March 1945, Members of the Jewish Brigade in Italy

The “Jewish Fighting Unit”, also known as the “Jewish Brigade”, was a division of the British Army established in September 1944, which fought in Italy from March to May 1945.   Some 5,000 Jewish volunteers from Eretz Israel fought in the Jewish Brigade, in addition to the some 25,000 Jews from Eretz Israel who fought in the ranks of the British Army.  The Jewish Brigade was the only fighting force in World War II that fought under a Jewish flag recognized as representing the Jewish people.  Some 700 Yishuv volunteers in the British Army fell in World War II.   Of those, 57 were Jewish Brigade volunteers. 

After the war, Jewish Brigade soldiers played a central role in connecting with Holocaust survivors, in the “Beriha” movement and the “Aliya Bet”, and in obtaining weapons for the Hagana.  In June-July 1946, the Jewish Brigade was dismantled, and most of its soldiers were brought to Eretz Israel.

Yad Vashem Photo Archives, 4922/107