THE FORMATION OF THE JEWISH REGIMENT.
On the 23rd August, 1917, the formation of the "Jewish Regiment" was
officially announced in the _London Gazette_, and I was appointed to the
command of a Battalion.
At the same time it was officially intimated that a special Jewish name
and badge would be given to the Battalions of this Regiment.
On hearing of this determination the Sanballats immediately got very
busy. Heads were put together, and letters written up and down the land
to all and sundry who were likely to serve their purpose, with the
result that, on the 30th August, 1917, a deputation waited upon Lord
Derby (then Secretary of State for War), for the purpose of making
representations against the proposed name and badge of the Jewish
Regiment, and, in fact, against the formation of any such unit as a
Jewish Battalion.
One member of this Deputation went so far as to represent to Lord Derby
that Lord Rothschild, the head of the celebrated Jewish family, to whom,
as representing the Jewish people, Mr. Balfour later on addressed the
famous declaration, was also opposed to the formation of a Jewish
Regiment.
Lord Rothschild assured me that this was not the case; for, once it
became the policy of the British Government to form a Jewish Regiment,
he felt bound as a patriotic Jew to back it up and do all in his power
to make it a success. No little thanks are due to Lord Rothschild for
the way he devoted himself to the comfort and welfare of the Jewish
Battalions, from the first day they were formed.
The result of the Deputation was that the name "Jewish Regiment" was
abolished, and no Jewish badge was sanctioned. All Jewish Battalions
raised were to be called "Royal Fusiliers."
But our worthy friends might have saved themselves all the trouble they
took, and the trouble they gave to the War Ministry, because, from the
moment that the battalions were formed, although they were known
officially as Royal Fusiliers, yet unofficially, everywhere, and by
every person, they were known solely as the Jewish Battalions.
Lord Derby made the mistake of thinking that these few rich men
represented the Jewish masses. A greater mistake was never made, for,
from my own experience, I can vouch for the fact that they are
altogether out of touch with the thoughts and feelings of the vast
majority of the Jewish people.
What a different tale I should have to tell had men such as these played
up to the policy of England. Had their vision only been broader, they
would have said among themselves, "This is a policy we do not like. It
may affect us adversely, but it is the policy of England, and England in
peril, and we must therefore bind ourselves together and make it a
success."
If they feared that these Jews from Russia and Poland would not worthily
uphold Jewish traditions, they might have gone to the Secretary for War
and told him their fears, and said that, as it was absolutely necessary
for world Jewry that this experiment of creating Jewish Battalions
should have a fair chance, they would request his aid in this matter,
and ask that at least twenty-five per cent. of every battalion be
composed of Jews from England, who, having seen service in France, would
therefore give some necessary and valuable stiffening to these raw
Jewish units.
With such a stiffening, and a solid English Jewry at the back of the
Jewish Regiment, what a triumphant page in Jewish history these
battalions would have written!
Instead of this, every possible obstacle was placed in the way of
success. Interested parties scoured the East end of London and the big
provincial cities, advising young Jews not to enlist. Even in France the
Jewish soldiers serving in the various units there were told by Jews who
ought to have known better that they should on no account transfer. The
result of this was that recruiting went on very slowly, and instead of
being able to form a Jewish legion in the course of a few weeks, as
could easily have been done out of the 40,000 Jewish young men in
England alone, it took over four months to form even one battalion.
I happened by chance one day to meet a prominent member of the Sanballat
deputation in the War Office, and, in the course of conversation, I
asked him why he objected so strongly to the formation of a Jewish
Regiment. He replied that he had no faith in the Russian Jews, and
feared they would bring discredit on Jewry. I said that, from what I had
seen in Gallipoli of the Jew from Russia, I had more faith in him than
he had, and that I felt confident I could make him into a good soldier.
He was kind enough to remark, "Well, perhaps under you they will turn
out to be good soldiers, but then they might win Palestine, and _I_
don't want to be sent there to live." I replied that his fears in this
respect were entirely groundless. He remarked that he was not so sure
about that, for if the Jews had a country of their own, pressure might
be brought to bear upon them to go and live there--which clearly shows
that these rich and fortunate Jews cannot have given much real thought
to the question, for there is nothing in the Zionist movement to force
anyone to live in Palestine, and it would be manifestly impossible to
pack 14,000,000 of people within the narrow limits of their ancestral
home.
