Livia Bitton-Jackson

Livia Bitton-Jackson (formerly Elli L. Friedmann) is a Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia and the author of the Holocaust memoir, "I Have Lived a Thousand Years". Jackson was born in Chamorin, Czechoslovakia (formerly Samorin, Slovakia) in 1931. She lived the normal life of a thirteen year old up until the Nazi invasion of Hungary on March 19th, 1944. She was imprisoned in the Nagymagyar ghetto, Auschwitz, Plaszow, and Augsburg. At the end of the war, she was eventually liberated from the Death Train.

In 1951, Livia Bitton-Jackson immigrated to the United States with her mother and surviving brothers.  The memoir, "I Have Lived a Thousand Years" is a great text for adolescents. It provides a teenager's insight into the Holocaust. She is also the author of two other memoirs, "My Bridges of Hope" and " Hello, America" which provide insight into her life after liberation and the struggles of establishing a new life in New York City.

Links for further research: 

1. https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn511231

Polina Gelman

Back in September of 2013, I wrote an article about the Nachthexen. A group of Russian female military aviators who flew harassment bombings against the German military. The group of aviator women also flew precision bombing missions. Their flight missions began in 1942 and continued until the end of the war.

One of the notable members of the "Night Witches" was Polina Gelman. I recently ran across her story and decided to share.

Polina was born in Berdichev, Ukraine in 1919. As an adolescent, she took flight lessons. When the German troops were nearing closer to Moscow, in October of 1941, Polina volunteered for the Red Army. She believed it was not only her duty as a Soviet citizen but as a Jewish woman to volunteer and stand up to Adolf Hitler.

On May 27th, 1942, she became a navigator. Her job was extremely important because she led the way for her fellow aviator pilots. The following pilots would bomb fuel and ammunition depots along with targeting bridges and German vehicles. Polina's crew brought supplies to the Red Army while also knocking out German searchlights that searched for Soviet Planes.

After several other notable roles in her regiment and a career as a military officer, Polina passed in November of 2005.

Here is a link for further research: 

1. http://www.yadvashem.org/research/research-projects/soldiers/polina-gelman

Note: Thank you to Yad Vashem for helping provide content for this article.