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Tuvia Book
Author, educator, Tour-Guide, artist

WWI Centenary: The Zionist Contribution to Great Britain’s War Effort

As we commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of WWI it is important to remember that in addition to the horrendous slaughter on the battlefields, or maybe as a result of that killing, the face of the modern Middle East was altered forever. Until the outbreak of the war the Middle East was all part of the ailing Ottoman Empire, and had been for four centuries. To paraphrase John Lennon, there were, “no countries and no borders.” The collapse of the Ottomans at the culmination of the conflict led to Great Britain and France carving up the Empire into mandates which ultimately led to many new nation-states. The Zionist movement actively sought an Allied victory and made three major contributions toward that end: The Zion Mule Corps, The Jewish Legion and Nili.

Zion Mule Corps 1915

Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky first raised the idea of a Jewish fighting unit in the British armed forces on December 1914. Yosef Trumpeldor, a Zionist who had been the first Jewish military officer in the Russian Army, an honour earned by outstanding bravery, supported this. By the end of March 1915, 500 Jewish volunteers from among the Jews in Egypt (deported by the Turks) had started training. The British military command initially opposed the participation of Jewish volunteers on the Palestinian front or in an infantry unit and suggested that the volunteers serve instead as a detachment for mule transport on some other sector of the Turkish front.

Trumpeldor succeeded in forming the 650-strong “Zion Mule Corps,” of whom 562 were sent to the Gallipoli front where Trumpeldor led his troops with great distinction. The bravery and courage of the men in the Corps was a key factor in convincing the British to establish Jewish Infantry Brigades, known as the Jewish Legion.

General Sir lan Hamilton, British commander at Gallipoli remarked to Jabotinsky:

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.”

Jewish Legion 1917

Jabotinsky pursued his project of a Jewish Legion for the Palestinian front. Finally, on August 1917, the formation of a Jewish regiment was officially announced. Jabotinsky was commissioned as an officer in the unit. The unit was designated as the 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and included British volunteers, members of the former Zion Mule Corps and a large number of Russian Jews. In April of 1918, the 39th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers joined it, more than 50 percent of who were American volunteers.

The unit fought with distinction against the Ottoman Turks and was the first British force to cross the Jordan River. They were assigned a menorah with the Hebrew word “Kadima” (forward/east) as their unit insignia. This was the first Jewish fighting force fighting in the Land of Israel since Bar Kochba’s insurrection against Rome in the second century of the Common Era.

Nili 1915–1917

Nili was a secret, pro-British spying organisation that operated under Turkish rule in Palestine during World War I under the leadership of the world-famous agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn, Sarah Aaronsohn, Yosef Lishansky and Avshalom Feinberg. The organisation’s name was an acronym for the Hebrew verse “Netzah Yisrael Lo Yeshaker – the strength of Israel will not deceive” (I Samuel 15:29), which served as its password.

Nili was founded by a number of Jews in the moshavot (settlements) who believed that the future of the Jews depended upon the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) being taken over by Britain. The group did not enjoy the full support of all the Jews in the Land of Israel. In February 1917, contact was first established between the espionage center in Atlit and British intelligence in Cairo. The connections were maintained by sea for several months during which the British received invaluable information, including Turkish troop positions and water deposits collected by the group.

Sarah_AaronsohnSarah Aaronson (1890-1917)

The Turks later uncovered the network and in October 1917, Turkish soldiers surrounded Zichron Ya’akov and arrested numerous people, including Aaronsohn’s sister, Sarah, who committed suicide after four days of torture. Before she died she wrote a letter to Aaron in which she stated:

I haven’t the strength to suffer any more…in vain did they try all kinds of tortures on us. We did not speak…I aspired to save my people.”

After the war, one British Officer stated, in acknowledging the debt of the British to Nili:

It was very largely the daring work of young spies, most of them natives of Palestine, which enabled the brilliant Field Marshal (Allenby) to accomplish his undertaking so effectively. The leader (in Palestine) of the spy system was a young Jewess, a Miss Sarah Aaronsohn.”

About the Author
Tuvia Book has a doctorate in education and is the author and illustrator of the internationally acclaimed Israel education curriculum; "For the Sake of Zion; A Curriculum of Israel Studies" (Fifth edition, Koren), "Jewish Journeys, The Second Temple Period to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, 536 BCE-136 CE," (Koren), "Moral Dilemmas of the Modern Israeli Soldier" (Rama) and the soon to be published “Jewish Journeys, The First Temple Period, 1000 -586 BCE” (Koren). Dr. Book was born in London and raised in both the UK and South Africa. After making Aliya at the age of 17 and studying in Yeshiva he volunteered for the IDF, where he served in an elite combat unit. Upon his discharge he completed his undergraduate degree in Jewish history and literature, as well as a certification in graphic design. He then served as the Information Officer and deputy head of security at the Israeli Consulate of Philadelphia, while earning a graduate degree in Jewish Studies. Upon his return to Israel, Dr. Book graduated from a course of study with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and is a licensed tour guide. Tuvia has been working in the field of Jewish education, both formal and informal, for many years. He has guided and taught Jewish students and educators from around the English-speaking world for some of Israel’s premier educational institutions and programs. Tuvia has lectured throughout North America, Australia, Europe, and South Africa. In addition, his artwork has been commissioned on every continent (except Antarctica). Tuvia served as a Shaliach (emissary) for the Jewish Agency for Israel as the Director of Israel and Zionist Education at the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York (Jewish Education Project). He was a lecturer/educational guide at the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE) in Israel. Tuvia has lectured at both Bar Ilan University and Hebrew University. He is a Teaching Fellow at the Tikvah Fund. He is a research associate at the Hudson Institute. His latest book, "Jewish Journeys, The First Temple Period, From King David to King Zedekiah, 1000 - 586 BCE," (Koren) is part of a series on Jewish history.