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Τετάρτη 7 Σεπτεμβρίου 2011

Jewish Brigade Wikipedia)


Jewish Brigade

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other Jewish regiments, see Jewish Legion (disambiguation)
Jewish Brigade
Jewish Brigade insignia.gif JB sleeve patch.jpg
Insignia and sleeve patch of the Jewish Brigade
Active1944-1946
Country United Kingdom
BranchArmy
TypeInfantry
Size5,000 volunteers
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Ernest Benjamin
The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group[1] (more commonly known as the Jewish Brigade Group[2] or Jewish Brigade[3]) was a military formation of the British Army that served in Europe during the Second World War. The brigade was formed in late 1944,[1][2] and its personnel fought the Germans in Italy. After the war, some of them assisted Holocaust survivors to emigrate illegally to Israel, as part of Aliyah Bet.[4][5]

Contents

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[edit]Background

After World War I, the British Empire and France empires replaced the Ottoman Empire as the pre-eminent powers in the Middle East. This change brought closer the Zionist movement's goal of creating a Jewish state. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 signified the first official approval of this proposal, and led to a surge of Jewish emigration in 1918-1921, known as the "Third Aliyah".[6] The League of Nations incorporated the Declaration in the British Mandate for Palestine in 1922. Jewish immigration continued through the 1920s and 1930s, and the Jewish population expanded by over 400,000 before the beginning of the Second World War.[6]
However, in the White Paper of 1939, the British government under Neville Chamberlain abandoned the idea of establishing a Jewish Commonwealth. When World War II began in September 1939, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, famously declared: "We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper."[7]
Chaim Weizmann, the President of the World Zionist Organization, offered the British government full cooperation of the Jewish community in Palestine. Weizmann sought to establish an identifiably Jewish fighting formation (under a Jewish flag) under the auspices of the British Army. His request for a separate formation was rejected, but many Jews in Palestine wanted to fight the Nazis and joined the British Army. Some of these were formed into separate Jewish companies in their battalions[citation needed]. There was a Jewish battalion attached to the British Army’s East Kent Regiment stationed in Palestine.[5]
In all, fifteen Palestinian Jewish battalions were formed in the British Army in September 1940, and fought in Greek campaign of 1941[citation needed].
But there was no designated all-Jewish formation. Jewish groups petitioned the British government to create such a force, but the British refused.[8] At that time, the White Paper was in effect, limiting Jewish immigration and land purchases.[5]
Some British officials opposed creating a Jewish fighting force, fearing that it could become the basis for Jewish rebellion against British rule.[5] In August 1944, Winston Churchill finally agreed to the formation of a "Jewish Brigade". According to Rafael Medoff, Churchill consented because he was "moved by the slaughter of Hungarian Jewry [and] was hoping to impress American public opinion."[8]

[edit]Formation of the Jewish Brigade

Jewish Brigade headquarters under bothUnion 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... 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. 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. It included more than 5,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine organized into three infantry battalions of the Palestine Regiment and several supporting units.
  • 1st Battalion, Palestine Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, Palestine Regiment
  • 3rd Battalion, Palestine Regiment
  • 200th Field Regiment (Royal Artillery)
The contemporary newspapers dismissed it as a "token" (The New York Times on page 12) and "five years late" (The Manchester Guardian).

[edit]World War II

The Jewish Brigade Group was established as part the British Eighth Army under the leadership of Brigadier Ernest F. Benjamin.[5]
The Brigade remained in Europe at the war's end. They searched for survivors, provided survivors with aid, and assisted in their immigration to Israel.[5]

[edit]Battles and Berihah

From Palestine Regiment, two brigades, one Jewish, under the command of Brigadier Ernest Benjamin, and another Arab were sent to join allied forces on Italian Front having taken part of final offensive there fighting against the German 4th Parachute Division commanded by Generalieutenant Trettner. In addition, they were among representatives of the liberating Allied units at a Papal audience. The Jewish brigade then was stationed in Tarvisio, near the border triangle of Italy, Yugoslav, and Austria. 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. Among its projects was the education and care of the Selvino children.
In July 1945, the Brigade moved to Belgium and 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. Information regarding the whereabouts of these war criminals was either gathered by torturing imprisoned Nazis or by way of military connections.[9]
After assignment to the VIII Corps District of the British Army of the Rhine (Schleswig-Holstein) the Jewish Brigade was disbanded in the summer of 1946.[10]

[edit]Post-war activities

Main article: Tilhas Tizig Gesheften
Tilhas Tizig Gesheften (commonly known by its acronym TTG, loosely translated as "kiss [literally, lick] my ass business") was the name of a group of Jewish Brigade members formed immediately following World War II. Under the guise of British military activity, this group engaged in the assassination of Nazis, facilitated the illegal emigration of Holocaust survivors to Israel, and smuggled weaponry to the Haganah.[5]

[edit]Legacy

The Jewish Brigade inspired numerous books [11] and films.[12] In 1998, filmmakers Chuck Olin (Director) and Matthew Palm (Co-Producer) released their award-winning documentary, In Our Own Hands. The film aired on PBS in the United States, and played in numerous film festivals around the world.

[edit]Partial list of notable veterans of the Jewish Brigade

[edit]See also

[edit]References

  1. ^ a b Adler, Cyrus; Henrietta Szold (1946). American Jewish Year Book, Volume 48. Page 69: American Jewish Committee. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Teaching About the Holocaust: A Resource Book for Educators. Page 27: DIANE Publishing. 1995. ISBN 1428926372.
  3. ^ Medoff (2002), page 111
  4. ^ Medoff (2002), page 217
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Paraszczuk (2010)
  6. ^ a b Goldstein, Joseph (1995). Jewish History in Modern Times, pp. 122-123
  7. ^ Blum, Howard. The Brigade. Page 5.
  8. ^ a b Medoff, Rafael (2002). Militant Zionism in America: the rise and impact of the Jabotinsky movement. Page 111.
  9. ^ Morris Beckman, The Jewish Brigade, p. 213
  10. ^ Watson, Graham E., Rinaldi, Richard A., The British Army in Germany (BOAR and after): An organizational history 1947-2004, Tiger Lily Publications, 2005, p.7
  11. ^ Amazon (2010)
  12. ^ Olin Associates (2010)

[edit]Sources

[edit]External links

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