Talk
Jews Against Franco: The Jewish Contribution to the Spanish Civil War
- 11–11:40am
- East End London
Location details will provided to registered participants.
This event will take place outside – come rain or shine – so please do bring suitable clothing/ umbrella. There are also several cafés located close to the talk, offering a range of snacks and refreshments should you wish to purchase something before or during the event.
- Free
Join community historian Martin Sugarman to explore the Spanish Civil War as one of the defining struggles against fascism of the 20th century – in which Jews played a remarkable part.
Thousands of Jews from around 53 countries became involved in the Republican cause. Many joined the International Brigades and travelled to Spain to fight Franco; others supported the struggle through fundraising, political activism, refugee aid and humanitarian work.
Their stories are remarkably diverse. Some went openly as Jews, while others adopted aliases. Some fought alongside fellow nationals, while others joined different national units. Some were refugees from antisemitism and political persecution; others left relatively secure lives in democratic countries to fight fascism.
Among them were volunteers from Mandatory Palestine, whose numbers were exceptionally large in proportion to its population. Many paid the ultimate price.
This talk uncovers these often-overlooked stories of courage, idealism, international solidarity and sacrifice – and asks why the Jewish contribution to the fight against Franco remains so little known.
This event will take place outside - come rain or shine – so please do bring suitable clothing/ umbrella. There are also several cafés located close to the talk, offering a range of snacks and refreshments should you wish to purchase something before or during the event.
Martin Sugarman
Martin Sugarman was born in Hackney in 1947 and has spent much of his life combining teaching, community service and historical research. After studying Geography and Education at Bristol University, he became a secondary-school teacher, later returning to Hackney where he taught and became Head of Sixth Form at Central Foundation School, and then Senior Teacher at Clapton School. Martin has long been deeply involved in local and Jewish community history. Since 1982 he has chaired the Hackney–Haifa Twinning Association, helping develop links between the two communities, including medical exchanges. He has also been active in Holocaust education and Jewish community affairs.
Since 1990, Martin has worked extensively with AJEX, building its Jewish military collection and archive, interviewing veterans and researching the Jewish contribution to Britain’s wartime history. He is now AJEX/JMA Archivist and has authored six books on Jewish military history. His research has also led to decades of work with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, helping correct and recognise Jewish war graves worldwide. He continues to lecture, write and share his research with local history and community groups.
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