Jewish soldiers in Jerusalem in 1919?!

During WWI the British captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks on December 9 of 1917. This began a year-long campaign by the British to liberate all of “Palestine” from the enemy. And did you know, that on that same night, the Jewish people celebrated the first night of Chanukah! The anniversary of the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem!

Recruitment poster for the Jewish Legion -“You have cut my bonds to set me free… now let me help you set others free”

As we mentioned in another post,  Jewish volunteers from all over the world had formed a Jewish Legion to fight with the British Army. The Jewish Legion consisted of volunteers from Canada, the USA, Europe and “Palestine.” They heeded the rallying cries of Jewish Zionist leaders like Zeev Jabotinsky and Yosef Trumpeldor and joined the British forces to help liberate “Palestine.”

The Jewish Legion were stationed in Cairo and were brought into “Palestine” in June 1918 to help General Allenby fight against the Turks in the Jordan Valley.

These Jewish soldiers in the picture above are setting up camp just before Passover 1919 outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. They seem happy to enjoy some shade under a giant olive tree!