This photograph, taken in 1939, shows Jewish soldiers in the British Army. The man in the centre of the photograph is holding a glass of wine and is probably reciting Kiddush, the blessing over wine. Next to him are three other soldiers – two women and a man. On the table are two Shabbat candles. This photograph was probably staged, maybe as an advertisement calling upon the Yishuv (the Jewish population of pre-state Israel) to enlist. The image might have intended to guarantee to new recruits that they would be able to observe Jewish traditions when serving in the British Army.
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The Jewish Brigade - During World War II, people of all ages were conscripted to serve in the army in a wide variety of roles. British Jews and Jews living in pre-State Israel were encouraged to enlist in order to fight the Nazis and rescue the Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe. For Jews living in the Yishuv, this was quite controversial. Some felt that Jews must help the British fight the Nazis and help Jews in need; others, however, believed that they must continue to fight against British rule in Palestine. In 1939, the British government published the White Paper that acted as governing policy for Mandatory Palestine. In the White Paper the British government limited Jewish immigration to Israel and the purchase of land from Arabs in order to restrict the building of new settlements. These restrictions caused much anxiety in the Jewish world due to the plight of the Jews in Europe and the large number of refugees looking to immigrate to Israel. In response to this complex situation, David Ben-Gurion, then head of the Jewish Agency (and later prime minister of the State of Israel) said: “We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper.”
Despite this controversy, many Jews from the Yishuv did indeed enlist and joined the Jewish Brigade, founded by the British in 1944. The Brigade was commanded by British-Jewish officers and fought the Germans in Italy. Women from the Yishuv also volunteered to the British Army and joined the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) and ATF (Auxiliary Territorial Service). The women were posted to units in Israel, Syria, and Lebanon and worked in arms and ammunition depots as, for example, nursing orderlies, clerks, and drivers.
