A large number of Jews are among the 83 officers and men of the Czech Divisions who have just been decorated for heroism by the Soviet Government, it is reported today in Pravda, one of the leading Russian newspapers.
Pravda carries the names of the Jewish heroes and heroines – four of the eight women decorated are Jewish – and also an interview with Colonel Svoboda, commander of the Czechoslovakian forces, praising the bravery of the Jewish fighters under his command. “Our force has in its ranks Czechs, Slovaks, Moravians and Jews, ” Colonel Svoboda is quoted as saying, “all of whom are united in their desire to hasten the enemy’s defeat. No national dis tinctions whatsoever are made in the ranks of our army. The religious faith of each officer and soldier is strictly a matter for his own conscience. All of our fighters have fought bravely and well.”
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.
