Armband with a blue cross worn by a Jewish nurse caring for refugee children

Blue cross armband worn by Menia Awret-Back, who worked as a nurse for Jewish refugee children during World War II in Brussels, Belgium. Once Belgium was occupied by the Germans in May 1940, Jewish nurses had to wear an armband with a blue cross in place of the usual red cross armband. In addition, Jewish children and expectant mothers were not allowed to be treated in existing facilities. The organizations Menia worked for from 1938 through the postwar period, the L'Ouevre Nationale de L'Enfance [National Children's Aid] and the Belgium Red Cross, established and staffed treatment centers for their care. Menia held a Russian passport, thus was at risk of deportation by German authorities. However, the charitable agencies for which she worked successfully requested that she be allowed to remain because of the importance of her work. The Swedish Consulate in Brussels wrote letters stating that she was a holder of a valid Russian passport and that they were placing her under their protection. Menia was later honored by the Belgium government for her service during the war.