Forgotten Heroes

Forgotten Her es The Jewish Legion

By Avi Heiligman

For over a century in Eretz Yisrael there was a debate in the Zionist leadership if they should send soldiers to fight on either side during World War I. Many in the Yishuv had come from countries that were cur rently fighting, and there was concern that the Ottoman Empire was about to collapse. There had been some training of Jewish men in the Ottoman Army but the Turkish com mander stopped it and instigated acts of prosecution against the Yishuv. In the end, a group of local Jews decid ed to join the British Army. This unit became known as the Jewish Legion, and many Jews from many back grounds joined their ranks. Some of the members eventually helped form a defense in the post-World War I Brit ish Mandate.

The problem with joining the British Army was the British regulation against foreigners serving in their ranks. This problem was bypassed with the idea of a Jewish force that would be employed by the army for mule transport. Six-hundred-fifty men served in the ranks of the Zion Mule Corps under the command of Colonel John Henry Patterson. The leaders of the Jewish volunteers were Vladimir “Ze’ev” Jabotinsky and Joseph Trumpeldor. The commanding officer of the British Expeditionary Force, General Ian Hamilton, said of the corps, “The men have done extremely well, working their mules calmly under heavy shell and rifle fire, and thus showing a more difficult type of bravery than the men in the front line who had the excitement of combat to keep them going.” Six men were killed, 25 were injured, and Private M. Groushkowsky was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for delivering ammunition under heavy fire while preventing the mules from stampeding due to the loud noise. Ze’ev Jabotinsky

Soon the need for the mule corps was negated, and the unit was disbanded. About 120 men still wanted to stay with the British Army and were sent to serve in the London RegThen, in April 1918, the 39 th Battalion was formed. Most of its members were Jewish American and Canadian volunteers who knew that there was a good chance that they would be sent to fight for Palestine. The 39 th was formed by volunteers that were recruited by David Ben Gurion, who joined the battalion as a corporal, and Yitzchak Ben Zvi who later became the second president of Israel.

Thousands of Jews from Palestine also volunteered, and they were put into the 40 th Battalion. In addition, the 40 th had 92 Jews that were captured fighting for the Ottomans and wanted to enlist with the British. The 41 st and 42 nd Battalions were also made up of Jews but were stationed in England. These five battalions made up the Jewish Legion. An estimated 1,700 Americans, 1,500 from Eretz Yisrael, 1,400 British, 300 Ca

They were called the First Judeans and were given their own insignia

iment. The main person opposing the creation of a Jewish fighting unit was reported missing when his ship sank, and a plan was formulated to include Jews from the Yishuv into the army. In August 1917, this plan came to fruition, and the 38 th Battalion of Royal Fusiliers was formed under the command of Colonel Patterson. Half of the battalion came from Britain or from British-ruled lands, and the rest came from Eretz Yisrael, Russia, and other Allied countries. nadians, a handful of Argentineans and those released by the Ottomans served in the ranks of the Jewish Legions.

They were now ready for action and took part in the battles in the Jordan Valley and the Battle of Megiddo in 1918. The fighting in the Jordan Valley was 20 miles north of Yerushalayim, and the 38 th Battalion sustained 20 casualties. However, they succeeded in driving the Ottomans from the area. In September, the Jewish Legion fought in the Battle of Megiddo and was the nail on the coffin for the Ottomans in Palestine.

After their successes, the legion was sent across the Jordan River. Major General Edward Chaytor, the British officer in command of the legion, told Jabotinsky, “By forcing the Jordan fords, you helped in no small measure to win the great victory gained at Damascus.”

The war ended in late 1918. The Jewish Legion had about 5,000 men in five battalions stationed in Eretz Yisrael. Most of the legionnaires returned to their perspective countries, and the ones living in Eretz Yisrael wanted to join the British garrison. The British, who had received the land as part of the surrender agreement, had many openly anti-Semitic officers who despised the Jews in their army. The year after the war ended, the Jewish Legion was reduced to just one battalion. They were called the First Judeans and were given their own insignia – a menorah with the word kadima written in Hebrew.

Even though the Jewish Legion was disbanded completely in the 1920s, many of the volunteers gained valuable experience that was brought to the underground movements during the British Mandate. Until the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the former legionnaires were the backbone of the Hagana that helped drive the British out of Eretz Yisrael. The Jewish Legion Museum, in Avihayil near Netanya, was founded in the 1960s as a testament to those who served among their ranks and whose legacy lives on in the IDF.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

And We Are Back!!

