The Jewish Legion—Brave Beginnings of Volunteer Regiment

(1917. 1961)
By JOSEF FRAENKEL
From time to time there have been
men whose aim it was to create
a Jewish army in order to recon-
quer Palestine. There was David
Airoy (in 1160) as well as David
Reubeni (in 1524). In 1799,
Napoleon called on the Jews to
join his army and to return to
their a n c i e nt land. Theodor
Herzl, too, spoke of the necessity
for a Jewish army. The idea, how-
ever, to bring into existence a
Jewish Legion which would fight
for the liberation of Palestine
under the British was that of Vla-
dimir Jabotinsky, and one which
he carried out.

During World War I Jewish
soldiers fought on all battle-fields
of the Allies (England, France,
Russ i a, the United States of
America) and - of the Central
European Powers (Germany, Aus-
tria, Turkey). More than 150,000
died as German. Turkish, English
or Russian soldiers.

The World Zionist Organization,
stressings its neutrality, had
opened an office in Copenhagen.
Members of the Zionist Execu-
tive worked in Germany and
England, trying to obtain pro-
Zionist declarations.

Understandably, there were
Zionists who were not concerned
about neutrality, among them
Jabotinsky and Weizmann. They
were convinced that England
would win the war and the col-
lapse of the Turkish Empire would
make the existence of a Jewish
Palestine possible.
*

Palestine was ruled by Djemal
Pasha, governor and commandant
of the Fourth Army Corps. lie
hated Arabs, Christians and Jews
and wanted to destroy Jewish
colonization. Although Jews who
were or became Turkish subjects
reported for military service, and
even made proposals for a Jewish
milita, he persecuted them and
expelled thousands of them, who
went to Alexandria. It was there
that at the end of 1914 Jabotinsky
met Joseph Trumpeldor. Trum-
peldor was enthusiastic about the
plan to form a Jewish Legion with
these refugees, a Legion that was
to fight for the liberation of Pal-
estine. But General Maxwell, Com-
mander of the British Troops in
Egypt, did not accept the proposi-
tion for various reasons, one of
them being that Palestine was not
yet the scene of military action. lie
suggested, however, the formation
of a "Zion Mule Corps", which was
to go into act ion in Gallipoli.
Jabotinsky did not want to be
associated with Gallipoli, b u t
Trumpeldor, and with him 650 vol-
unteers, accepted. Col. Henry Pat-
terson took over the command of
"Zion Mule Corps". whose flag was
the "Magen David". About ten per
cent of the men were killed or
wounded, and the services of the
Corps were fully recognized by the
military authorities. It was dis-
banded in May 1916.

