235980 Pte. Jacob David Beaver British Army 39th Btn. Royal Fusiliers from:New York, USA Jacob D Beaver was my grandfather. He enlisted into the 39th Fusiliers as a non-national American as he was attracted to the concept of Zionism.
He was transported to Canada Nova Scotia to begin training. Eventually he was transported with the rest of the American contingent to Palestine where he did see combat but avoided injury. He was a simple man with very strong convictions as he originally was from Russia where being a Jew brought many hazards for simple being a Jew. He always felt those childhood prejudices and pogroms would end if the Jews had a homeland. I was lucky enough to visit the museum near Netanya in Israel and see and feel his service during World War I.
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