Jewish Volunteers In The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939. The war was a struggle of the Spanish people to defend their democratic rights and national independence. It also came to represent a struggle for all people around the world. The Jews played an important role after they came to understand that Fascism represented a great threat., A minority of the Jewish population, particularly that of Europe's, were active in socialist and Communist organisations in the period between the two World Wars. For Jews, the Fascist menace represented both political oppression and racist antisemitism. Thousands of Jews from 53 countries went to fight against Franco and Fascism. AJEX "For the first time since Fascism began systematically throttling and rending all we hold dear," wrote Gene Wolman, a volunteer from New York, "we are getting the opportunity to fight back." There were some Jews that went openly as Jews while others took aliases. On top of that thousands of Jews were active in solidarity campaigns, fund raising, and refugee rescue. AJEX
They made up a considerable portion of the socialist volunteers, with estimates putting the figure at over ten per cent. Many of them joined the International Brigades and the Popular Front to fight in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republicans. It is estimated that up to 25% of all the (IB) Fighters were Jewish. The leadership of the International Brigades considered forming an entirely Jewish brigade but the high casualties made this impossible. However, a Jewish company, the Naftali Botwin Company was formed within the Palafox Battalion.
Read more about Jewish Volunteers In The Spanish Civil War: National Origin of Volunteers, Notable Figures
Famous quotes containing the words civil war, jewish, volunteers, spanish, civil and/or war:
“The principle of majority rule is the mildest form in which the force of numbers can be exercised. It is a pacific substitute for civil war in which the opposing armies are counted and the victory is awarded to the larger before any blood is shed. Except in the sacred tests of democracy and in the incantations of the orators, we hardly take the trouble to pretend that the rule of the majority is not at bottom a rule of force.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“The exile is a singular, whereas refugees tend to be thought of in the mass. Armenian refugees, Jewish refugees, refugees from Franco Spain. But a political leader or artistic figure is an exile. Thomas Mann yesterday, Theodorakis today. Exile is the noble and dignified term, while a refugee is more hapless.... What is implied in these nuances of social standing is the respect we pay to choice. The exile appears to have made a decision, while the refugee is the very image of helplessness.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
“Friendship is but another name for an alliance with the follies and the misfortunes of others. Our own share of miseries is sufficient: why enter then as volunteers into those of another?”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“I have known a German Prince with more titles than subjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than shirts.”
—Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774)
“The Civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext, be infringed.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)
“You went to meet the shell’s embrace of fire
On Vimy Ridge; and when you fell that day
The war seemed over more for you than me,
But now for me than you the other way.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)