Volunteers for Freedom

This work restores the memory of Jewish Polish and Jewish Latvian women who fought in the International Brigades in support of its Republican government against General Franco’s troops during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). Between 40,000 and 59,000 volunteers from 53 countries participated in the International Brigades set up by the Communist International (Komintern). Among these volunteers were many left-wing and anarchist Jewish fighters from Eastern European countries, about which little has been known until now.They engaged in this war on a voluntary basis to counter the expansion of far-right and anti-Semitic ideologies in Europe. For the first time, a large number of women from all over the world were involved in combat too. Zuzanna Hertzberg’s work focuses on this history of women fighters. The artist writes: “The format of a box for portraits was chosen as it resembles a space where certain family stories are kept. Each box is devoted to a particular woman and consists of an affective portrait and a collage created with elements from her biography. The stories of women are very diverse and therefore they become a universal story of female fighters against a military coup who fought under the slogan: ‘For Your Freedom and Ours’.” Although 92 men from Estonia participated in the Spanish Civil War, during the preparatory research for this exhibition we have not found any local women who have served as volunteers in this war. If you might have information about such women, we would appreciate it if you can let us know.

Ieva Astahovska, Margaret Tali