A Jewish Hero of World War II
By Adair Olney
Charles Levy
May 18, 1919 – September 21, 2007
Charlie standing on his tank during the Second World War. (Courtesy of Bart Levy)
Charles “Charlie” Levy was born on May 18, 1919 to parents Charles and Sarah (née Spiegle) Levy.[1] Charlie was born in Passaic, New Jersey, a small city about 45 minutes north of New York City, but grew up in Brooklyn.[2] Charlie was raised by his mother, Sarah; his father, also Charles Levy, passed away a few months before his son’s birth.[3] Sarah ended up remarrying a man named Sam later in life, who was also Jewish. Charles experienced a sort of “community upbringing” in a large apartment complex in Brooklyn.[4] Both of Charlie’s parents were Jewish; Sarah, his mother, immigrated from Russia, while Charles Levy, his father, immigrated from England, making their son, Charlie, a second-generation American.[5]
Charlie grew up in a Jewish neighborhood. His son, Bart, says that although Charlie did not identify as extremely religious, the Jewish community was a big part of his upbringing and he spoke Yiddish.[6] While going to school as a young boy, Charlie often found himself walking through the Italian neighborhood and then the Irish neighborhood, and eventually ending up back at home in the Jewish neighborhood.[7] From a young age, Charlie was exposed to the various cultures in New York City.[8]
Throughout his entire life, from a young boy to an older man, Charlie’s favorite hobby was reading.[9] Upon cleaning out his father’s house, Charlie’s son Bart remembers finding hundreds of paperbacks that once belonged to his dad.[10] Charlie always aspired to be a writer, his son says, and although he did not leave behind any writing, a journal page from when he was fourteen years old reads this quotation: “He who laughs last, laughs best.”[11]
As a young man, Charlie worked as a salesman in the textiles industry, and one particular job saw him assisting a man by the name of Morris Shoenthal, a German immigrant who created women’s hats.[12] Charlie was drafted on November 30, 1942, and began active military service a week later on December 7, 1942.[13]
As an American soldier in World War II, Charlie Levy was a part of the 20th Armored Division, a division of the United States Army led by General Orlando Ward.[14] He served as a sergeant tank commander. The 20th Armored Division was in Europe for approximately nine months, from August 1944 to V-E Day in 1945. Being in the 20th Armored Division, Charlie was not part of the infantry and therefore did not see many battles, but his division is remembered as an extremely important division of the U.S Army. Charlie and his unit are recognized and memorialized as a liberating unit by the United States Army and the United States Holocaust Museum, meaning that Charlie Levy was among the American men who helped liberate concentration camps towards the end of World War II.[15]
Charlie Levy wearing his Jewish War Veterans cap. He once served as the Jewish War Veterans Denver #344 post here in Denver. (Courtesy of Bart Levy)
The feats they accomplished while in action are astonishing. Starting in France, the 20th Armored Division engaged in a series of offensives against Nazi Germany; embarking from Port Le Havre, France the division continued on through Belgium and Germany in April 1945.[16] Upon their invasion of Germany, they crossed the Danube River and continued on into Munich where they eventually captured and took control of the city on April 30, 1945.[17] As an artillery unit, they would clear out areas so that the infantries could come in after them. Arguably the most powerful work of this division took place on April 29 when they participated in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, located northwest of Munich.[18]
Liberating this concentration camp meant witnessing the heinous horrors committed by the Nazis; Charlie and his fellow soldiers were met with the malnourished ghosts of former prisoners, piles of skeletons, and mangled dead bodies. A “yearbook” gifted to every member of the 20th Armored Division dedicated a page to the division’s liberation of Dachau, and the images they included are nothing short of shocking – a ten-foot tall stack of victims is accompanied by powerful quotations such as “Murder in the mass degree,” and “This is the grisly proof.” The yearbook also includes powerful statements regarding the horrors the soldiers came across in Dachau, saying that, “Hardened veterans of war looked and retched” at the remains of the camp and the Americans “caught Dachau in the middle of its macabre, deadly work.”[19] Bart recalls that it was “horrible” and “instense” for his Jewish father to encounter these sights at the concentration camp, and these atrocities must have impacted him for the rest of his life.[20]
Dachau differed from other concentration camps in that the camp was right in the middle of the town. Many of the German citizens in Dachau claimed to be shocked when the 20th Armored Division told them about what lay beyond the borders of the camp. Bart Levy says that the townspeople’s ignorance and denial deeply angered and upset his father and many other members of the unit, so much so that they decided to take action. G.I’s of the unit brought film into Dachau and proceeded to document the absymal scenes they bore witness to; they then forced the townspeople to watch this film in the local theater in order to acknowledge the horrors that went on under their noses.
