To mark 80 years to Germany’s surrender, a war photographer chronicles Jewish WWII veterans
As Victory in Europe Day is celebrated on May 8, the stories of those who fought in the Red Army for freedom are captured in photos and interviews on the battles against Axis forces
Like many Europeans, my family history is riddled with war stories brought back by my grandparents and uncles from the front. My family military tree can be easily traced back to World War I, and my great uncle fought in the infantry against the invading Germans in 1940, while my paternal grandfather was the personal driver of the commander in chief of the French army, Gen. Maurice Gamelin.
I grew up listening to their stories and perhaps this is why ever since I became a war photographer, I didn’t just want to photograph wars, but also the veterans who had fought in previous ones. It is within this context that, one day in 2004, I had the idea to photograph World War II veterans and collect their testimonies. In this way, I could create a piece which, in time, would provide real historical value to future generations.
The first subject of this photo project came along randomly while I was living in Santa Barbara, California, and beginning my career shooting for local newspapers. I met a friend’s grandfather who had fought as a pilot in the Pacific, and I asked to photograph and interview him about his experiences. And just like that, a photography project that would take me around the world for over 10 years was born.
Within six months, I had met and photographed veterans of over 15 nationalities, including many Red Army veterans of Jewish descent who had fought on the Eastern Front. Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, all with unique stories of survival and resilience.
This portrait series honors the enduring spirit of WWII veterans, capturing their strength, sacrifice, and humanity eight decades after the war’s end. As we mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, these images are a powerful reminder of the individuals, now deceased, who stood for freedom in one of the world’s darkest times. Here are their tales.
Leonid Rozenberg, Ukraine
“It purely was by accident that I met my father on the front line during heavy fighting near Warsaw in early 1945. I could not believe my eyes, and quickly embraced him.”
Leonid Rozenberg was born in 1921 in Izwaslavl, Ukraine. Rozenberg graduated from high school in 1939 and served in the military as a lieutenant in Kiev. He was sent to western Belarussia as part of the 20th division and was wounded by German machine guns. He escaped and returned to the North Caucasian front, where he was promoted to artillery company leader.
He fought at the Battle of Rostov and Bielgorod, and took part in the liberation of Kiev in November 1943. Rozenberg later participated in the liberation of Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. He fought in the liberation of Warsaw in early 1945 and received a medal during the Battle of Boevogo-Krasnogo-Znameni. In 1945, Rozenberg met his father, who was later killed by German troops for being Jewish, near the Warsaw front. He fought in the Battle of Berlin in 1945 and was subsequently promoted to major. He remained in Germany until 1950 before returning to Moscow, where he served in the Red Army until 1968.
Alexander Turetsky, Russia
“My company was used for reconnaissance. My commanding officer would often send us to the German front lines to try to capture a German soldier and collect information. It was a very dangerous type of mission, but necessary for our victory.”
Born in Moscow in 1924, Alexander Turetsky grew up in the capital and completed his education there. He graduated from an officers’ training course as a lieutenant in 1942, still not even 18 years old.
He saw heavy action in Leningrad during a German advance and was wounded while looking for a position in which his soldiers could take cover. He served with the 344th Roslavskaya division from January 1942 to January 1945, again seeing action in a village near Moscow as the leader of a company of about 100 men. His unit was often used as a reconnaissance outfit looking for Germans to capture and bring back for questioning.
He fought during the entire campaign of Belarussia, as well as in a fierce battle in Smolensk, Russia, where he fought on the outskirts of the city. He also saw heavy action in 1944 during Operation Bagration, which shattered the German front lines and marked the largest defeat in German military history. Turetsky was sent back to military school from January to May 1945 and missed the end of the war. He then returned to military school and retired in 1967 as the commander of a regiment with the rank of colonel.
Josef Krulyak, Russia
“It was never really peaceful on the Black Sea. The Germans often attacked us with their dive bombers, dropping bombs on the decks of our ships. I did my best to shoot them down with our guns, but they were like flies hovering over our positions.”
Born on April 18, 1927, Josef Krulyak grew up in Rzhev, Russia. After the war began in June 1941, he and his parents left their hometown to escape the Germans. They worked in a collective farm and later moved to Marmysah, where they worked in stables. Krulyak was drafted in 1944 at just 17 and trained in the Russian navy. He served on the Krasnyikrym destroyer as part of an anti-aircraft cannon crew and first saw action in April of 1944 as part of the Black Sea fleet, fighting against the retreating Axis forces, mostly against attacking German aircraft.
