Women spies of World War II to be focus of SJCA panel discussion on Sept. 24

Saratoga Jewish Community Arts (SJCA) will present a Zoom panel discussion of the film “A Call to Spy,” on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m.

The historical drama, written by Sarah Megan Thomas and directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher, pays tribute to the “lady spies” recruited into England’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII.

Vera Atkins (born Vera Maria Rosenberg) was the Romanian Jewish immigrant in London who oversaw the program. She recruited women with relevant skills from both civilian and military life, including wireless operators and fluent French speakers. Although little heralded, they joined those who risked their lives in World War II. One in three British spies to France were caught and killed.

“The Greatest Generation,” says Phyllis Wang, coordinator of SJCA, “was composed of more than young white men adding that these brave women helped change the course of World War II.”