Max Levitas obituary

Max Levitas at a demonstration in 2015

Deep-dyed British communist who was a comrade of Jeremy Corbyn and one of the last survivors of the Battle of Cable Street

On September 7, 1934 The Times ran a report about a 19-year-old who had been arrested in Trafalgar Square, London, at 4am and fined £5 for daubing “All out against fascism” (and variations thereof) on three sides of the plinth of Nelson’s Column. The graffiti artist was called Max Levitas and he was a member of the Young Communist League. He was only caught because he and his friend went back to admire their handiwork after they had had a cup of tea. His plea of innocence was undermined somewhat by the item he had sticking out of his overcoat pocket: a still-wet paintbrush.

There was more daubing to come, two years later on October 4, 1936, in what became known as the Battle of Cable Street. This time it was “No Pasaran” (“they shall not pass”) that Levitas chalked on the walls, a slogan borrowed from Republicans fighting in the recently begun Spanish Civil War. A number of British “reds”, including Max Levitas’s brother Morry, would go and fight with the International Brigades in Spain over the next three years, but for now the fight was closer to home.

June Jacobs, campaigner for Soviet Jews – obituary

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/07/30/june-jacobs-campaigner-soviet-jews-obituary/

June Jacobs

June Jacobs, who has died aged 88, was a leading figure in Britain’s Jewish community and a doughty campaigner for “Refuseniks” in the Soviet Union, for women’s rights and for peace in the Middle East.

She became involved in the Refusenik issue – that of Jewish people prevented from emigrating to Israel by the Soviet authorities – when she worked for a Jewish children’s charity, and she first came to public attention in September 1971 when, as chairman of the Jewish Women’s Association, she staged a 24-hour fast outside the Soviet embassy in London.

This was to draw attention to the plight of a Jewish woman who had fallen ill while serving a 10-year sentence in a labour camp for allegedly trying to hijack a Soviet aircraft.

100 Years Ago - Russia

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/siege-of-the-winter-palace-z2cd3h5cv

november 10, 1917

Siege of the Winter Palace

The Smolny Institute is the headquarters of the Petrograd Soviet, and of the Revolutionary Military Committee which sprang from it. Lenin, on making his appearance there, received an enthusiastic ovation. He was accompanied by his lieutenant, Zinovieff, who was wanted by the late Provisional Government. Both of them were unrecognizable. Lenin had shaved off his moustache, while Zinovieff had grown a beard.
Towards 5 o’clock the Soviet, which has become master of the whole city, began to isolate the Winter Palace, where practically the whole of the Government remained. Detachments occupied all the routes giving access. On the quays, in the Millionnaya, the Nevsky Prospekt and the Admiralty Gardens, and even beyond the Marie Palace barricades were speedily erected. The trams were stopped on this part of the route, but a short distance beyond they are running as usual. Ordinary life is going on, with almost a tinge of indifference.

At 8 o’clock the besiegers requested the Ministers to leave the Winter Palace, giving them 20 minutes in which to make their departure. The latter, however, refused to leave. The first detachment of troops attempted to approach the Palace along the Millionnaya, but the machine-gun fire of its defenders stopped it. Owing to the resistance of the Guards of the Palace, which was being defended by officer cadets and the Women’s Battalion, two destroyers, anchored in the Neva, fired four shells. At the same time armoured cars from the archway of the Morskaya leading into the Palace Square, also shelled the building. The guns of the warships and the armoured cars continued to fire at intervals until nearly 1 o’clock in the morning. During the evening four destroyers, a minelayer, and several minesweepers with landing forces were brought from Helsingfors and took part in the operations against the Palace. Finally, about 2am, the forces of the Soviet succeeded in entering the Palace.
While the rifle and artillery fire was continuing in the vicinity of the former Imperial Palace a performance was given as usual at the Narodny Dom, where a large audience assembled to hear Chaliapin.

