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 spanish civil war, jewish, volunteers, spanish, civil and/or war:
“Stiller ... took part in the Spanish Civil War ... It is not clear what impelled him to this military gesture. Probably many factors were combined—a rather romantic Communism, such as was common among bourgeois intellectuals at that time.”
—Max Frisch (1911–1991)
“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)
“The French courage proceeds from vanity—the German from phlegm—the Turkish from fanaticism & opium—the Spanish from pride—the English from coolness—the Dutch from obstinacy—the Russian from insensibility—but the Italian from anger.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“To the cry of “follow Mormons and prairie dogs and find good land,” Civil War veterans flocked into Nebraska, joining a vast stampede of unemployed workers, tenant farmers, and European immigrants.”
—For the State of Nebraska, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“We have always said that in our war with the Arabs we had a secret weapon—no alternative.”
—Golda Meir (1898–1978)