When my pessimistic friend told me that these foreign Jews were no good,
and would bring discredit upon the best part of Jewry, I made a mental
resolve that I would prove to him one day that his despised Jewish
brethren, from Russia and elsewhere, would make as good soldiers, and as
good all-round men, as those in any unit of the British Army. As these
pages progress, and the history of the 38th Jewish Battalion is unfolded
before the eyes of the reader, it will be seen that my expectations were
more than realised, for the Battalion drilled, marched, fought, and
generally played the game as well as any battalion in the Army.
It is a curious fact that, so far as I could gather, the Inner Actions
Committee of the Zionist organization, with the honoured exception of
Dr. Weizmann, looked on us with suspicion. The formation of Jewish
Battalions did not appeal to them. How it was possible that the leaders
of Zionism should not have grasped, and taken to their hearts, this gift
of Jewish Battalions from the British Government, for the furtherance of
their own ends, is one of the greatest examples of ineptitude that have
ever come within my experience. Here was a body of keen and enthusiastic
men, devoting their lives to the restoration of the Holy Land to its
rightful owners, and yet they shied when the one essential weapon that
could have given it to them was being virtually thrust into their hands.
How different would have been the position of the Zionists at the Peace
Conference after the Armistice was signed if they had been able to point
proudly to 50,000 Jewish troops in Palestine, instead of to the 5,000
who were actually serving there at the close of the War.
I know that Dr. Weizmann had vision enough to foresee the strength which
such a legion would give to his diplomacy, but unfortunately his
colleagues on the Zionist Council did not see eye to eye with him in
this matter until it was too late.
I tried to do what in me lay with certain of the leaders of Zionism, and
spent some time endeavouring to enthuse a devoted and spiritual Jew who
was deeply interested in the Restoration; indeed, I thought I had won
him over to the cause of the legion, for at times during our
conversation his face lit up at the possibilities unfolded to him, but,
alas, after I left him, I fear he fell away from grace!
Some of the Zionists, men such as Mr. Joseph Cowen, fully realised all
the advantages which would accrue from a Jewish legion helping to win
Palestine from the enemy, and these were eager workers towards this end.
Vladimir Jabotinsky always believed in the proverb that the Lord helps
those who help themselves, and, therefore, he felt that it was essential
that a Jewish legion should fight for the redemption of Israel's ancient
heritage. And it was well for Jewry that Jabotinsky was a chosen
instrument, because, if no Jewish troops had fought in Palestine, and no
Jewish graves could be seen in the Cemetery on the Mount of Olives, and
in every Military Cemetery in Egypt and Palestine, it would have been,
for all time, a reproach unto Israel, and I have grave doubts whether
the Peace Conference would have considered the time ripe for the Jewish
people to be restored to their ancient land. I am certain of this, that
if Jabotinsky's ideals of a powerful legion had been more fully
realised, Dr. Weizmann's position at the table of the Peace Conference
would have been immeasurably strengthened.
It must, however, be recorded for the honour of British Jewry, that the
vast majority of English Jews were heartily in accord with the
Government policy, and proud of the fact that, practically for the first
time in Jewish history since the days of Judas Maccabæus and Bar Kochba,
battalions of Jewish infantry were to be raised and led against the
common enemy in Palestine.
It was also to the credit of English Jewry that a deputation
representing the Jewish masses in England, sought and obtained an
interview with the Secretary of State for War, with the view to the
retention of a distinctive Jewish name and badge for the Battalions.
This deputation was introduced on Sept. 5th by Mr. J. D. Kiley, M.P., a
non-Jew, and among others the following men were present:--Captain
Redcliffe Salaman, Dr. Eder, Messrs. Elkin Adler, Joseph Cowen, L. J.
Greenberg, M. J. Landa, etc. Lord Derby had, however, committed himself
to the first deputation, and all he could promise to the deputation
representing the Jewish masses was that, if the Regiment distinguished
itself in the Field, it would then be given a Jewish title and a Jewish
badge. This deputation also obtained the War Secretary's sanction to the
supply of Kosher food, and to the observance of Saturday as the day of
rest; Lord Derby also promised that, as far as possible, all Jewish
festivals should be respected, and that Jewish units would, service
conditions permitting, be employed only in Palestine.
How the Battalions distinguished themselves, and won a special Jewish
name and badge, will be recorded faithfully in the following pages.