History of AJEX

Jews have served in the British Armed Forces for centuries, but their numbers were only first recorded in the late 1800s.

Of the six million men who served in the First World War, 50,000 of them were Jewish. After the war, many began meeting up in ex-service clubs and in 1921 a group of Jewish veterans laid their first wreath at the Cenotaph. This small but important gesture became very important to the Jewish community, a physical statement that we had made our contribution.

In 1929, with the rise in Anti-Semitism and fascism in Europe, Jewish veterans grew concerned: a meeting was held in the East End of London and the Jewish Ex-servicemen’s Legion was formed. The following year, they organised their first annual Remembrance Parade at Whitehall.

To avoid any confusion with the British Legion (now the Royal British Legion) the organisation changed its name to the Association of Jewish Ex-servicemen and women in 1936. The aims were simple: to continue Remembrance of the Jewish contribution to the military; to combat anti-Semitism through education; and to provide welfare for Jewish veterans and their families.

Following the Second War, when over 70,000 Jews served in the British Armed Forces (out of a total of 2.9 million military personnel), the work of AJEX continued in earnest. The need to provide support to the veteran community and ensure a robust British counter to anti-Semitism was even more important. Active education programmes were launched, alongside continued welfare networks and the annual Remembrance Parade. All this work continues today.