Pictured here is Charlie’s 20th Armored Division Yearbook that every crew member received. It memorialized their service with pictures and memories. (Courtesy of Bart Levy)
Bart wrote a powerful message on his Facebook account about his father’s experience in liberating Dachau on Holocaust Remembrance Today: “Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. It's been 75 years since my dad, Charles Levy set foot in the Dachau death camp as part of the US 20th Armored Division's liberating force. The camp was in the center of town. I remember my dad telling me that the townspeople said that they had no idea what was going on inside. I guess they didn't notice the boxcars of corpses coming and going. I thought I'd share these pages from the division's 'Yearbook' that chronicled their battles during WWII.”[21]
Fighting against Hitler and the Nazis during World War II as a Jew is a harrowing experience by itself, but liberating fellow Jews from a concentration camp is an unparalleled experience that Charlie Levy endured. Raised by Jewish parents who once immigrated from Europe, growing up in a strong Jewish community, volunteering to fight in the Second World War, and eventually freeing Jewish survivors was a unique challenge for Charlie. The 20th Armored Division not only liberated Dachau, but they provided all forms of aid to the impoverished victims – they buried the dead and helped the survivors by supplying them with food, warm clothing, and medical attention.[22] For many of these survivors, the men of the 20th Armored Division were the first friendly faces they had seen in years after they spent much of the war suffering in concentration camps. Thanks to their courageous actions, the “Armoraiders,” the division’s nickname, are memorialized as liberating units of World War II.[23]
A Hitler Youth Card Charlie found while in a destroyed house in Germany. Mr. Levy brought it with him and kept it for the rest of his life as a reminder of the power of the Nazis’ brainwashing tactics. (Courtesy of Bart Levy)
Once the Allied Victory was won in Europe, Charlie and the rest of his unit were able to enjoy the rest of their time in Europe by visiting sights such as the Eiffel Tower and Neuschwanstein Castle outside of Munich.[24]
Upon returning home to New York City from Europe in 1945, Charlie started to sell insurance. He met his future wife, Gladys Cizler, on a blind date in New York and were married on December 12, 1953. Five years his junior, Gladys is also the child of immigrants, as her parents emigrated from Hungary before she was born.[25] Born to John and Anna Cizler in New York in 1924, Gladys was raised in Washington Heights, New York, and grew up speaking Hungarian as well as English.[26] Charles and Gladys had their first child, Barbara, in New York City, until they decided they did not want to raise their family in the city.
Luckily, Charles soon got a call from a cousin who did insurance out of Denver. Eager to get out of the city and explore a new part of the country, the Levy’s moved out to Colorado in 1953 where they raised their two children and lived until their respective deaths.
Upon arriving in Denver, Gladys learned to drive in her mid- to late- twenties, as she had not needed to back in New York City. The Levys welcomed their second child and first son, Bart, into their family after his birth at Rose Hospital. Charlie and Gladys tried to keep their children connected to the Jewish community in Denver, and they joined a synagogue, Temple Emmanuel in Denver.
Charlie is remembered by his family as always “doing the best he could,” “a really hard worker,” and “a good person” who “wanted to take care of his family.”[27] Recalling his favorite memories with his dad, Bart Levy remembers that as a young boy, he actually taught his dad, Charlie, how to fish. The Levys’ next-door neighbor was a big fisherman and after Bart learned from him, he was able to coach his dad in the skill. Bart fondly remembers that on Charlie’s way home from business trips, he would often stop and go fishing in the mountains after being taught by his son. His children also remember that their father never pushed them into anything and was always happy to sit back and encourage them when they needed it.
Later in life, Charlie dedicated much of his time to remembering his service in World War II. He was an officer in the Jewish War Veterans Post #344 and often gave speeches and acted as a volunteer, driving many of the older members around. Further, Charlie visited schools and spoke about his meaningful time in the military, especially his efforts in liberating Dachau.
Complications from Crohn’s disease made the past few years of his life very difficult. Charlie spent those years in a nursing home after the passing of his wife Gladys in 2003 and the passing of his brother-in-law, George Cizler (also a WWII veteran interred at Fort Logan).[28] Carrying on his heroic and unique memory are his son, Bart Levy, of Denver; his daughter Barbara; his two grandsons, Ian and Mason Levy; and his daughter-in-law Robyn Levy. To keep Charlie’s memory alive, the family often visits Fort Logan, brings out old photos of him, talks about him, and lights Yahrzeit candles on the anniversary of his death and that of Gladys.
Charlie Levy is remembered today for his incredible and unique service during World War II, for which he was later rewarded with many medals: the American Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal and the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.[29]
Footnotes ↓
[1] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
[2] Bart Levy, interview by Adair Olney, April 28, 2021, DU VLP.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “The Twentieth Armored Division,” Holocaust Encyclopedia, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-20th-armored-division.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Ibid.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Bart Levy, interview by Adair Olney.
[21] Ibid.
[22] [22] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Twentieth Armored Division.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-20th-armored-division.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Bart Levy, interview by Adair Olney.
[25] Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02672; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 31-1982.
[26] Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
[27] Bart Levy, interview by Adair Olney.
[28] Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012; Denver County Clerk and Recorder's Office; Denver, Colorado; Denver County Deaths, 1986-2017, Year: 2004.
[29] Bart Levy, interview by Adair Olney.
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