VIRTUAL JEWISH MUSEUM

Jewish Brigade Group

Pins, ribbons, patches and memorabilia of the Jewish Brigade Group.

'Enlist' Label

Germany initiated the War by attacking Poland on September 1, 1939. By October, 26,000 Jews of Palestine had enlisted in the British army. This label declares 'Enlist'. A soldier in uniform blows the shofar as a call to arms. Above we read 'for the sake of Freedom, for the sake of the Nation and the Land'.

Letter of Recommendation

This letter in Hebrew, dated 1940, recommends a young Jew for enlistment in the British army. It is written by the 'Mukhtar' (headman or mayor) of a neighborhood in Petach Tikvah. 'Yefet ben Busi born in Yemen has been here since arrival in 1920. I'm recommending him to be accepted in His Majesty's army.' 29 July 1940.

Eligible recruit.1942

The Tel Aviv recruiting office issued this certificate of eligibility to Moshe Livni, age 41, for enlistment in the Royal Engineers as a clerk. Dated May 1, 1942.

Jewish Palestinian Soldier

This soldier had his picture taken in uniform and printed as a postcard. He wrote on the back 'I give my picture as a memento to my friend Aryeh. 1 January 1945. Yaakov Kuperstein'.

Soldier Lights Menorah

This soldier in uniform lights the Chanukah menorah with is daughter. The caption is a line from the Chanukah song Maoz Tzur which celebrates Jewish salvation from enemies on numerous occasions.

Luach.pages

This booklet is a handbook of information for Jewish soldiers. It shows basic information on weapons, first aid, maps, and a glossary of terms in Hebrew and English. It is part of a much larger booklet that included a Jewish calendar for 5702/1941-2. It was published by the 'National Committee for the Jewish Soldier In Palestine'.

Luach.1st Aid, Conduct

Included are 59 items regarding soldier conduct, such as: Shave, Shower, Trim etc. regularly, Contain food, Maintain clean quarters, Restrain sexual behavior, Follow orders & instructions completely, Learn from others, Don't embarass the uniform, Write home regularly, Become expert in shooting, etc. etc.

Book.Soldiers From Judea

Rabbi L. Rabinowitz was Senior Jewish Chaplain in the MEF and the 8th Army. He wrote this memoir about the early Palestinian Jewish Units in the British Army in the Middle East, covering years 1941-43. Published in October '44, it was already in its 4th printing. He describes the positive spirit of these soldiers and their remarkable unity and adaptability to British military, despite coming from a myriad of origins.

Book.Soldiers From Judea

At first, cultural differences with the gentile soldiers created friction. Rabinowitz describes the remarkable range of their talents and skills. The first units, 'Pioneers' were given menial assignments, until their value was recognized.

Libya.1943.Kriss

The Jewish recruits formed 15 companies. They were attached to the East Kent Regiment, known as 'The Buffs'. They were mainly assigned guard duty, with limited training & equipment. The companies then formed 3 infantry battalions establishing the Palestine Regiment. In 1943 they were moved to Libya and Egypt. Private Kriss is in that regiment, in the Middle East Forces.

First Battalion

Private Habshush is in the first battalion. By the time he sent this letter he was in Europe. His return address shows he is in the 1st Battalion, Jewish Brigade Group, in the BAOR. The British Army Of the Rhine was the occupying force in the British Zone of Germany after the war. Habshush was a prosperous Yemenite family in Palestine.

Replace. First Battalion

Also a member of the first Battalion

Libya.October 1943

Mailed 25 October 1943 from the field, in North Africa. Addressed to Jerusalem. O.A.S. means 'On Active Service'. Field postmark and 2 censor marks. 'Written in Hebrew'.

Libya.October 43.2nd Battalion

The return address tells us the sender was a corporal in B company of the 2nd battalion in the Palestine Regiment, all part of the British Middle East Forces. They were staioned in Libya.

Euope.3rd Battalion.Rutenberg

A. Rutenberg was in the 3rd battalion. Mailed 10 April 1946. the war is almost over. He is stationed with BAOR - the British Army of the Rhine, in Europe. The purple stamping identifies his unit: 3rd Jewish Bn, The Palestine Regiment.

Brigade.medal awarded.royal Engineers

H. Schoenfeld was one of the thousands of Jewish Palestinians who volunteered with the British Army, serving with the Royal Engineers. As a sapper, he was active in mines and demolition. After the war he was awarded the 'Defense Medal' for his service.

