Women’s Auxiliary Air Force Recruitment Poster

1938–1948

Poster featuring two women in uniform, one of whom is wearing a mask, in front of a flag, and Hebrew writing along the top and bottom.

This Hebrew-language version of a standard WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) recruitment poster urges Jewish women in Palestine, then under British Mandate rule, to “serve in the WAAF with the men who fly.” In 1942, the British began recruiting Jews and Arabs for the Palestine Regiment to aid the fight against Nazi Germany and its allies. The regiment had separate Jewish and Arab battalions.

Credits

Dobkin Family Collection of Feminism.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 9.

The Hebrew text reads: “Serve in the WAAF with the men who fly.” The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was an all-female World War II–era unit within Britain’s Royal Air Force. Women in the WAAF did more than just support the men who flew in combat missions. Many Jewish women from Palestine volunteered for active duty behind enemy lines, including the famous Hungarian-born Jewish poet Hanna Szenes. In total, roughly 3,600 Jewish women volunteered with the British military as resistance fighters.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think Jewish recruits were particularly valuable for British military efforts, especially for intelligence gathering and rescue operations behind enemy lines?
Jewish women’s recruitment into the British military caused some conflict among Jewish settlers in Palestine. Why might this have been the case?
What allowed leaders of the Jewish Agency in Palestine to support British recruitment efforts?

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Women’s Auxiliary Air Force Recruitment Poster

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