Israel Honors WWII Women Veterans

Teresa Neumann : Mar 11, 2010
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu - Israel National News

"Historians have noted that young women were leaders in almost every Polish Ghetto underground movement and influenced decisions from the beginning of the German occupation of Poland. Women also led Jewish youth movements, and they often were delegates or emissaries because of not having to be subject to the 'circumcision test' that Nazis performed to try to identify Jews at checkpoints."

(Israel)—The Knesset Aliyah Committee honored female veterans of World War II during its opening commemoration of the 65th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, says a report in Israel National News.

According to the report, more than 30,000 Jewish women took part in the battle against the Nazis. (Israel news photo: Jewish Women's Archive)

"Historians have noted that young women were leaders in almost every Polish Ghetto underground movement and influenced decisions from the beginning of the German occupation of Poland," writes reporter Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu. "Women also led Jewish youth movements, and they often were delegates or emissaries because of not having to be subject to the 'circumcision test' that Nazis performed to try to identify Jews at checkpoints."

"However, many women also fought, often in auxiliary fields such as communication, logistics and first aid but also in combat as the Nazi death machine advanced," she adds. "Several women served as commanders in the Warsaw uprising. Rozka Korczak was the commander of an important position in the Vilna Ghetto and Vitka Kempner-Kovner led small units on railway sabotage operations in the Vilna Ghetto and the forests. Zivia Lubtekin led the escape through the sewers from the burning Warsaw Ghetto."