100 Years Ago - THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM

AMMUNITION CAMELS SHELTERING IN A WADI NEAR GAZA

·CAMEL AND CATERPILLAR IN THE DESERT

IN PALESTINE: BRINGING IN A CAPTURED GERMAN AEROPLANE

THE ENTRY OF GENERAL ALLENHY INTO JERLSALRM BY 'IH.h JAFFA GA'IE


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-beersheba-was-captured-zvzlg7x86?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter_118&utm_medium=email&utm_content=118_November%2001,%202017&CMP=TNLEmail_118918_2462191_118

How Beersheba was captured

Our infantry made rushes across the open, the ground being very exposed, heeding neither the enfilade fire of the guns nor the spasmodic machine-gun fire

November 5, 1917

By a rapid, well-delivered surprise blow General Allenby’s army has smashed the eastern end of the Turks’ entrenched line in Southern Palestine, and has wrested one of the most ancient Biblical towns from the enemy. In the early moonlight hours of last night Beersheba, where Abraham dug the well of the oath, was occupied by Australian mounted troops and British infantry after a stern, day-long fight, in which our troops displayed great endurance and courage, doing everything planned for them and working out the Staff scheme as if by the clock.
Although meeting with strong resistance from the enemy, who held extremely strong positions, nothing went wrong, and the story of the day will add to the military glory of the soldiers from the English cities and shires and from Australia and New Zealand. The splendid British infantry made long night marches, and attacked with such determination that they tore down the wire entanglements with their hands, and just as the moon rose over the Judea Hills Australian Horse charged, mounted, against the strongly-held trenches, with fixed bayonets, overwhelming the Turks and galloping, cheering, into the town. Our preliminary movements were all executed during the night. At dawn yesterday the cavalry were south of Beersheba, the infantry were facing the northern, western, and south-western defences, which were cut in a range of hills hiding Beersheba from view. These entrenehinients were elaborate, skilfully chosen, and generally heavily protected with wire, guns covering all approaches.

On the night of the 30th-31st under a beautiful moon horsemen made a wide and rapid sweep round from south to south-east, ready at dawn to rush up, cover the town from the east, and get astride of the Hebron road in order to prevent a retirement in that direction. The infantry were to attack the trenches on the south-east, but before that could be done Hfill 1,070 (Khasm Sauna) three miles to the south had to be taken. This hill had been made into a strong redoubt, commanding a wide stretch, but an extremely heavy fire was brought to bear against it, and the gallant infantry carried it with an irresistible rush within half an hour of the beginning of the attack.
There was a German machine-gun section on the hill, but a prisoner admitted that every machine-gun was knocked out by our fire. When this important outpost had been secured the infantry prepared to attack the system of trenches south-west of the Wadi Sheba from the Khalassa road to the Beersheba-Sheria [Audja] railway, the Camel Corps and other infantry making a holding attack north of the Wadi. There had been some rifle fire and shelling by the enemy just before dawn. Thereafter the guns north of the wadi fired heavily on the troops moving across open ground to the south until one of our batteries located them and silenced them for the remainder of the day.
The advance against the south-western trench system was a great achievement. The Turks held on desperately, and time would not permit more than an hour’s bombardment to cut the wire. Our infantry made rushes across the open, the ground being very exposed, heeding neither the enfilade fire of the guns nor the spasmodic machine-gun fire. In a few places shells had broken down the wire. Into these the bombers dashed, while others tore down the wire from the iron supports with their hands and were in upon the Turks before they realized that resistance was futile.

This grand work was done by soldiers from the English counties, many of them men who prepared themselves for Great Britain’s defence before the war burst upon the world. They showed an inspiring courage and resource. This onslaught on the south-western trenches only served to whet their appetite. Resting awhile, they crossed the rough pebbly bed of the wadi Sheba and reduced the chain of holes and trenches on the western side of Beersheba.
The cavalry work was equally meritorious: many horsemen rode 310 miles before getting into action. They had two very difficult places to reduce during the day. A brigade of Australians, with the widest sweep had to capture Sakaty, a high hill six miles north-east of Beersheba, dominating a wide district. With their usual elan, these big Australians stopped at nothing, and rounded up every Turk on the hill by 1 o’clock. Thereafter they crossed the Hebron road and the Wadi Itmy [a tributary of the Ark et Abrek], and denied the enemy that exit from Beersheba.
Even more difficult was the taking of Tell es Saha, a 1,000ft hill three miles east of the town, converted into a redoubt of great strength, and made almost unapproachable by the steep banks of a wadi running alongside it on the south. But the New Zealanders and Australians carried it by half-past 3, and then turned their attention to a group of houses between the hill and the Hebron road, held by a German machine-gun company. lt was getting dark, and anxiety was felt about water for the horses. Another Australian force settled the difficulty. Dismounting at the first line of trenches the Australians went on afoot, sweeping up all resistance. Then, bringing forward again their brave chargers, they remounted, and galloped cheering into the town.
I was in Beersheba in the early hours of today. Everywhere was evidence of the Turks being taken completely by surprise. They had blown up a railway engine and burnt the engine house, but a train was standing in the station, and the warehouses, full of corn, were almost intact, though attempts had been made to fire them. A direct hit by a heavy gun on the bridge over the wadi, north of the town, prevented the removal of the rolling stock.
Yesterday was certainly a great day for the Army in Palestine: the staff work was admirable, the moral of the troops never higher.

