The Jewish Heroes and Heroines of Victory Day

The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People at the National Library of Israel is revealing rare images of Jewish heroes and heroines of the Red Army during World War II. Many Jews took part in the war effort against Germany and the Axis nations during World War II, and around 250,000 lost their lives as a result. In these family photo albums, the place of Jewish soldiers in the Red Army is emphasized. Sometimes the fallen family member is a father of the album’s owner, and sometimes it is a long-lost aunt.

The photos and the stories can be used for a classroom discussion about the larger role of Jewish people in WWII and a jumping-off point for a discussion of US history and Jewish-American soldiers in this context.