The Jewish Brigade was a military formation of the British Army that was active from 1944 to 1946 during World war II. The brigade was formed despite strong reservations from the British, who feared an escalation of Jewish-Arab tensions in Palestine. It numbered some 5,000 men and saw service in Egypt, north Italy, and the North-West Europe campaign. Its members helped to smuggle out from Europe many survivors of the concentration camps and the Holocaust. It was officially disbanded in 1946, although some its operations were taken over by the Haganah.