Happy #VictoryDay from SSI! ✌️
On this date 75 years ago, we are celebrating the formal acceptance by the #Allies of #WorldWarII of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces marking the end of World War II in #Europe.
On this date 75 years ago, we are celebrating the formal acceptance by the #Allies of #WorldWarII of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces marking the end of World War II in #Europe.
Approximately 1.5 million Jews fought in the regular Allied armies. In many cases, the percentage of Jews fighting was greater than the percentage of Jews in the population.
About 500,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the Red Army during World War II.
About 500,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the Red Army during World War II.
120,000 were killed in #combat and in the line of duty; the Germans murdered 80,000 as #prisonersofwar. More than 160,000, at all levels of command, earned citations, with over 150 designated “#Heroes of the #SovietUnion”— the highest honor awarded to soldiers in the #RedArmy
Approximately 550,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the #USArmedForces during World War II. They served on all fronts in Europe and in the #Pacific. Some 10,000 were killed in combat, and more than 36,000 received citations. Many #Jewish soldiers took part in #liberating the #camps.
Approximately 100,000 Jews fought in the #Polish #army against the German #invasion. They made up 10% of the Polish army, commensurate with the percentage of Jews within the general population.
Approximately 30,000 Jews fell in #battle, were taken #captive by the Germans, or declared missing during the battles defending Poland, 11,000 in the defense of #Warsaw. Thousands of Jews later served in various Polish armies fighting against the Germans in the Allied Forces.
About 30,000 Jews served in the #British army in 1939-1946, some in special units of Jews from Palestine, such as the #JewishBrigade. SSI salutes the Jewish heroes who fought and #WON. Thank you for everything you have done, we are here today only because of your heroism.
First photo: Max Fuchs (left), US Soldier Who Led Historic Jewish Service in Germany During WWII, for Jewish-American soldiers in Aachen, Germany, in 1944.
2nd photo: Hannah Szenes, a poet and a Special Operations Executive (SOE) member. One of 37 Jewish SOE recruits from the land of Israel parachuted by the British into Yugoslavia during the Second World War to assist anti-Nazi forces and ultimately in the rescue of Hungarian Jews.
3rd photo: Isaac Estis, born in a small town near Kyiv. His parents were murdered in a pogrom and he was raised by his two older sisters. He married Lia, but soon after the wedding, he joined the Red Army to fight against Nazi Germany. Isaac returned home from the war.
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