Remembrance of Things Past

It seems to be always true that the days of past times are often the ones we long for the most. Part of my initial fascination with this country had little to do with religious ties to the land or any type of messianic or biblical justification. In fact, this association seemingly always used exclusively is one of the things that bothers me the most. As a completely secular Ashkenazi Jew, my kinship is with my people, those who sacrificed to fight for and build this country, so as Jews we can live freely in our own homeland, safe from irrational antisemitism, a free people in charge of our own destiny. Strong and Proud, respecting and preserving the rights of all citizens, Jew and non-Jew alike. Sadly, this is a demographic of Israeli who have been slowly dissipating from Israeli society in recent years. Their roots and history won't be forgotten though

The most important to me personally has to have been the Jewish Brigade, which was formed as part of the British Army during World War II and consisted of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. The brigade saw action in Italy and Greece. When the war ended, many brigade members remained in Europe in order to assist in aiding Jewish refugees and helping them reach Palestine. It is also known that certain members formed assassination squads following the war and participated in acts of vengeance against Nazi officers who had gone into hiding. Tom Segev's The Seventh Million touches on this little known historical page quite well.

Jewish Brigade in Europe 1945. Palmach Museum

 Paratroopers mission in Yugoslavia

Palmachnikim. Palmach Museum

If there are visitors to Israel who find themselves spending some time in Tel Aviv, I would highly recommend taking an afternoon and going to see the Palmach Museum in Ramat Aviv just north of the city. Being that the Israel of today is so radically different from its days of independence and nascency, if you have a chance to visit, I would definitely recommend taking the time.