formation of two battalions of Jew- Jewish regiments "making history".
In Palestine itself requests for
young Jewish volunteers for the ish volunteers (Royal Fusiliers),
Jewish regiment permission to soon to be known as "The Ju- more recruits became unnecessary:
leave the country. Attached to the deans," under the command of volunteers joined from the colonies
memorandum were letters f r o m Patterson. Their symbol was the and from the towns. Jewish soldiers
Benckendorff and Genera l Ian "Menora", with the inscription came from America. among them
Hamilton, the Commander-in-Chief, "Kadima." When on February 4. Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and David Ben-
commending Jabotinsky, and from 1918, a Jewish contingent in full Gurion, and from Canada and
Brigadier General R. C. Boyle and battle dress marched through the Argentina. The number of regi-
Brigadier General N. Malcolm for city, their blue-white flag with the ments rose to three: Nos. 38, 39,
"Magen David" bearing in Hebrew and 40 Royal Fusiliers under the
Trumpeldor.
Also enclosed were Nos. 1-23 of the words: "If I forget thee, Jeru- commands of Patterson Eliezer
the Yiddish daily, "Unzer Tribune" salem. let my right hand forget her Margolin and F. D. Samuel respec-
with its propaganda for recruit- cunning", the delight of the Jews, tively.
ment. The letter of Lloyd George, even of former opponents. was
The Jewish Legion played an
a Welshman and lover of the Old immense. A band of the Cold- important part in the occupation of
stream
Guards
played
the
"Ilatik-
Testament, concluded "We ask for
South Palestine, conquered the
the Jew the privilege the Welsh- va," and the Whitechapel became Jordan fortress Umm Es Shert,
man has to fight for his country; a scene of unbounded enthusiasm. and forced a crossing over the
to fight like the Welshman does, It was an unforgettable day for the river Jordan. General Allenby ex-
in regiments of his own, not scat- Jews of London, so the papers re- pressed his praise in an official
ported. Four weeks later, when report. The Jewish Legion made
tered and nameless".
The Times and the Manchester the Jewish Legion marched through itself responsible for law and or-
the streets of Cairo, there again der in the land after the war. It
The decision about the Jewish Guardian published leading art-
they were greeted enthusiastically was demobilized in October 1920.
Legion, however, rested with Lon- icles favourable to the plan. It also
and the women showered flowers
don. Weizmann, Joseph Cowen, received the support of Col. H.
After more than two thousand
upon the soldiers. Sir Reginald
the President of the Zionist Fed- Patterson and Captain L. Amery. Wingate, the British High Corn- 1 years the Jewish Legion was the
eration. Dr. M. D. Eder, Israel Jewish personalities of standing
first Jewish contingent to fight for
missioner in Egypt, welcomed them
Zangwill and Herbert Samuel were and influence, however, exerted
a Jewish Palestine. It brought
and expressed the view that "the
sympathetic, but by far the major- strong pressure upon the govern.
higher esteem to the Jewish image
Jewish nation would be able to in the countries of the Allies and
ity of the Zionist and Russian Jews ment to refuse consent.
•
create
a
successful
national
home
were against the plan. Grossman
kindled the flame of Zionism to
Nine weeks before the Balfour in Palestine". He was pleased with new deeds.
came to London to give his sup-
port, and a Yididsh daily, "Unzer Declaration, on Aug. 23, 1917, the
Friday, May 19, 1967-29
Tribune," was published for a London Gazette announced the I THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
short period.
There were meetings in White-
chapel which anti-Zionists, Bun-
dists, anarchists and the like tried
to disrupt. These were rather tur-
bulent, and quite often Jabotinsky
and Grossman were physically at-
tacked.
On January 24. 1917 Jabotinsky
and Trumpeldor wrote to the
Prime Minister, Mr. Lloyd George,
setting out in a detailed memor-
andum their proposal for raising
a Jewish regiment for service in
Palestine. to be composed of Rus-
sian and English Jews. There were
already 650 applications, many of
them from members of the former
"Zionist Mule Corps." Further re-
cruitment, it was suggested. should
have official s u p port and the
British Government should declare
that the "future of Palestine would
he favourable to Zionist aspira-
tions." A Jewish regiment, so the
memorandum explained, would
also be of political signifance, espe-
cially in America. The Government
should therefore "give a certain
official recognition to the old Zion-
ist idea of the Jewish people and
call on the Jewish youth to fight
on the side of the Allies for the
liberation of Palestine." Russian
Jews living in France would come
forward and those living in neutral
countries and, as time went on.
recruitment in America and Russia
could also be contemplated. "Its
results, in recruits as well as in
pro-Entente feeling. would be very
considerable."
Jabotinsky and Trumpeldor fur-
ther stated in the memorandum that
mattim55555 with4i55554,5V,w-0
the late Russian ambassador in Lon-
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don, Benckendorff. and the Russian
SATISFACTION
Minister Smirnoff in Cairo, had
people who don't like to run out of
GUARANTEED
informed them of the Russian Gov-
hot water. We're so sure you'll like

to Copenhagen to address a meet- ernment's willingness to gran t

ing for propaganda purposes. He
was not allowed to speak in Ger-
man, and if he had used English,
French or Hebrew, the audience
would not have understood him.
Danish he did not know. It was
suggested to him that he should
give his talk in Yiddish only, which
at that time he could not speak.
Jabotinsky agreed, and three to
four weeks sufficed for him to
learn the language. Leading Zion-
ists were not willing to take the
chair, but among a group of Rus-
sian Jews in Copenhagen was Mier
Grossman, the editor of the Yiddish
paper, "Di Tribune", and he agreed
to preside over the meeting. Jabo-
tinsky gave a brilliant talk in Yid-
dish, which lasted more than two
hours.
* *

We can keep you in hot water.
In fact, we guarantee it!

Communal Service Parley
During the First World War Eng- to Be Held Next Week;
land and Germany vied with each
Avrunin to Preside
other to gain the goodwill of the

Jews over the world, especially
in America. Whereas German prop-
aganda pointed to the Jew-hatred
of the Cossacks and to Russia as
the land of the pogroms. England
made sure that the misdeeds of

Djemal Pasha became known. The
existence of the "Zion Mule Corps"
caused Germany to view favour-
ably the formation of a "Jewish
Legion" in occupied Poland, which
was to fight for Turkey: but in
spite of German intervention, Con-
stantinople was against the plan.
• • •
In the meantime, Jabotinsky was
persistent, unbending and inde-
fatigable in his activities. The Zion-
ist leaders still upheld neutrality;
and the Jewish masses were
against Russia, the land of po-
groms and the ally of Britain. For
these reasons certain special ob-
stacles were put in Jabotinsky's
way when, in August 1915, he came

NEW YORK — The 69th annual
meeting of the National Conference
of Jewish Communal Service will
be held at the Deauville Hotel, At-
lantic City, Thursday through May
28, it was announced by William

Avrunin, executive director of. the
Jewish Welfare Federation of De-
troit and president of the confer-
ence.
Theme of the four-day sessions
will be "Jewish Communal Service:
The Oncoming Generation." Some
1,000 professional workers in the
fields of Jewish health, welfare
and communal services will attend.
More than 100 individual work-
shop sessions will be offered on
topics which include volunteer ac-
tivities in the Jewish center, a re-
view and evaluation of Jewish tvo-
cational service programs in the
war against poverty, Jewish com-
munal services and college youth
and Negro attitudes towards Jews.

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