Nadene Goldfoot
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| Schofield (George MacKay, foreground) with fellow soldiers in the new World War I epic "1917. |
Well over 100 years ago, the world got itself into the worst war ever! Every corner of this globe was either in it or greatly affected. It was a war of all wars, with the greatest loss of life. There were 60 million soldiers fighting and out of them 9 million were killed. The USA lost 117,000 soldiers who were killed in battle.
It all started with one man. In June 1914, an Austrian prince was assassinated. (Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated on 28 June 1914 by Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. It turned into World War I. It was a first; the First World War. Nations fighting wanted power and prestige, and chose the craziest of allies to do it. Britain and France of the ALLIES side joined forces with RUSSIA.
They were the 2 most powerful democracies of Europe allied to Czar Nicholas, the worst tyrant and anti-Semite in the world. Nicholas was related to several monarchs in Europe. His mother's siblings included Kings Frederick VIII of Denmark and George I of Greece, as well as the United Kingdom's Queen Alexandra (consort of King Edward VII). Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, and German emperor Wilhelm II were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom. The visits also served as family reunions, as his mother's siblings would also come from the United Kingdom, Germany and Greece with their respective families. It was there in 1883, that he had a flirtation with one of his British first cousins, Princess Victoria. In 1873, Nicholas also accompanied his parents and younger brother, two-year-old George, on a two-month, semi-official visit to the United Kingdom. In London, Nicholas and his family stayed at Marlborough House, as guests of his "Uncle Bertie" and "Aunt Alix", the Prince and Princess of Wales, where he was spoiled by his uncle. Later, Nicholas and his whole family would be executed.
The Kishinev newspaper Bessarabets, which published anti-Semitic materials, received funds from Viacheslav Plehve, Minister of the Interior. (In other words, the government was published anti-Semitic literature). These publications served to fuel the Kishinev pogrom (rioting). The government of Nicholas II formally condemned the rioting and dismissed the regional governor, with the perpetrators arrested and punished by the court. Leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church also condemned anti-Semitic pogroms. Appeals to the faithful condemning the pogroms were read publicly in all churches of Russia. In private Nicholas expressed his admiration for the mobs, viewing anti-Semitism as a useful tool for unifying the people behind the government; however in 1911, following the assassination of Pyotr Stolypin by the Jewish revolutionary Dmitry Bogrov, he approved of government efforts to prevent anti-Semitic pogroms which took place.
The Kishinev pogrom was an anti-Jewish riot that took place in Kishinev (modern Chișinău, Moldova), then the capital of the Bessarabia Governorate in the Russian Empire, on April 19–21 [O.S. April 6–8] 1903. A second pogrom erupted in the city in October 1905. In the pogrom of 1903, which began on Easter Day, 49 Jews were killed, a number of Jewish women were raped and 1,500 homes were damaged
On the AXIS side were the "Central Powers," Germany, Austria and Turkey. Here, 2 of the developing leaders of Europe were linked to the rulers of a decaying Asian empire.
Regardless of who was winning, the fighting in Europe hurt the Jews living in Palestine. The Yishuv (Jewish people living there) depended on food and financial help from abroad. Most had recently arrived in groups called Aliyote, and no Kentucky fried chicken had awaited them. Most of all supplies were choked off by the war. Thousands of our Jewish people starved to death, but probably survived on their own home grown tomatoes and cucumbers.
Many were able to fight, and were willing to support their Turkish rulers, as the Ottoman Empire ruled Palestine for almost 400 years. The Turks were fighting the Czar, the man most hated by the Jews. Russia was the reason the Jews had finally returned to Palestine, their ancient land.
The Turkish Sultan was afraid of trusting Jews. Most of the Halutzim had been born in Russia: If given weapons, wouldn't they fight for the Russian cause? He knew nothing about the political climate of the countries. Jews who offered to organize a militia were sent into exile, "never to return." In other words, the Turks bit the hand that tried to feed them.
David Ben Gurion -1st Prime Minister Yithak Ben Zvi-2nd President
These men turned out to be David Ben-Gurion who would become Israel's 1st Prime Minister, and his close friend, Yithak Ben-Zvi (who would become the 2nd president of Israel.)
