Ukraine's Foreign Fighters Have Little In Common With Those Who Signed Up To Fight In The Spanish Civil War
(Discussions include independent and nonprofit news, analysis, and scholarly commentary.) (Discussion) In 1936, 21-year-old Abe Asheraff of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, recalled why he agreed to join an international brigade as a personal and ethical decision during the Spanish Civil War. . "Some of my friends have already left. Some have been killed and wounded ... Then I began to see pictures of what happened ... Bombing, civilians were everywhere ... I knew that if I did not go, I would be ashamed of my life. Today, his words are heard around the world among those who are willing to risk their lives to help Ukraine fight the Russian occupation. "Sit and do nothing? I had to do it when Afghanistan was falling apart and it was hard for me. I had to take action," he told the New York Times before heading east. At the urging of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky, volunteers have joined a group the Guardian calls "Spain's most important international brigade sinc...