During a night shift, Krulyak spotted an object moving in the water that turned out to be a floating mine and reported it to his captain, saving many lives. He participated in small battles inside the city and remained in the eastern Black Sea until the war ended. After the war, the crew remained in Georgia, where it was active until 1951.
Salomon Freidlyand, Belarussia
“I was better-educated than most of the men in the division. My commander asked for volunteers to join a chemical unit. I agreed.”
Born in Orsha, Belarussia, in 1921, Salomon Freidlyand moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1925 and studied there between 1929 and 1939. He was drafted into the Red Army in 1939 and trained at Alexandria. He was sent to western Ukraine and became the leader of a 45-millimeter artillery battery.
When the Germans invaded, he was stationed in Slavyansk, where they fought against the advancing German army. Freidlyand was transferred to the 297th division and later to a special chemical division. He graduated from a military training course in February 1942 and became a lieutenant, working with partisans and local spies to gather information on German troops in the area. He was wounded during the Battle of Stalingrad and was sent back to Leningrad. He moved to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but was unable to find work, and eventually moved to Andijan, where he worked for the government until the end of the war.
Israel Barsuk, Ukraine
“My commander was killed in front of me by a German sniper. One moment he was giving orders, a moment later he was no more, face down with a bullet in his head.”
Born in Kremnchuk, Ukraine, in 1919, Israel Barsuk was drafted into the army and sent to Komsomolsk-na-amor in Eastern Russia as part of the 220th division in 1939. As Germany invaded in June of 1941, Barsuk was sent back to his division on the southwest front of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. He was badly injured during heavy action against German troops and spent four months in a hospital in Ossetia.
Though he had received papers saying he was no longer fit for active duty, in early 1942, he became part of a tank division on the North Caucasian front after convincing his superiors to send him back to the front. Casualties were very heavy as the Red Army concentrated on killing as many Germans as possible.
Barsuk stayed in the North Caucasus until the end of 1942, then was sent back to Moscow to provide technical support for armored units fighting on the front. He worked there until the end of the war but was often deployed to various fronts to ensure armored units had the proper replacement parts and pieces, and also went to factories to make sure they were working properly. When the war ended, Barsuk was in Red Square on May 8, 1945.
Gregory Gurtovnik, Russia
“The street fighting inside the city of Lvov was something I could never forget. Our men were dying by the thousands, littering the streets, the rooms inside the gutted apartment that we were defending. The Germans kept on coming and coming.”
Gregory Gurtovnik was born in Salnitza, Ukraine, and moved to Odessa with his family at the age of 7. They later moved to Samarkand during WWII. Gurtovnik volunteered for the Red Army at 18 and joined a tank outfit. He trained in Tajikistan and was sent with the 3rd Tank Army to Ukraine, where he participated in a major offensive to take Kiev from the Germans.
The unit was brought to Kanotop by rail and fought to cross the Dnieper River. The Germans were defeated, and more Russian units poured in. After four days, a major engagement followed in which Gurtovnik was wounded and then sent back to the front. After the battle of Kiev, he fought in western Ukraine and participated in battles at Ternopol and Lvov. The battle of Lvov was a hard-fought affair, as the Germans had a large army there and were making a last stand. In September 1944, Gurtovnik fought in Krakow and Berlin as the Red Army incurred heavy casualties. After the Polish campaign, his unit moved to the Elbe River to link up with American forces. The battle ended on May 2, 1945, and they moved to Prague to restore order. After the war, Gurtovnik pursued engineering and joined a submarine outfit.
Semen Vaidman, Ukraine
“One morning, we left the line with 100 men in my company, but by the end of the day, only seven of my men and I came back. The Germans had ambushed us. My men were falling all around me. This was one of the hardest days of my life.”
Semen Vaidman was born in Suvorovo, Ukraine, and spent his childhood in the village before moving to Odessa and Leningrad. He studied at a technical college and later military school. He was sent to Belarussia as part of the Red Army’s 318th Division, where he was an artillery company leader. In 1941, he was one of the division leaders when the Germans invaded Bobruysk. He was questioned by the NKVD for four months and later sent to Stalingrad. He became a drill instructor and commander of a 203-millimeter cannon company. After the Battle of Stalingrad, he returned to the front as part of the 112th Artillery Brigade and was promoted to captain. He fought through Poland and then Germany, where he remained after the war until 1948, fathering a son there. He returned to Moscow in 1959.
The Times of Israel Community.