JAFP Jewish Agency for Palestine – The Jewish Agency Emissaries from Palestine in Europe after WWII

This epaulette was given to me by my kibbutz member Shmuel Zamri (Schlesinger), the late, who was a Jewish emissary in Europe after World War II. He testified that in order to facilitate their movements, they wore American army officer uniforms and a matching peaked cap, with this epaulette on their shoulders and the cap bearing a symbol with a Star of David and the letters JAFP

After World War II, missions in Europe focused mainly on the “Bricha” movement to bring Holocaust survivors to the Land of Israel, on establishing displaced persons camps for rehabilitation and organization, and on the activities of organizations such as the Joint and the Jewish Agency, alongside the Yishuv soldiers and youth movements, to train them and manage their new lives, including schools, newspapers, and politics, while dealing with anti-Semitism and a way to smuggle people by sea.

Nature of the mission and activity:

• The Bericha movement: Massive activity of Zionist emissaries and fighters from the land to lead survivors east to west (to displaced persons camps in Germany, Austria and Italy) as a way to reach the Land of Israel (immigration).
• DP Camps: Establishment of camps by the Allies, in which the survivors reorganized – schools, yeshivas, theaters, youth movements, and newspapers – while receiving assistance from the Joint and other organizations.
• Youth movements and Zionism: Members of the pioneering youth movements established the basis for the “bericha” and worked among the survivors to strengthen the connection to the Land of Israel.
• Jewish organizations: The Joint and the Jewish Agency assisted in rehabilitation, vocational training (ORT), and management of community life in the DP camps.
• Illegal immigration: Struggle against British restrictions and organization of illegal immigration ships to bring survivors to Israel.

Key challenges:

• Anti-Semitism: Pogroms (such as in Kielce) accelerated the escape from Eastern Europe to the West.
• War agunot: Special courts were organized to resolve marriage problems.
• Loss of connection to “normal” life: Survivors faced mental and physical difficulties.

The post-war mission was part of a vast Zionist enterprise, which formed the basis for the establishment of the State of Israel and shaped Israeli society.