Jewish Soldiers in World War II

About the Project 

During World War II more than 1.5 million Jews participated in the fight against Nazi Germany as soldiers in the armies of the nations in which they lived.  This project focuses on various aspects of this fascinating phenomenon of Jewish history – the recruitment and service of Jewish soldiers across a number of countries. In 2018 the Center was awarded a generous grant by the Claims Conference in support of this innovative research.

Jews in the American Army in World War II: Experiences Abroad and Meaningful Encounters

Researcher: Dr. Françoise Simcha Ouzan

Dr. Ouzan’s research focuses on the personal narratives concerning American Jewish soldiers in French territories, the Pacific, India, and Europe during the course of World War II. Her work endeavors to compare captivity under the Japanese and the Nazis through available testimonies provided by families of prisoners of war. She has also conducted additional research on the liberation of death camps by Jewish soldiers for a forthcoming article. 

Dr. Ouzan’s new book True to My God and Country: How Jewish Americans Fought in World War II, was published by Indiana University Press in 2024.

Correspondence and Personal Documents as Historical Sources: Jewish Soldiers in the Red Army

Researcher: Dr. Leonid Smilovitsky 

This project examines the correspondence and personal documents of Jewish soldiers in the Soviet Army during World War II, which Dr. Smilovitsky is collecting and analyzing. 

His upcoming book: Jews in the Red Army is planned to be published as part of the Rethinking Diaspora series by De Gruyter.

Dr. Smilovitsky has also created a catalogue of the materials he used in his research and this catalogue is now available to researchers, students, and all who are interested in World War II. Access to the materials should be coordinated in advance with Dr. Smilovitsky.

To the catalogue >

The Experience of Captivity: Jewish Prisoners of War (1940–1945)

Researcher: Dr. Galit Haddad

As a result of the military disaster of the Battle of France, around 1.8 million French soldiers were sent to POW camps in Germany, including some 10,000 to 15,000 French POWs of Jewish descent. Despite their Jewishness, they were granted a relatively protected status behind the barbed wire and were repatriated to France at the end of the war. Based on previously unexplored archival materials, this study aims to uncover the multi-faceted captivity experience of the French-Jewish POWs who fell into German hands while fighting for France. It sheds new light on the extent of racial discrimination that Jewish POWs encountered in camps, and uncovers the contradictory role played by the collaborationist Vichy regime in shaping the fate of “their” prisoners of war of Jewish descent.