100 Years Ago - Palestine

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/the-jews-and-palestine-z67ntq93m

october 26, 1917

The Jews and Palestine

The direct appeal recently made by more than 250 Jewish institutions, communities, and organizations throughout the country to His Majesty’s Government “in favour of the reconstitution of Palestine as the National Home of the Jewish people” is too significant not to merit earnest attention. It would scarcely have been made had there not been reason to believe the Government disposed to respond to it. It is, indeed, no secret that the question of re-establishing the Jews in Palestine has for months been under consideration by the British and Allied Governments, and not by them alone. But with a British Army actually in Palestine, it is naturally to Great Britain that the Jews look for a directly helping hand in the achievement of their age-long aspiration.

Yet a public announcement of our policy in this matter has been unaccountably delayed. Do our statesmen fail to see how valuable to the Allied cause would be the hearty sympathy of the Jews throughout the world which an unequivocal declaration of British policy might win? Germany has been quick to perceive the danger to her schemes and to her propaganda that would be involved in the association of the Allies with Jewish national hopes, and she has not been idle in attempting to forestall us. Have our Government, for instance, considered the value of Jewish influence in counteracting the insidious German propaganda in Russia, to which Lord Robert Cecil yesterday alluded?
On two grounds alone — were they valid — could there be any serious objection to the course which the overwhelming majority of British Jews urge the Government to take: if the colonization and development of Palestine by the Jews were impracticable, or if the Jewish people themselves were averse from the reconstitution of their national home. But neither of these objections stands the test of fact. In recent years Jewish colonies have achieved remarkable results in Palestine; and the present attitude of British Jewry may be taken as indicating that of the Jewish masses.
Further delay on the part of our Government to deal frankly with this important matter would therefore be as inexplicable as its consequences might be dangerous.

100 Years Ago - The Jewish Corps

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/the-jewish-corps-8nkpdcv09

august 8, 1917

The Jewish Corps

There is an ancient Jewish prophecy which says that the Jews will be led back to their own land by a man of another race. In a measure this prophecy is likely to be fulfilled. Under the new mandate of the British Government the Russian Jews have to choose between joining the British Army or returning to Russia. Certain far-sighted people with an eye to the better use of these men have set the machinery in motion, and a Jewish force is to be formed. There are 40,000 Jews in the British Army at present, and of this number 32,000 are English Jews, the remaining 8,000 are from the Empire abroad. There are 8,000 Jews in the forces still in Britain, and they should be useful in training and stiffening the newcomers.
The formation of a Jewish division or brigade must be handled carefully. The men will be subject to the same discipline as the British soldier, will be given the same pay, and will have all the privileges of pensions and allowances enjoyed by the rest of the Army. They will, moreover, have their own butchers for killing “kosher” meat, and all their food will be prepared by cooks of their own faith. Rabbis will be appointed as chaplains, and at the camp there will be a synagogue. Colonel Paterson, who will be given command of the force, accomplished wonders with similar material in Gallipoli. He was the commandant of the Zion Mule Corps, that extraordinary unit of Russian Jews recruited in Alexandria after their escape from Palestine. They landed with the first troops on the peninsula and stayed there until the last, doing hard and gallant work under the most trying conditions. They carried the praise of every general under whom they served. The work now is much harder, but Colonel Paterson will be helped a great deal by the men he is trying to enlist. He is living in an atmosphere of Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian, and helping him is a most able Russian author and journalist who speaks eight languages, and has already risen to sergeant’s rank. There are 20,000 Jews of military age in London, so there is ample material to work on. After serving for three months with the Colours the Jewish soldier, if he wishes it, will become automatically naturalized, without expense to himself. It is intended that the field of operations for the Jewish force will be in Palestine.