Fighting HItler

The Nazi's overwhelming force and frightening brutality made civilian resistance unthinkable. Still, escapees gathered in the forests and the underground and did their best. The revolt in the Warsaw ghetto and in several camps showed that the spirit was there. With Austria, Poland Czekoslovakia, Italy, France and Hungary capitulating, it would be left to England, Russia, and the support and engagement of the United States to effectively stop the Germans. Whether more lives could have been saved by bombing killing centers in advance of a ground invasion is the subject of debate. Meanwhile, Jews who were free fought in all of the Allied armies - over one and a half million - primarily in the Red Army and the U.S. forces. Notable were the units of Palestinian Jews who fought under the British flag in North Africa, Greece, and Italy. The Jewish soldiers helped liberate concentration camps and communicate with the survivors. They were instrumental in setting up DP camps and in helping survivors reach Palestine.

Spiritual Resistance to the Nazis focused on preserving values, faith and dignity in the face of hellish conditions and beastial behavior. Over the years stories, journals and teachings of spiritual giants have emerged that give a more complete picture of Jewish response to the Holocaust. Notable was the Jewish Brigade which fought under the British flag in Italy.

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Aish Kodesh. R' Shapira	Ghetto Fighter Anilevitz While there a few 'souvenirs' of the Jewish resistance in the Ghetto, surviving participants have had much to tell.	Warsaw Revolt leader ...
In the Sewers of Warsaw	Remembering the Uprising	Revolt in the Death Camps
Partisans Fight Back Between 20 and 30 thousand Jews escaped the ghettoes to the forests where they formed groups and fought the Nazis. They are known as the Partisans. Escape was dangerous, survival was precarious. They organized raids, destroyed trains, sabotaged communication etc. and also rescued some Jews from ghettoes. Perez Padison escaped the Kovno ghetto and trained resistance fighters. He survived and made aliyah. His medal reads 'Partisan of Belarus'.	Fighting Hitler.Russian army Postcard.front	Russian army PC Yiddish
Russian Woman Fighter	Hero of the Soviet Union Polina Gelman left university to fight. She was a navigator with the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, an all women's unit. She flew on 857 combat sorties. The photo shows her many medals, including 'Hero of the Soviet Union'.	Medal Russian WWII
Russian War Hero	Medal Citation	French Jewish Soldier Jews were part of the French army too. Leon Jacobovitz was in the 41st regiment of the French infantry, stationed at Haute-Vienne near Limoges in West-central France. He writes home to Mrs. and Miss Jacobovitz, perhaps his mother and sister. The card is pre-printed for soldier use and has many suggested situations already there, to be included or crossed out. The card was mailed 16 April 1941 and was censored by the military postmaster.
French Army Siddur	Fighting Free French.Syria	Free Polish Forces After Poland’s defeat, the Polish government –in-exile quickly organized a new fighting force - The Free Polish Forces in England. They supplied sailors, flyers, and ground troops. Among other theatres, they were instrumental in defending Scotland. By war’s end, they numbered close to 200,000. This envelope is stamped 'Field Post' in Polish and shows British censorship. It is addressed to Tel Aviv.
British Army.Chanukah	Palestine Regiment Patches	British Army.Defense medal.Palestine
British Army Siddur	British Dog Tag 'Jew'	British Jew fights in N Africa Mordechai Frumbein fought in the British army. His dog tag reads JEW. His cap badge is from the royal Artillery. His medals indicate he fought in the Battle of Britain 1940 and then in N. Africa 1940-43. He received the General Service medal and the African Star.
Jewish Brigade Base Egypt	Libya.Brigade.Motor transport	J Brigade.Enlistment flyer
J. Brigadier in Uniform	Jewish Brigade Sleeve Patches	Jewish Brigade patch variety
Fighting Hitler.Jewish Brigade.2 patches	British Jews fight Hitler 60,000 Jews served in the British armed forces in WWII. Joseph Schussheim was a private, captured and held in Stalag VII B, a POW camp.	British Jewish POW Joseph's brother Robert wrote to him but the letter fell into allied forces hands and couldn't be delivered to the enemy. So it was returned to sender. The handstamp on the back explains the situation.
Palestine.POW Italy	Jewish POW's Stalag VIII B	Jewish POWs.British.Stalag VIII B Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf in Silesia was a German Army POW camp. 100,000 prisoners from various United Kingdom, European, Soviet and American armies passed through it. As the Soviet army approached, many hundreds were led on a death march. This photo shows British prisoners in winter clothing. It is dated 29 April 1945 - after liberation.
POWs in Germany The back of the photo has a message in Hebrew and English: As a souvenir of my imprisonment in Germany. Yours faithfully H. Shlingbaum 29 IV 1945.	Palestine Jews in British Army 30,000 Jews pf Palestine joined the British army. Many were posted to North Africa but several units fought in Greece in 1941. 100 died there and 1700 were captured, among 10,000 allied prisoners. Siegfried Feuerstein was among them, held prisoner in Stalag VIII B until after the war. Here he writes home to his family.	British Army.Palestine Siddur
Ambulance Synagogue brochure	Ambulance Synagogue.photo	USA War Effort buttons These buttons express American support for the Allies against Germany, Italy, and Japan, who were the enemies in WWII.
Hitler Wanted for Murder It is interesting that Hitler is called not just an enemy but a murderer. It became clear at some point that he was waging war against his own civilians, and murdering them.	Button.Lets Pull Together This is called a mechanical button, since it has some moving parts. By pulling sown the lever on the left, Hitler's head appears right where Uncle Sam is pulling the noose.	Button. Hitler's noose This button shows a gallows and has a string attached in the form of a noose. "Reserved for Hitler".
Imitation Stamp This stamp imitated a regular Hitler German 12 pfennig letter rate stamp. This was an American operation to undermine German morale. When the US bombed trains, they dropped sacks of mail with real German addresses, stamped with these. 'Futches Reich' (instead of the proper 'Deutches Reich') means 'Ruined Empire'.	Imitation Stamp Actually Mailed This OSS operation went to far as to research genuine return addresses and addresses pulled from German phone directories. Inside was anti-Nazi propaganda.	US soldier. Levine Private first class M. Levine sent this letter home only a few days after the war ended on May 15 1945. He was part of the 750th tank battalion, which saw extensive duty in Europe, in this case Wurtzburg Germany. He was one of 550,000 Jews who fought in WWII, of who 11,000 lost their lives.
U.S. Army Siddur	US.Purple Heart medal	US.Purple Heart citation
Disabled War Veterans This pin was awarded in Israel to 'Wounded Nazi Fighters'. There is an organization that provides services to these veterans, entitled "The Association of Wounded Nazi Fighters". Their symbol contains a torch, sword, and olive branch. Underneath, we read 'For Our People - 1939-45 - For Humanity'. Services include monthly stipends, social services, medical care, and help with various needs including funerals.	Jewish Welfare Board	Eisenhower Liberates Camps