This is a completely secular tribute to the Polish airmen in exile - a hero is a hero regardless of his religion. However, I cannot help but note the lack of information that is forthcoming on the many Jewish airmen who were a part of the PAF in exile. I would like to include these men in this tribute but the only information available is gleaned from official sources and gives no flavour of the person or his personality. The one exception came from the family of a Catholic friend of a Jewish airman.
I would really like to honour these men who, by virtue of their religion, took even greater risks escaping through territory controlled by Nazis or their sympathisers. Those who were captured faced a greater risk of maltreatment, torture and murder. Even Jerzy Tomasz Mondschein, one of the 50 executed escapees in the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III at Sagan (now Zagan), has very little written about him. Does anyone know his life story?
Can I appeal to the Jewish community for information on these brave men who also deserve to be remembered for their courage, their patriotism and their contribution to the war effort.
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