JEWISH SOLDIERS ARE FORBIDDEN TO ENTER THE HOLY CITY.
On the 24th February, 1919, I was appointed to the command of "Rafa
Area." The "Area" was rather an extensive one; it included nearly the
whole of the Sinai Desert to the south, and Palestine to the north,
almost as far as Bir Salem, while to the east it went beyond Beersheba
to the Arabian Desert. There were over 150 miles of railway to guard,
and the Bedouins had to be constantly watched and checked, or they would
have played all sorts of pranks with the line. Constant patrols had to
be maintained, and every day provided a fresh problem for solution. The
fresh-water pipe line from Egypt ran alongside the railway and, of
course, the wandering and thirsty Ishmaelite thought nothing of smashing
this in order to get a drink for himself and his camel. We had to be on
the alert all the time and nip these little enterprises of our friendly
Allies in the bud. They did not hesitate to attempt to loot the supply
stores of flour, forage, etc., stored at Rafa, and our sentries had many
lively little encounters with these marauders, and I must say that the
wily rascals took their chance of a bullet quite casually. While the
Anzac Division was with us I felt quite easy in my mind about being able
to keep these slippery customers in check, but it was quite "another
pair of shoes" when the Anzacs were hurriedly called away to suppress
the disorders in Egypt.
In addition to the 38th Battalion, I had some Indian Infantry holding
Gaza, and some South African troops holding El Arish. As demobilization
progressed these were withdrawn and the whole of this great area was, in
the end, solely garrisoned and guarded by the Jewish Battalion. They
performed their arduous duties extraordinarily well. They were scattered
up and down the line in small posts, often in the midst of Arab villages
and Bedouin camps, yet there was never any friction between Jew and
Arab, although here was a likely setting for it, if there had been any
real ill-feelings animating either side; but, as a matter of fact, the
Jew and Arab got on wonderfully well together all over Palestine, and
had worked amicably side by side for over forty years in the Jewish
colonies.
When the Egyptian Nationalist riots started the Military Governor of El
Arish feared an outbreak in this large Arab town, so I had to send
reinforcements to the garrison there under the command of Captain Jaffe,
an officer of the battalion. Aeroplanes flew up from the Aerodrome at
Heliopolis, and swooping low over El Arish put the fear of the Lord into
the inhabitants; this demonstration, and the great personal influence of
the Military Governor, Colonel Parker, kept these people quiet, and they
gave us no trouble whatever.
Later on we had to guard a number of political prisoners who were sent
up from Egypt as a result of the disturbances there, and this added
considerably to the heavy work of the battalion.
At Rafa there was an enormous Ammunition Depôt, covering acres of
ground, and this was a constant source of anxiety, and had to be guarded
on all sides, night and day. While the Jewish troops held it in custody
nothing untoward happened, but, after they were removed, by some evil
chance the whole place was blown up with considerable loss of life.
Notwithstanding the heavy work exacted from the battalion, there was one
great consolation for the men. No petty discrimination could now be
practised against them within my jurisdiction, and although I had five
Staff Officers under my command, I found them quite good fellows, and
willing to do all in their power to do the right thing by the Jewish
troops.
Discrimination against Jews was, however, still shown in other quarters.
Early in April the men were considerably upset on the receipt of orders
from G.H.Q. that no Jewish soldier would be allowed to enter Jerusalem
during the Passover; the order ran thus:
"The walled city (of Jerusalem) is placed out of bounds to all
_Jewish_ soldiers from the 14th to the 22nd April, inclusive."
I cannot conceive a greater act of provocation to Jewish soldiers than
this, or a greater insult. The days during which they were prohibited
from entering Jerusalem were the days of the Passover. Think of it!
Jewish soldiers for the first time in their lives in Palestine and
barred from the Temple Wall of Jerusalem during Passover! Only a Jew
can really understand what it meant to these men, and the great strain
it put on their discipline and loyalty.
How provocative and insulting this order was will be better understood
when it is realized that the majority of the population of Jerusalem is
Jewish, and, therefore, there could have been no possible reason for
excluding Jewish troops belonging to a British unit, while other British
troops were freely admitted, more especially as the conduct of the
Jewish soldiers was, at all times, exemplary.
Not since the days of the Emperor Hadrian had such a humiliating decree
been issued.
However, to make up somewhat for the action of the authorities, I made
arrangements for the Passover to be observed at Rafa with all the joy
and ceremony usually attending that great Feast of the Jewish People. At
considerable cost we provided unleavened bread, as well as meat and
wine--all strictly "Kosher." As we were nearly 2,000 strong at this
time, the catering for the feast had to be most carefully gone into, and
Lieut. Jabotinsky, Lieut. Lazarus, and the Rev. L. A. Falk did yeoman
service in providing for all needs. It was a wonderful sight when we all
sat down together and sang the Hagadah on the edge of the Sinai desert.
The Zionist Commission and Miss Berger, an American Zionist, helped us
materially with funds, and our friends in England did likewise. The
Acting Chairman of the Zionist Commission sent me the following letter
for the occasion:--
ZIONIST COMMISSION TO PALESTINE,
c/o Chief Political Officer,
G.H.Q., Palestine.
JERUSALEM, APRIL 6, 1919.
To the Colonel of the 38th Battalion, COL. J. H. PATTERSON,
D.S.O.
My dear Colonel,
May I request, in the name of the Zionist Commission, that you
have this letter read to the men of your battalion at their
Seder Service.
The Commission is glad to be the means of aiding them in
celebrating our Pesach, the Feast of Deliverance, and we trust
that it will bring them all great joy. We have hopes now that
our age-long prayers will soon be realized, and it should be a
source of pride and happiness to them to know that they have
contributed by their courage and their sacrifices toward its
fulfilment. The Commission speaks in the name of the Zionist
Organization in expressing to them the thanks of the nation for
the devoted services they have rendered and are rendering, in
the service of the liberty-loving nation, Great Britain, to
which they have sworn fidelity, and to our people of Israel for
whose future glory they have been willing to sacrifice their
lives. The splendid part they have played, and will continue to
play, will ever be remembered as a bright spot in the long
history of our ancient people.
Very cordially yours,
(Signed) HARRY FRIEDENWALD,
Acting Chairman, Zionist Commission.
As Rafa was just over the border of Palestine, and therefore in the
"Galuth," the Feast had to be kept for eight days. Many of the men
thought that, as we were only a matter of yards from the boundary, I
would on the eighth day issue leavened bread, which some of them were
already hankering after, but this I would not hear of, and from that day
forth I was considered the strictest Jew in the battalion!