Josef Trumpeldor below: Jabotinsky
The cruelty of the Turks forced the Jews to fight against the Turkish empire. Leading the fight were 2 of the best men; Vladimir Jabotinsky and Josef Trumpeldor. These 2 had a lot in common. They were both born in Russia in 1880. Both had tried to be loyal Russians. Jabotinsky was a brilliant writer. At the age of 17, he translated the works or Edgar Allen Poe into Russian. Trumpeldor trained as a dentist, fought in the Russian army against the Japanese. Though his left arm was shattered and had to be amputated, he insisted on staying at the front. His superiors awarded him a medal for bravery, and made him an officer--the 1st Jewish officer in the history of the Russian army.
The history of Jews in Russia when it came to war was that Jews were taken and placed in the front lines, surely to be killed. Mothers would do anything to keep their sons out of the army. The Russian goal was to convert Jews. Their sons were taken away from them and into very rough conditions, to freezing cold places with poor sanitation. Not every 8-year-old child can march 10 or 12 miles every day. Out of those children who went into the army, very few came back. And out of those who did come back, very few of them came back as Jews. The decree was unspeakably cruel. And it stayed in effect for almost 30 years. It was enforced more rigidly at some times and more leniently at others, but it was always there.
During World War I, the Russian military command was overtly anti-Semitic. Russian commanders pointed to the alleged disloyalty of Russia’s Jewish population. The Russian army expelled Jews from areas near the front lines, restricted their movements, and took hostages as a way of instilling fear and submission in the Jewish population.
Yet, as the pogroms against the Jews continued, both men saw that the Russians would never accept Jews as equals. Trumpeldor settled in Palestine, only to be exiled by the Turks to Egypt. 
They hoped to send Jewish soldiers into Palestine. The British would accept Jewish support, but only for the fighting in Turkey; and only as mule-drivers transporting ammunition. Jabotinsky, a gifted writer and speaker, convinced the British to establish the Jewish Legion.
Disappointed with the results, Jabotinsky dropped out of the project. Trumpeldor's view was that, as long as the enemy was the Sultan, any battle "leads to Zion."
" subsequently formed the 650-strong Zion Mule Corps, of whom 562 were sent to the front." The Jewish Legion (1917–1921) is an unofficial name used to refer to 5 battalions of Jewish volunteers, the 38th to 42nd (Service) Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers in the British Army, raised to fight against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.
In 1915, some 500 Jews from Palestine and Egypt were accepted into the "Zion Mule Corps." Their duty was to bring supplies to the lines, often under heavy fire. Seven members of the Corps died in action. Many more were wounded---including Trumpeldor.
An evolution of the Zion Mule Corps that was raised in 1915 and fought in Gallipoli, the Jewish Legion started being formed in August 1917 with the formation of one Jewish battalion. The legion would incorporate a number of Russian Jews and later Jews from the United States and Canada with the unit reaching five battalions. The Legion fought in the Battle of Jerusalem and the Battle of Megiddo, before being reduced to one battalion, known as First Judaeans.
The heroes of the Zion Mule Corps were the 1st Jews ever to serve as a unit within the army of a modern state. the reputation of these men, who risked their lives while wearing the STAR OF DAVID on their shoulders , spread throughout the Zionist world.
While the Yishuv was struggling for survival, and the Zion Mule Corps was under fire in Turkey, a very different battle for Zionism was being fought in England. The Russian-born Jew who led this battle was then the world's leading Zionist. One day he would be the 1st President of the State of Israel.
Resource:
A Young Person's History of Israel, 2nd edition by David Bamberger0 p. 57...59
https://www.jewishhistory.org/jewish-russia-1800-1850/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5c6LBhBdEiwAP9ejG0hJAQDfyB1yioQOSMbqLXEtlU4viBM0my9X3o67lIKtzmJASMUB4RoC9CUQAvD_BwE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-zion-mule-corps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Legion
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/antisemitism_and_pogromsin_the_military_russian_empire
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