“A Letter of Defiance: 105-Year-Old Jewish WWII Veteran Reflects on Writing to His Wife on Hitler’s Stationery”

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a remarkable story highlights 105-year-old WWII veteran Danny Jacobson, who served in the U.S. Army’s 45th Division. Near the war’s end, his unit helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp before setting up headquarters in Hitler’s Munich apartment. There, Jacobson defiantly wrote a letter to his wife on Hitler’s personal stationery, a moment of poetic justice now preserved at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Reflecting on his service, Jacobson expresses concerns about rising antisemitism and the fragility of democracy, underscoring his lifelong resilience and commitment to justice.