PARACHUTISTS

After August 1942, when the outside world began to understand what was happening to the Jews of Europe, plans for bringing help to them began to take shape wherever there were free Jewish communities. Most of the ideas came down to protest meetings and appeals.

The Yishuv (Jewish community in Eretz Israel) knew that was not enough and decided that no matter what the obstacles the perishing Jews of Europe had to be reached. The climax of this effort came with the venture of the parachutists, most of whom lost their lives in action and are now commemorated with this stamp.

As the German armies advanced and extended their radius of authority, it became clear that efforts to penetrate by land had to be supplemented by a bold attempt to land behind enemy lines, something which could only be done by air.

The conception was brilliant and daring. It could not be carried out by the Jews of Palestine alone and needed the approval, cooperation, and assistance of the British military. The British understood that it made sense to use Palestinians as parachutists - many of the young men and women had come to Palestine from the Balkans, they knew the languages and were familiar with the territory and local conditions. They were ideal people for securing information, for establishing contacts with underground movements and partisans, and for assisting the escape of prisoners of war. The Yishuv volunteers from Palestine, moreover, mad no secret of the fact that they would also seek to rescue the Jew of Europe wherever and however possible. The British finally agreed.

Volunteers would be given training as parachutists and dropped in the Balkans as developments would require. The first group entered training in early 1943. Their role was a complex and difficult one; the individuals chosen had to be far above average in bravery, initiative, and quick thinking. They had to be spies and heroes, fliers and secret agents; in addition, they had to be impelled by a special passion to aid their people.

The stamp shows a parachutist descending behind enemy lines.