Once Again, Dirshu Participants Join Together To Be Tested In Eretz Yisrael

Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

The average Dirshu member soon develops an inner core of mesiras nefesh. Without it, there is no way he can keep up with the rigorous demands of constant review and tests. But the period of Corona was something that challenged even those who are used to pushing themselves beyond the norm. Rav Dovid Hofstedter – Nasi of Dirshu, was faced by the question of how to handle this situation. He decided that Dirshu was going to carry on – no matter what. To that end, the testing continued throughout – but instead of being held in the regular places, a new system was implemented.

There were many reasons why it was absolutely valid for the tests to continue. The period of Corona had come to symbolize the idea of instability. People who had been keeping the same exact schedule for decades, suddenly found their lives tossed upside-down. Dirshu learning however was the exception – because there, the tests were still being given, even in the middle of all the craziness happening in the world.

For the members of Dirshu, the monthly tests, represented an oasis of stability in a world gone insane. Of course the money they received for good marks (the checks never stopped being sent out in the mail…) came in handy, especially when you remember how many people lost money during Corona. Once again, Dirshu something stable and reliable.

Tests were now sent to people via email. Daf HaYomi B’Halacha tests were offered through a telephone program. Dirshu even provided sets of Mishnah Berurah to participants who were stranded in “Corona Hotels,” and who wanted to continue their learning away from home. In addition to the tests and the seforim, recordings of Torah and chizuk shiurim were sent to people – everything with an eye on helping the talmidim remain steady and committed until the crises came to an end.

While thousands the world over are still taking the bechinos under the Corona restrictions, Friday, June 6, was the first regular testing day in Eretz Yisrael since everything grounded to a halt months ago. I drove over to the shul where the testing was taking place. There I met with a number of people taking the test. The first person I spoke with - Eliyahu Blau - is all of twelve years old. “Was it hard for you to keep up with the learning during this period?” “It wasn’t easy at all,” he admitted. “I didn’t have chavrusos to learn with and many times I didn’t understand. At those times I told myself that maybe I should just take a break until things go back to normal.” “What did you do then?” “I asked my father, or looked up any difficulties in the Schottenstein. I also listened to shiurim on Kol Haloshon. And every time I considered quitting, I was able to convince myself to continue by thinking about the fact that I wouldn’t be able to take the tests if I stopped the learning. The tests are very important to me, because they are helping me achieve my goal.” “What goal is that?” “To finish shas with tests.” And this is a 12 year old kid! ………………………………..

A yungerman named Yosef Chaim Batat came to take the test while pushing his two year old in a stroller. “Last month I took two tests at the same time in Yerushalayim. I knew that taking two tests at the same time would be a major challenge, but I was determined not to break my rhythm even if

Partial view of a previous Dirshu Kinyan Halacha testing site in Yerushalayim

the marks were less than I normally received. The main thing was to keep on going no matter what! The kids were home and playing all around me. I had to take care of them. I did everything I needed to do and still kept on learning. It wasn’t as deep as I was used to, but I had a certain sense of calm knowing that I was keeping to my obligations and that I was still being held accountable for the way I spent my time – even now. Even today, I came here with my kid in the stroller to take the test. Bottom line, the show must go on!!”

*Yoel Eliyahu Goldman is a fourteen year old kid learning in a Gerrer cheder. “Where are you going to yeshiva next year,” I asked him. “Either in Rishon L’tzion or in Tel Aviv.” “Did you ever meet the Gerrer Rebbe?” “Not by myself,” he replied, “but I did go in to him with my father. We came to ask the Rebbe a shaila about an operation. The Rebbe advised us to have the operation and gave me a bracha for a refuah shelayma. I was already in the hospital when the doctors did one last x-ray and told us that they were canceling it.” I next asked him when he began taking the Dirshu tests in halacha.

It all started when the Gerrer Rebbe told the bochurim that he wants them to spend at least an hour a day learning halacha. I wanted to start, but I didn’t get around to it. The Rebbe wanted to know if the bochurim were following his instructions and he asked many bochurim if they were doing as he advised. Many said no for all sorts of reasons. The Rebbe told his gabbai that he didn’t understand why they weren’t listening to him and giving him an hour of learning. When I heard those words, I asked myself, “Can’t you find an hour for the Rebbe?”

“What did you do next?”

“I signed up for Dirshu. I started just before Corona, so I only managed to do one test before everything fell apart. After everything shut down, I wasn’t able to take the tests - but I kept on learning – every day for an hour, covering all the daily ground and even more, and doing chazara as well. Now that we can be tested at the shul again, I came back.”

“What did you learn from all this?”

“It taught me that I can do what my Rebbe asks of me. No matter what!!”