On August 18, a special exhibition dedicated to the unique story of the Jewish soldiers who participated in the historical Battle of Stalingrad opened in the ‘Beit David’ synagogue of Volgograd.

During the years since the Eastern Front of World War II, regarded by many as the Great Patriotic War, the story of the Jewish minority soldiers has rarely been told. Out of eight million soldiers from different minorities, half a million are estimated to have been Jewish.

The new exhibition tells the stories of Jewish soldiers such as Yiddel Hayet – the defender of the legendary Pavlov House; Avraham Temnik, the commander of a tank brigade; and Major General Leonid Rabinovich who was a war hero.

“The main idea behind this exhibition,” says art critic Svetlana Argastseva, “is to tell about the six-month period of world history – the Battle of Stalingrad – through the prism of representatives of one nationality – the Jewish nation.”

The city’s Chief Rabbi, Zalmen Yoffe, explained that the exhibition promotes ideals and values of tolerance, friendship, and mutual assistance: “The Battle of Stalingrad is full of examples of courage and resilience since the soldiers had a choice: to fight and, possibly, perish or perish as victims… It was a struggle for values, family, life… The lessons of history must be known, studied, investigated.”

The exhibition was created by the Institute for Regional Economics and Social Design (IRESP) in partnership with the Battle of Stalingrad Museum-Reserve and received a grant from the Russian president for the development of civilian society.

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