Kurt I. Lewin Israeli War of Independence collection

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.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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.