Israel’s State Fighters emblem was posthumously awarded to Leopold Trepper, leader of the “Red Orchestra,” the Moscow-directed spy network which operated against the Nazis in Western Europe during most of World War II. The medallion was presented last Friday to Trepper’s widow, Lyova Trepper by Defense Minister Ariel Sharon at the Har Hamenuhot cemetery where the wartime master spy is buried.
Trepper died last month. He had immigrated to Israel from Poland in 1974 but was officially snubbed by the Israeli establishment because his exploits were on behalf of a Communist organization, not the Jewish resistance. No government representatives or officials attended his funeral.
But Friday’s award by Sharon indicated a change of attitude. The ceremony was attended by dozens of former members of anti-Nazi partisans and fighting groups.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
