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For other Jewish regiments, see Jewish legion (disambiguation).
Jewish Brigade

Insignia and sleeve patch of the Jewish Brigade
Active 1944-1946
Country United Kingdom
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Size 5,000 volunteers
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Ernest Benjamin
A recruitment drive poster for the Jewish Brigade: "Soldiers of 1915-1918: to the flag!" (Figure in background represents the Jewish Legion of World War I)
A recruitment drive poster for the Jewish Brigade: "Soldiers of 1915-1918: to the flag!" (Figure in background represents the Jewish Legion of World War I)

The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group was a military formation of the British Army that served in Europe during the Second World War. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists This article is about the British Army battalions known as the Jewish Legion or Zion Mule Corps, which fought in World War I against the This article is about the British Army battalions known as the Jewish Legion or Zion Mule Corps, which fought in World War I against the The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Although the brigade was formed in 1944, some of its experienced personnel had been employed against the Axis powers in Greece, the Middle East and East Africa. The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. More than 30,000 Palestinian Jews volunteered to serve in the British Armed Forces, 734 of whom died during the war. The Armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces

The brigade and its predecessors, the Palestine Regiment and the three infantry companies that had formed it, were composed primarily of Middle Eastern Jews. The brigade was nevertheless inclusive to all Jewish and non-Jewish soldiers so that by 1944 over 50 nationalities were represented. Many were refugees displaced from countries that had been occupied or controlled by the Axis powers in Europe and Ethiopia. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Volunteers from the United Kingdom, its empire, the Commonwealth, and other "western democracies" also provided contingents. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. [1]

Contents

Background

The disintegration of the Ottoman Empire following the end of the First World War and its replacement as the pre-eminent power in the Middle East by the British and French empires renewed the Zionist movement's pursuit of a Jewish state in a region that became the British Mandate of Palestine ("Eretz Yisrael"). The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement For other uses see Israel (disambiguation The Land of Israel ( Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל Eretz Yisrael) is The "Balfour Declaration" of 1917 signified the first official approval of such a proposal, providing the impetus for a surge of Jewish emigration known as the "Third Aliyah". The third Aliyah refers to the third wave of the Jewish immigration to Israel from Europe who came inspired by Zionist motives between the years 1919 [2] Progressive emigration through the 1920s and 1930s followed the League of Nations sanctioning of Balfour's statement, expanding the Jewish popoulation by over 400,000 before the beginning of the Second World War. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 [2]

On May 17, 1939, the British government under Neville Chamberlain issued the White Paper which abandoned the idea of partitioning the Mandate. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at Arthur Neville Chamberlain (18 March 1869 &ndash 9 November 1940 was a British Conservative Politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over After the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the head of the Jewish Agency David Ben-Gurion declared: "We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper. The Jewish Agency for Israel (Hebrew הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) also known as the Sochnut or JAFI " [3]

The President of the World Zionist Organization Chaim Weizmann offered the British government full cooperation of the Jewish community in the British Mandate of Palestine and tried to negotiate the establishment of identifiably Jewish fighting unit (under a Jewish flag) under the auspices of British Army. The World Zionist Organization ( Hebrew: ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization ( Hebrew Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( Hebrew: חיים עזריאל ויצמן – November 27, 1874 &ndash November 9, 1952) was a Zionist List of flags of Israel The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. His request was rejected, but many Palestinian Jews joined the British army, some in Jewish companies. Fifteen Palestinian Jewish battalions were incorporated into the British Army in September 1940 and fought in Greece in 1941. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

Palestine Regiment

Despite the efforts by the British to enlist an equal number of Jews and Arabs into the Palestine Regiment, three times more Jews volunteered than Arabs. As a result, on August 6, 1942, three Palestinian Jewish battalions and one Palestinian Arab battalion were formed. A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel At this time, the Regiment was principally involved in guard duties in Egypt and North Africa. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The British also wanted to undermine efforts of Hajj Amin al-Husayni who successfully drummed up Arab support of the Axis Powers against the Allies. Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (محمد أمين الحسيني properly transliterated al-Husseini, 1895 / 1897 - July 4, 1974) a member The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose

Formation of the Jewish Brigade

Jewish Brigade headquarters under both Union Flag and Jewish flag
Jewish Brigade headquarters under both Union Flag and Jewish flag

After early reports of the Nazi atrocities of the Holocaust were made public by the Allied powers, the Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent a personal telegram to the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt suggesting that "the Jews. The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. List of flags of Israel The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by . . of all races have the right to strike at the Germans as a recognizable body. " The president replied five days later saying: "I perceive no objection. . . "

After much hesitation, on July 3, 1944, the British government consented to the establishment of a Jewish Brigade with hand-picked Jewish and also non-Jewish senior officers. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at On September 20, 1944, an official communique by the War Office announced the formation of the Jewish Brigade Group of the British Army. The Zionist flag was officially approved as its standard. A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification It included more than 5,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine organized into three infantry battalions and several supporting units. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists

The contemporary newspapers dismissed it as a "token" (The New York Times on page 12) and "five years late" (The Manchester Guardian). The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group.

Battles and Berihah

400 volunteers from the Brigade fought in Libya in the battle of Bir-el Harmat. The Battle of Bir-el Harmat was an action during the Western Desert Campaign of World War II between 2 June and 11 June 1942.

Under the command of Brigadier Ernest Benjamin, the Jewish Brigade fought against the Germans in Italy from March 1945 until the end of the war in May 1945, including the liberation of Rome, and a Papal audience for representatives of the liberating Allied units. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Then it was stationed in Tarvisio, near the border triangle of Italy, Yugoslavia, and Austria. Tarvisio ( German and Friulian: Tarvis, Slovenian: Trbiž) is a town in Italy located in the northeastern part of the region Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich There it played a key role in the Berihah's efforts to help Jews escape Europe for Palestine, a role many of its members would continue after the Brigade disbanded. Berihah, or "Brichah" ( was the organized effort that helped Jews escape post- Holocaust Europe to Palestine. Among its projects was the education and care of the Selvino children. sciesopoli2jpg|250px|thumb|right]]The Selvino children were a group of approximately 800 Jewish children orphaned by the Holocaust, rescued after World War II from

In July 1945, the Brigade moved to Belgium and the Netherlands. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

After the war members of the Jewish Brigade formed assassination squads in order to execute former SS and Wehrmacht officers who had participated in atrocities against European Jews. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Information regarding the whereabouts of these war criminals was either gathered by torturing imprisoned Nazis or by way of military connections. [4]

The Jewish Brigade was disbanded in the summer of 1946.

Legacy

Out of some 30,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine who served in the British Army during WWII, more than 700 were killed during active duty. Some of the Jewish Brigade members subsequently became key participants of the new State of Israel's Israel Defense Force. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit

Partial list of notable veterans of the Jewish Brigade

Resources

See also

References

  1. ^ Beckman (1999), p51
  2. ^ a b Goldstein, Joseph (1995), Jewish History in Modern Times, pp122-123
  3. ^ Howard Blum, The Brigade. p. 5
  4. ^ Morris Beckman, The Jewish Brigade, p. 213

External links

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a national institution located adjacent to The National Mall in Washington D Yad Vashem (יד ושם also spelled Yad VaShem; "Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority" is Israel 's official memorial to the Jewish (אריאל
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