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Kurt I. Lewin Israeli War of Independence collection

Document | Accession Number: 2006.83

Consists of documents related to the post-war life of Kurt I. Lewin, originally of Lwow, Poland, in Israel after World War II. Mr. Lewin became a member of the Haganah, and a Major in the Israeli Defense Forces during the War of Independence. Includes recommendations, identification papers, commissioning documents, and veteran commemoration materials.

Date
inclusive:  1946-1978
Language
Hebrew
English
Extent
1 box

About This Document

Document Creator
Kurt I. Lewin
Biography
Kurt I. Lewin was born in Lvov, Poland, on Feb. 28, 1925, and is the son of Dr. Jeschekiel Lewin, a progressive rabbi in Lvov. When Rabbi Lewin was killed in 1941, Kurt escaped to Rawa Ruska, Poland. In May 1942, he returned to the Lvov ghetto and, with the help of Metropolitan Andrew Graf Szeptycki (Sheptytsky), he and his brother Nathan went into hiding in Sept. 1942 in the care of Studite monks. They were aided by Ihumen Clement Graf Szeptycki (Sheptytsky) the superior of the Studite order, who personally forged documents for Kurt as "Roman Mytka," a novice in the Studite order. After the German retreat in 1944, Kurt joined the Polish army and fought in the final days of World War II. He then became a displaced person and traveled to Italy before reaching Palestine in 1946. He fought in the Israeli War of Independence and emigrated to the United States in 1955. With the help of Mr. Lewin's testimony, Clement Szeptycki was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
System of Arrangement
Organized in six series: Series 1: Papers related to Kurt Lewin’s experiences in pre-war Palestine and at Hebrew University; Series 2: Papers related to Kurt Lewin’s military activities; Series 3: Letters of appreciate for Kurt Lewin’s service; Series 4: Papers related to Kurt Lewin’s discharge and subsequent activities: Series 5: Documents related to the 1947 Haganah Commanders’ Course; Series 6: Documents and Medals identifying Kurt Lewin as a veteran

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
Kurt I. Lewin donated this collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives on Jan. 3, 2006. Please see 1997.A.0076 for materials regarding Kurt I. Lewin's experiences during the Holocaust. Please also see 2004.365, the Rabbi Dr. Jecheskiel Lewin collection, and 2004.609, the Metropolitan Andrew Graf Szeptycki collection.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use
 
Record last modified: 2020-11-23 15:15:07
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn517896