A statue of Jamsaheb Digvijaysinh Jadeja, the former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar), was recently unveiled in Nevatim, southern Israel. The statue honours the compassion and empathy Jamsaheb displayed in sheltering Polish children (including Jewish children) during World War II.
An inscription below the statue of Jamsaheb is reads:
During the Holocaust, he saved many Jewish children at HIs own expense and sheltered them in his home, providing them with care and love.
A sentence from the Jewish scriptures is also quoted there, which reads – ‘Those who save one life save the whole world.’
An event was organised by the Indian Jewish Heritage Centre (IJHC) and the Cochin Jewish Heritage Centre (CJHC) to commemorate the Maharaja and to unveil his statue. The statue was supposed to be completed in September 2024, but its unveiling was repeatedly delayed due to Israel’s prolonged military conflict with Hamas.
A moving tribute at Moshav Nevatim ?????
— India in Israel (@indemtel) November 11, 2025
The statue of Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar (Gujarat) was unveiled in Nevatim honouring his exemplary compassion during World War-II. He adopted hundreds of Polish children including Jewish children and built a home for them in 1942… pic.twitter.com/MLKg9satnk
Indian Ambassador J.P. Singh, along with the Polish Ambassador and officials from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, was also present at the event.
Who was Jamsaheb Digvijay Singh Jadeja?
Maharaja Digvijaysinh Ranjitsinh Jadeja was the last ruler of Nawanagar state. He (like many rulers of that time) was known by the nickname “Bapusaheb.” The title reflected the people’s affection for the royal family. ‘May the people of my state prosper’– That alone was the jeevan mantra of such rulers.
Be it Bhavnagar’s King Krishnakumarsinhji or Jamsaheb Digvijaysinh Jadeja, they were truly “Bapusahebs,” as they protected their subjects like a father. This is the reason that even after so many years, their names are remembered with respect and honour. Digvijaysinh not only protected the people of his kingdom but, during tough times, gave refuge to the citizens of a distant country like Poland, located six and a half thousand kilometres away. He followed his dharma without any expectations. So many years have passed, but countries like Poland and Israel still remember this Maharaja.
Jamsaheb Digvijaysinh Jadeja was born in 1895. He went to Rajkumar College and then studied at University College, London. In 1919, he joined the British Army as a Second Lieutenant. After a military career spanning nearly two decades, he retired in 1931. However, he remained in the Indian Army in an honorary capacity until 1947. Two years after his retirement, in 1933, he was crowned as the Maharaja of Nawanagar, succeeding his uncle, Ranjitsinh Jadeja.
Digvijaysinh remained Maharaja of Nawanagar until he died in 1966. However, after India’s independence in 1947, he merged his state, along with other states, into the Indian Union. Thus, he was the last Maharaja of Jamnagar. His son, Shatrushalyasinh Jadeja, is the current King of Jamnagar. Though princely states have become past now, traditions such as coronation and other royal ceremonies continue as before and people still hold their kings in the same deep respect.
Polish children, many of whom were Jewish, were sheltered during World War II.
During World War II, the Soviet Union and Germany invaded Poland in 1939. As a result, the Polish government collapsed, and the Polish rulers fled to London. Meanwhile, thousands of Polish citizens, including a large number of women and children, were deported to the Soviet Union. Many of them were disabled, and some were orphans.
These people were kept in refugee camps and orphanages, where they died of disease and hunger. This continued for almost two years. These refugees lived in extremely difficult and miserable conditions. Finally, in 1941, they were all granted amnesty and ordered to leave the Soviet Union. Thus, thousands of citizens, especially children, were released, but they still had no place to go.
Some of them took refuge in Mexico, a few went to New Zealand, and some others fled to other countries as refugees. Maharaja Digvijaysinh Jadeja was the Hindu representative in the British War Cabinet at that time. He was well aware of these global events and resultant tragedies. As soon as he learned about the Polish refugees, he immediately extended help. Negotiations ensued, and an agreement was reached to bring them to India.
“Even though you have lost your parents, from today I am your father” said the ruler
In 1942, the first batch of Polish children arrived in Nawanagar. It is said that the Maharaja himself was present to welcome them. He told the children, “You are no longer orphans. Even though you have lost your parents, from today I am your father. Now you are residents of Nawanagar, and I am your father.”
Jam Sahib made arrangements, including housing and food, for all the children,. A camp was immediately established for these children near Balachadi, where they were well cared for. Adequate medical assistance was provided, and schools were opened. The Maharaja also established a special library of Polish language books to ensure that the children would not forget their mother tongue.
He not only arranged all the facilities but also personally supervised everything, visiting regularly to ensure that all arrangements were in place. The Maharaja personally took it upon himself to cater to these children’s smallest needs. Furthermore, when some Polish children complained about India’s spicy food, he hired seven Polish cooks to prepare food for them. Polish teachers were also appointed to educate them.
Later, another camp was opened, and more children were brought in. They were also provided with all possible care. Later, the kings of Patiala and Baroda also provided financial aid to the camp, and the industrial conglomerate Tata also contributed funds. Millions of rupees were, thus, collected for these Polish children to ensure that they did not face any difficulties.
The Polish children remained in Nawanagar until the end of World War II. Later, when Britain recognised the Polish government, these refugees returned. However, some later emigrated to Britain, Australia, the United States, and other countries. It is said that Jam Saheb himself was present to see the children off. This moment was emotional for both the Polish children and their Bapusaheb.
Jam Saheb is known in Poland as the “Good Maharaja”
Jam Saheb performed his Dharma without expecting anything in return, but the grateful nation of Poland has not forgotten this Indian Maharaja, who sheltered thousands of children in a time of adversity and became their ‘father’. He is still famous there as the “Good Maharaja”. Poland still remembers this late Maharaja with great respect and reverence. As a symbol of this honour, a monument has been erected in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, called the ‘Jam Saheb Memorial of Nawanagar’. The first sentence inscribed on the monument reads: “Tribute to the kind Maharaja, from the grateful nation of Poland.
In addition to that, a school in Warsaw, built in Indian style, has been named after Jam Saheb. There is also a square called ‘Maharaja Square’, where a memorial has been erected. In 2022, a train named after Jam Saheb was launched in Poland. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Maharaja’s memorial during his visit to Poland in August 2024.
Israel honoured him for saving Jewish children
Not only Poland, but Israel also remembers Maharaja Digvijaysinh Jadeja with great respect. Among the children who were given refuge in Nawanagar were many Jewish children. Even today, Jews believe that when a Hindu king opened his treasury to foreign children, he didn’t discriminate whether they were Christian, Jewish, or belonged to any other religion. Everyone was treated equally irrespective of their religion.
Jerry Klinger, president of the Jewish American Historical Preservation Society, wrote in an article that while he was working on a different project, a colleague told him about Jamsaheb’s rescue of Jewish children. That colleague was also in contact with some of the people Jamsaheb had sheltered as children.
Klinger says, “There are probably many such people. Some may not even be alive now. But the important thing is that Jam Saheb gave refuge to Jewish children. He should be honored in Israel. Poland has honored Jam Saheb enough. The idea came that Jam Saheb should also be honored properly in Nevatim, and then the work of erecting his statue began.”