Mirzky.MTO.Egypt

Mailed from North Africa/Egypt to Palestine 4 July 1944. On Active Service. Showing a British ship censorship cancel. From MTO, peraps Motor Transport Officer. Written in Hebrew.

RASC.Egypt.1945

Private Joseph Pollak is based near Cairo, Egypt. His unit address is RASC )= Royal Army Service Corps) and MEF (=Middle East Forces). He works for EFI, (Expeditionary Forces) a unit that supplies front line soldiers. The letter is about his personal effects. 6 July 1945

Cyprus.Steinberg.1941

Mailed from Cyprus 21 October 1941 by a corporal to Rishon Le Tziyon Palestine. Chatty letter in English. Several censor marks. Arrive 7 November. The British wanted the Jewish troops out of Palestine so they were deployed in North Africa and Cyprus.

Brigade.cover.Enlist label.Ju 44

From a soldier in Libya, mailed 13 June 1944. The field post office # 518 identifies its origin. Due to registration postage had to be added. The patriotic envelope bears a sticker in Hebrew: 'You love them, Fight for them, Enlist'. The wife and daughter are shown under the Zionist flag.

Libya.Lebda.1943

Much of the Jewish Palestinians' work in Libya was guard duty and transport. They also helped local Jews and taught their children Hebrew. This photo was taken at Leptis-Magna, today called Lebda, near Tripoli. They wear summer British uniforms, and proudly show the Magen David.

Palestine Patch and Tags

The Palestine Regiment soldiers wore the British Uniform. Their shoulder patch included the strip 'Palestine'. Soldiers wore dogtags for identification. The red one is stamped'Jew'. The grey one is stamped 'Jew' and also 'Pal'. Of course their name and serial number also appeared.

Schafer.Pal.1945.Transit camp

Mailed at Haifa (731) 6 November 1945 to Transit Camp of the Middle East Forces. The Hebrew letter included mentions family matters.

ARAB Palestinian POW.1941

One battalion of Arab Palestinians fought for the British. Yacoub Eid was one of about 1200. He was captured and ended up in German POW camp III-D near Berlin. He sent this form card to the Red Cross on 28 April 1941. It seems to say he was well and not wounded. It arrived in Switzerland on 25 September !

Get Authorization.1941

Louis Barnett Pasher of Tel Aviv had joined the British army. He was concerned that if he didn't return from battle his wife Elise Barber might remain a 'chained wife', unable to re-marry. He signed this form authorizing the rabbis of Jerusalem to prepare and deliver a bill of divorce to her if he has not returned within a year of cessation of hostilities. Witnessed by 2 rabbis 18 June 1941.

POW.Stalag VIIIB.1941

Some 1500 Jewish volunteers were taken prisoner from campaigns in Greece and Crete in 1941. They ended up in Camp VIII-B in Lamsdorf, Silesia. Most worked in labor battalions. This photo was taken there. They were liberated as the Red Army advanced February - April 1945.

POW.Italy

Arnold Fastmann is a soldier of the Palestine Regiment. He is a POW held in Camp 65, located near Bari in southern Italy.Mailed 2 June '43 through the Red Cross to Haifa. "I'm fine..why don't you write to me...".

ITALY.1944.Goldenberg

Active service soldier mail, sent 24 Dec 1943 from Italy to Tel Aviv. The 178 General Transport company had just been transferred to Taranto, Italy. They supplied troops but also began to get involved in the needs of escaping and surviving Jews.

Buffs_/ Palestinian Unit Pin

The Palestine Infantry Companies were attached to the Royal East Kent Regiment, known as the "Buffs". This is their uniform pin.

Siddur for British Soldiers.Buffs

Based on the WWI siddur of 1914, this edition is dated 1941. Traditional prayers in Hebrew and English, including the 'Havineinu' abbreviated Amidah. Prayers for war, service, wounded, and fallen soldiers. This soldier from Haifa was in the Palestine company of the 'Buffs'.

Siddur.War prayers

Quotes from the Jewish Bible. Some from Psalms of King David regarding his battles.

Siddur.Prayer for king

The standard prayer for the government, with specific mention of King George, Queen Elizabeth, and members of the royal family.

Jewish Brigade Group.ENLIST.official

On 20 September 1944 the formation of the 'Jewish Brigade Group' was formally announced. It was based on the existing Palestine Regiment. This booklet incorporates articles from Ben Gurion, Shertok (Sharett), Churchil, and the Jewish Agency. All encourage Jews to enlist in the Jewish Brigade.

Brigade.Shoulder Patches

These are the uniform shoulder patches of the Jewish Brigade Group. The Hebrew letters Chet/Yud/Lamed stand for the Hebrew name of the group: 'Chativah Yehudit Lochemet'. They also spell the word 'Chayal' meaning 'soldier'.

