, through the founding of Israel and its wars, into the country’s modern security era.

Books, military thought, and historical research

Ma'arachot has focused on original and translated works of military thought, studies of warfare, and histories of Israel’s wars and the world wars. Over the years, it published thousands of titles, many of them devoted to military affairs, national security, and the accumulated experience of armed conflict.

These publications served both practical and historical purposes. They introduced officers and other professionals to doctrines developed by foreign armies, enabled comparisons between methods of operation, and examined lessons drawn from earlier wars. At the same time, they gave researchers and the wider public access to accounts of Israel’s military history, particularly the War of Independence. In this way, Ma'arachot became both a resource for professional education and part of the country’s historical record.

The journal Ma'arachot and specialist military publications

Since its establishment, the publishing house has also issued the journal Ma'arachot, the official IDF-wide professional publication for officers. The journal created a forum for discussion of military doctrine, command, military history, and security. It helped circulate ideas among different units and levels of command, bringing operational experience and military analysis into a broader professional conversation.

Specialist publications appeared alongside it, including Ma'arachot Yam, Ma'arachot HaPeles, Ma'arachot Shiryon, Ma'arachot Himush, and Kesher Ve'Elaktronika. These journals documented the distinctive knowledge of particular branches and professional fields, helping preserve their experience and pass it to later generations.

Topical series and institutional partnerships

In addition to books and journals, Ma'arachot published topical booklets, including the Tziklon series, which addressed subjects in military doctrine and military history. Topics included nuclear warfare, urban warfare, and mountain warfare. Focused publications of this kind made it possible to examine specialized questions in depth and present them to a professional readership.

Some Ma'arachot books were published in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense Publishing House, established in 1958. This partnership connected Ma'arachot’s military expertise with the ministry’s publishing and distribution capabilities, strengthening the place of defense publications within Israel’s official documentation and professional culture.

Locations and the transition to civilian distribution

For many years, the publishing house operated from the Kirya complex in Tel Aviv. It moved after the beginning of the project to clear the southern part of the Kirya, and is now based at Camp Dayan in Glilot. Following extensive changes in the activities of the Ministry of Defense Publishing House at the end of 2008, a partnership with a civilian publisher was established. The printing and distribution of Ma'arachot books are now managed through Modan Publishing House.

Why Ma'arachot belongs in Moreshet

Ma'arachot merits inclusion in the archive because it represents an Israeli institution that worked through decisive periods in the country’s history and documented not only how the IDF fought, but also how a military and a state learn, analyze experience, and transmit it from one generation to the next. Through thousands of books, its principal journal, and its specialist publications, Ma'arachot built a body of knowledge that influenced military education, security discourse, and the understanding of Israel’s military history.

Its legacy is also part of the heritage of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Ma'arachot records Israel’s efforts to meet its security needs and helps explain the institutions, ideas, and professional communities that shaped Israeli life. For these reasons, its inclusion in Moreshet and Moreshet.com preserves more than the story of a publishing house: it preserves an important chapter in the history of knowledge, memory, and security in Israeli society.