The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
Poster printed on off-white paper, adhered to a white linen backing. A line of large, black text is printed across the top of the poster, which has a yellow background overall. On the left side is a black-and-white mugshot style, photographic image of a captured Polish-Jewish soldier. The image is captured in such a way as to emphasize the soldier’s large nose and hooded, heavily shadowed eyes. He wears a military helmet crookedly on his head with the strap fastened under his chin. Overlaid across the bottom of the image are two lines of small, black text. To the right are three paragraphs of black, German text. The top and bottom paragraphs are in fraktur font, the middle paragraph is a quotation and in block lettering. At the upper right, there is a small logo consisting of a line of text arranged in a circle around three larger letters. There is a tear at the bottom center edge, and small discolored areas in the margins.
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overall: Height: 33.250 inches (84.455 cm) | Width: 47.250 inches (120.015 cm)
German propaganda poster issued in 1940, from the Parole der Woche (Word of the Week) series. The poster references Jews fighting for the British army and frames it as an act of desperation by the British. The yellow background color is a similar shade as the Star of David badges Jews were forced to wear in Germany. The poster shows an image of a captured Polish-Jewish soldier, attempting to make Jews appear inept as soldiers. Approximately 100,000 Jews fought in the Polish army against the invading German Army. At the outbreak of the war, Jewish leaders in Britain and Palestine campaigned for an official Jewish unit in the British Army. Meanwhile, approximately 30,000 Jews volunteered for service in the army. The Jewish Brigade formed in September 1944, and fought German forces in Italy. Overall, approximately 1.5 million Jews fought in Allied armies, and hundreds of thousands received citations for combat and bravery. The Nazis used propaganda to buttress public support for the war effort, shape public opinion, and reinforce antisemitic ideas. As part of their propaganda campaign, the Nazis created the Word of the Week Series of posters (also referred to as Wandzeitung, or wall newspapers), which began distribution on March 16, 1936. Each week, new posters were placed in public places and businesses to be viewed by as many people as possible. Posters were the primary medium for the series, but smaller pamphlets were also produced. The posters targeted the Nazis’ early political adversaries, Jews, Communists, and Germany’s enemies during the war. The series was discontinued in 1943.
Judah-very big!! Word of the Week Antisemitic poster concerning Jews in allied armies