Source 11

‘As we recall the 75th anniversary of D-day and the battle of Normandy, let us remember the more than 60,000 Jews who served in the British armed forces during the second world war; they included 14,000 in the Royal Air Force and 15,000 in the Royal Navy. Some 30,000 Jews from Palestine also served in the British military. Five Jewish soldiers have won the Victoria Cross. Some 4,000 took part in the D-day landings.’

Christian Matheson (City of Chester, Labour), ‘Jewish Community: Contribution to the UK’, Hansard Volume 661: debated on Thursday 13 June 2019. 

In this source, Labour MP Christian Matheson adds his thoughts to a discussion on the British Jewish community’s contribution to the UK. 

Questions to consider:

1. Why might there have been a parliamentary debate on the contributions of the Jewish Community?
2. What is Matheson outlining as a standout contribution of the Jewish Community? 
3. Do you think Jews were proportionately represented in the Second World War? Or over/under-represented?