The number of Jews in the Red Army who have been decorated for valor doubled during 1944, the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee announced today in a New Year message to the Jews of the world. Jewish medal winners increased from 32,000 to 60,000 during the past year, the announcement said. The number of Jews named Heroes of the Soviet Union also doubled in the same period.
Reviewing the liberation of all of occupied Russia and many other occupied countries during 1944, the Committee said that in the liberated sections of the Soviet Union a new life has begun for all the people, including the Jews. It points out that while 1944 was a year of victory, hundreds of thousands of Jews were tortured to death in the last twelve months, and calls for redoubled efforts by all Jews in order that “1945 may see the banner of victory raised over Berlin.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.