Dance of the Fire

The Jewish Brigade in WW2: Facts, Myths, Appraisal

Shlomo Shamir, Yael Driver

• Publisher: Unicorn
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781917458702
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

A critical first-hand appraisal of the activities, achievements, and importance of the Jewish Brigade by IDF Major-General Shlomo Shamir (Rabinowicz), its Covert Internal Commander on behalf of the Haganah and the Jewish national institutions in Palestine. Some myths surrounding the Brigade's activities are also dealt with in this appraisal. The Jewish Brigade, a unit of the British Army during WW2, played a crucial role on behalf of world Jewry in the fight against Nazi Germany. Comprised mainly of Jewish volunteers from Palestine, the Brigade was formed in 1944 after four years of struggle for deployment as a fighting force. The Brigade participated in the Italian campaign, distinguishing itself in the battles along the Senio River and proving that Jewish soldiers could fight as a unified force against a well-trained enemy and prevail. Beyond combat and under Shamir's guidance, the Brigade was the first to search for, meet, and care for survivors of the Holocaust. Despite British disapproval, its members worked at numerous Displaced Persons camps in Germany, particularly at Bergen-Belsen, and facilitated the illegal journeys of many survivors to Palestine. The story of the Brigade therefore, exemplified a dedicated pursuit of both military goals and Jewish national aspirations. With many Brigade members subsequently becoming leading figures in the fledgling Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the book shines a light on how the experience of these Jewish volunteers in the British Army was irreplaceable in shaping both the military and political landscape of the nascent State of Israel.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Foreword by the President of the State of Israel
• Prologue – How Did this Book Come About?
• In Appreciation
• Chapter 1: The War Was Almost Here; but Where Were We?
• Chapter 2: An Officer in His Majesty’s Army
• Chapter 3: Am I Cut Out for Service in the British Army?
• Chapter 4: Public Activity and a New Role
• Chapter 5: Guard Duties and Training in Cyrenaica
• Chapter 6: A Jewish Brigade Is Born – A Landmark Moment
• Chapter 7: Preparations for Entry to the Italian Front Line
• Chapter 8: Face to Face with the Germans
• Chapter 9: Tarvisio – First Encounters with Holocaust Survivors
• Chapter 10: From Tarvisio to the Search Bureau in Bünde
• Chapter 11: Work with Jewish DPs alongside Bureau Duties
• Chapter 12: The Search for Enzo Sereni
• Chapter 13: Ben-Gurion and “Jews to Eretz-Israel”
• Chapter 14: Sovereignty and the British Legacy to the IDF
• Index of Names
• Supplement to Index of Names – Personal Military Service Details
• Postscript: 80 Years Later – The Search for P. Nocentini
• Copyright