Uniform.Armpatches

Leo Tausik had his picture taken in Brussels,Belgium, after his unit was sent there. He is in full uniform with his Brigade patches clearly visible on his left shoulder. He marked on the back 'December 1945'.

Shoulder Patch.variation

This Brigade patch has the addition of a piece identifying it as Eretz Yisrael/Palestine. I haven't found a confirmation of this variety.

Brigade Training centre.1945

The Brigade headquarters was in the Egyptian desert, between Alexandria and El Alamein. This was the training center for the Brigade of 5,000 men. Mailed to a soldier there from Tel Aviv on 27 March 1945.

Brigade Group Depot.Egypt.Benaroyo.1945

Mailed to the Brigade Group Depot in Egypt July 1945 from Bulgaria.

Bari Italy.1945Levin.CMF

Corporal Levin was stationed in Italy. This mail from Bari is addressed to him with the Royal Engineers in the CMF (=Central Mediterranean Force). He may no longer have been there by January 1946.

Jewish Field Regiment.Italy.artillery

Established in Fall 1944, the Jewish Field Regiment 200 arrived in Italy and attached to the Brigade. This artillery battery supported troops with cannon and anti-aircraft guns in the battles at the Sanyo River in March/April 1945. This military stationery was given as a souvenir in April '46.

ATS.Egypt.from Italy

Women were recruited to fill a variety of non-combat roles in the war. J. Seltzer is with his Palestine Regiment in Italy. He writes on 26 April '45 to his wife T. Seltzer of the ATS serving in the (Suez) Canal area. The women were drivers, medical orderlies, office personel, clerks, etc., freeing men for front-line duties.

178 Coy.RASC.1945

The 178th transport company had joined the Brigade in Italy in January '45. They moved with them to Belgium in July, and to the Netherlands in September. This cover must have been sent from their last station. RASC = Royal Army Service Corps.

Belgium.440.178 co.1946

Writing from Antwerp, Belgium, Driver Lajchter addresses his parents in Tel Aviv. He too is part of the 178th transport company, attached to the Jewish Brigade Group.

2nd. Btln.Dina.ATS.1946

The sender's address has been overwritten and is faint. He is A. Ben Zvi of the J.B.G. with the B.A.O.R., which was the British Liberation Army after the war. He writes to Dina Ben Zvi in Givatayim. She has written ATS with her name over the return address.We see the imprint of the '2nd Jewish B(attaliio)N Palestine Regiment'.

Levitzky.2BN.BAOR.1946

Sargeant Levitzky of the 2nd Jewish Battalon Palestine Regiment attached to the BAOR writes to his wife Esther in Tel Aviv in April '46. The APO 690 processed British soldier mail in Europe. The Brigade was disbanded a few months later.

3rd Battalion.Holland,1945

Mailed from Nijmegen, Holland 13 October 1945 to Ranana Palestine, Etzion Barkai writes home to his parents. The field post office # 860 is identified with the British Liberation Army. Barkai is part of the Third battalion of the Palestine Regiment.

Belgium.Argentina.1946

Mailed from Argentina in 1946 to private Walter Seger who is in the 3rd Battalion, in Belgium. The Brigade had been moved to Belgium and Holland in July 1945.

Brigade.Service Book.

Zaharias Negris was a 'fitter' in the Royal Engineers. Like all soldiers, he had to carry this book which records his vital information, medical particulars, and a record of his service.

Brigade.service book.c.I D page

Negris served from November 1940 until honorably discharged in December of 1945. He was awarded the African Star for his service. His wife's name is Rasel. His home address is noted as The Bulgarian Synagogue in Petah Tiqvah.

Service Book.Final Pay

His pay at discharge was almost 60 British Pounds.

Discharge Testimonial

Testimonial from his superior: "An honest conscientious man; can take charge of small gangs. Speaks Greek, Turkish, and Hebrew. Teetotal (non-drinker)".

Travel pass.Kleiner.1946

Soldier Kleiner, a sapper in the Royal Engineers, has been granted this travel pass, at the expense of the Army. Dated 12 June 1946 - the war had ended on May 8th. They are at Villach, Austria transit camp. Kleiner may not have told his superior that he was likely travelling to smuggle survivors to Italy and Palestine.

