War doesn’t typically stop for religious holidays. But as Passover approached in March of 1945, more than 800 Jewish-American servicemen found themselves at a seder in the heart of the Third Reich. Among them was 21-year-old Hilbert Margol, a Private First Class serving in the US Army’s 42nd Infantry Division. Now 101, Margol is among the last surviving World War II veterans and he is still hard at work ensuring the history of Jewish resilience during WWII is not forgotten.

In 1943, Margol was drafted into the army alongside his now-deceased identical twin brother, Howard. After basic training, Margol was assigned to the 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division and his twin brother to the 104th Infantry Division. Their mother was fiercely against this, writing to president Franklin Delano Roosevelt personally and urging him not to separate her sons. Miraculously, Roosevelt responded, granting her request.

Reunited in the 42nd Infantry Division, the two brothers deployed overseas, arriving in Marseille, France, on January 18, 1945. Moving across France and into Germany, Margol and his unit provided crucial fire support with 105mm howitzers, maintaining a high operational tempo as the Allied armies rapidly advanced and winter turned to spring. By the spring of 1945, the Third Reich was crumbling. Once-dominant German forces were in shambles, retreating on all fronts. Millions of Allied troops poured into Germany, discovering the full extent of Nazi crimes.

“When we crossed over the Rhine River into Germany from France, the first town that wasn’t too far into Germany was called Dahn,” Margol said. “After the town was secure and the Germans were all gone, they gave our division a two-day rest period.”

The 42nd Infantry Division was commanded by Maj. Gen. Harry J. Collins, a highly decorated and respected US Army officer. He was........

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