Kurt I. Lewin Israeli War of Independence collection

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

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. 

Kurt I. Lewin Israeli War of Independence collection 

box 1 

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. 

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