Brigadiers help Survivors

20 years after the war, Israel issued this stamp showing survivors and the word 'Zechor' (remember). In the corner we see a soldier helping a camp survivor. They are both wearing Jewish stars: the survivor wears his Nazi- imposed yellow badge; the soldier in uniform wears the Jewish Brigade patch on his shoulder, with the blue star. This is how many Brigadiers ended their service.

Synagogue/Ambulance flyer

Britain's chief rabbi Joseph Hertz organized the Religious Emergency Council in 1940. They created a scheme to send mobile vans to Europe that would double as synagogues and ambulances. Thus both religious and humanitarian needs could be met for devastated Jewish communities. R' Solomon Schonfeld led this project.

Flyer.Mobile Synagogue/Ambulance

The flyer lists all of the religious and medical supplies that each van would carry. The cost of each van was 2000 British pounds.The back page is a sign-up sheet for full or partial donations and dedications.

Photo.Synagogue/Ambulance

This is a photo of one such actual van. 50 were anticipated but in all 13 actually arrived and circulated in European communities. Inscribed "Congregation of the Jewish People" and "Synagogue - Ambulance". In front stand 4 soldiers. The one on our right bears the Jewish Brigade patch on his left shoulder.

New Year card.1944

Tzvi Hollander in the Palestine Regiment sent this tiny New Year's card on 19 September 1944. He is in the Royal Army Service Corps of the Middle East Forces.

New Year card. 1945

Tzvi Katz sent this New Year's card to his parents on the eve of Rosh Hashana 1945. He is in a Palestine company, the Jewish Unit for General Transport in the Royal Service Corps. The card is marked in Hebrew 'Austria'. They were active there helping in refugee camps.

Newspaper for Soldiers

"Lahayal" ('for the soldier) newspaper was printed and distributed for Jewish soldiers in Europe. It had news of battles, capitulations, refugees, survivors, demonstrations, etc. This one dated 6 May 1945. Headline: "The Final Hour of European Battle Is Near".

Rev Lifshiz.Chaplain

Reverend Jacob Lifshiz sent this envelope from Brigade headquarters in Egypt. He was a military chaplain and later Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Brigade Group. He eventually was a member of the First Israeli Knesset. He took the last name 'Gil'.

Brigade History.

Rabbi Lifshiz-Gil published this book in 1950 in Hebrew, titled Sefer Habrigada Hayehudit (The Book of the Jewish Brigade). The English title is 'A History of the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group'. This was already the 3rd edition. He tells how he made notes late at night all thru the experience.

Brigade History

Among Gil's points: the British soldiers did not welcome them, did not mix with them, even to share meals. He also observes that this battle training and experience were crucial in the development of Israel Defense force only a few years later.

Chaplain Eshkoli.1945

Jewish chaplain Eshkoli writes in 1945 to the Eiges family in Tel Aviv. "Visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital in Italy, I found your son Corporal Yitzchak Eiges. ..He is lucky - his condition is not serious...we can expect a complete recovery...He is in very good spirits...".

Airletter Text.Chaplain.Eiges.visit POW

Chaplain.Hat Badge

The British army chaplains belonged to the Royal Army Chaplain Department. This was the cap badge of the Jewish chaplains, in use from 1940 - 1955.

Brigade Badge?

Internet descriptions vary and conflict regarding this badge. Was it a chaplain badge, a Settlement Police badge, or did it relate to Africa, having noting to do with Palestine?

Parachutists

32 volunteers were trained to be parachuted behind enemy lines in Europe. They were dropped between 1943 and 1945. 9 were captured and 7 were then killed, including the famous Hannah Senesh. The Jewish National Fund (KKL) issued labels to honor the memory of those 7. parachutists.

Parachutists Commemorated

The army volunteers were commemorated in 1955. Israel issued a stamp showing a parachutist dropping behind barbed wire. '10th Anniversary of Jewish Parachutists'. The envelope is illustrated with a version of the Jewish Brigade symbol.

Deccorations and lapel Pins

The horizontal pin showing the flag was a battle-type decoration which Israel issued after every service in conflict. - this one for Brigade veterans. The pins are also worn by veterans.

Commemorative Book.Hahitnadvut

This photo album preserves memories of the 'Volunteers' of the Jewish Brigade. It is undated but from a 'Celebration on the 10th anniversary of the Brigades entry to the front'. Likely 1955. Photos of men, women, chaplains, dignitaries and active soldiers. The Brigade symbol includes the blue and white patch with a sword and a wreath that is half chain and half olive branch.

Brigade.Siddur.a.title

Brigade medal

Thirty-year anniversary medal for the Jewish Brigade. Note the enameled colors immitating the shoulder patch. The second battalion is specifically mentioned.