The formation of the Zion Mule Corps in Alexandria, Egypt, on 22 March 1915, caused no global ripples at the time, but is now recognised as one of the most significant events in Jewish history over the past 2,000 years. The commander of this first Jewish combat unit for 1,800 years was Lt Col John Henry Patterson, born in Forgney, Ballymahon, County Westmeath, to a Protestant father and Roman Catholic mother. Patterson was imbibed with a deep knowledge of the Hebrew Bible: “From the days of my youth, I have always been a keen student of the Jewish people, their history, laws and customs.” At the reinterment ceremony of Patterson’s ashes in Israel in December 2014, Prime Minister Netanyahu described Patterson as the “godfather of the IDF.”
Wednesday, 18th March 2015 at 7.30pm
Venue: Irish Jewish Museum, 3 Walworth Road, Dublin 8.
LIMITED SEATING – PLEASE BOOK
The Museum requests a donation of €5 towards admin costs