Ask Haviv Anything 100: They escaped Europe — then parachuted back in, with Matti Friedman
Mar 22, 2026
Matti Friedman, journalist and author focused on modern Jewish history and the Middle East, tells the story of Jewish parachutists in 1944. He discusses their risky WWII missions, the tension between British and Zionist aims, Hannah Senesh’s path and capture, and how storytelling and symbolism shaped their legacy.
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Yishuv's Sudden Realization Of The Holocaust
- By early 1944 the Yishuv in British Mandate Palestine suddenly grasped the scale of genocide after refugee reports and shifted from confusion to panic.
- Matti Friedman notes this awareness prompted intense lobbying to help the Allied war effort and save European Jews.
British Reluctance Shaped Paratrooper Options
- The British limited Jewish military roles fearing postwar consequences and showed indifference to Jewish suffering, refusing large Jewish brigades and measures like bombing death camps.
- Friedman details British reluctance to arm Jews to avoid postwar conflicts and to placate Arab opinion.
Dual Missions Created Strategic Conflict
- The parachutists served two conflicting missions: British MI9's escape-and-evasion role and the Zionist aim to save Jews or inspire aliyah.
- Friedman emphasizes volunteers treated the British mission as a "plane ticket" to reach Europe for their real, secret purpose.
