ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 114404 - Translation - Polish - Poland


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Polish
Approval Date: 5/6/2026 4:20 PM
Family Surname:
Country: Poland
Town: Warsaw

Click the picture to enlarge

Hello,

I'm seeking translation of this page of Polish text with handwritten edits from a Holocaust testimony related to the Warsaw ghetto, ideally with the full text of the page.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Andrew

Response

5/11/2026 3:12 PM

The organization in the ghetto - as far as I know - had one non-functioning pistol. Concerning the attitude toward the so-called Jewish question, as far as I know, the views differed among different people. First of all, as far as the party leadership is concerned (I am speaking about the period of the liquidation of the ghetto) - then "Wieslaw" Gomulka was oriented rather negatively toward transferring and the selection of comrades from the ghetto to the so-called Aryan side, rationalizing this by the fact that a large number of Jewish comrades within the party organizations and the People's Guard would create double jeopardy with regard to the occupant. A different view was held by the then Chief of Staff of the People's Guard - general Witold - who held that Jewish comrades should be rescued. He thought that those with worse appearance and lesser mobility should be transferred to the forest partisan forces and the comrades able to move throughout Warsaw to be kept in place. A tragic story reached my ears. The leader of the Jewish organization in the ghette - Josif - Jozef Lewartowski, a former represenative of KPP in Komintern was to join with Wieslaw (I am not sure whether it was exactly with him) already at Umschlagplatz; he relayed where he was, asking what he should do. Allegedly, Gomulka answered him "If you have any personal contacts, then save yourself." I know this from the account of Witold. He told me this, deeply touched, that had Jozef called him, he might have lived and not died by suicide. In the headquarters, as staff and communication workers, Witold employed many women comrades from the ghetto, and he never discriminated, trying to ensure their safety and take care of them. On the other hand, Chelmowski - Long John - what I know from hearsay - was most opposed of including Jewish comrades in the cadres. The matter of the uprising in the ghetto itself and greated help from the People's Guard. Of course, there was not greater possibility of inciting a greated uprising on the outside on the territory of Warsaw in order to defend the ghetto. That's an unreal dream. The eastern front was still far away and it was impossible to think about such possibility. I believe, however, that more could have been done than we've accomplished. Nevertheless, we pulled of a couple of actions; perhaps here more could have been done. On the other hand, more could have been done in transferring, extracting comrades from the ghetto and providing some kind of a nightly escort under armed guard to the nearby.... FrankSzmulowicz@gmail.com

ViewMate Posting VM 114404

Submitted by Andrew Blumberg

Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself!

Search millions of records from around the globe, including more than 4 million records related to the Holocaust, and more than 4.2 million burial records. Records are continually added each month - check back often for new information!

Discover your ancestral town, explore geographic/regional based sections of the JewishGen site (Research Divisions), and explore what daily life was like for your ancestors - and what we can learn from them today.

Enhance your research with online classes and dozens of helpful articles. University students can apply for the Bennett & Robin Greenspan L'dor V'dor Legacy Program, and those "out of school" can help preserve Jewish Heritage in Poland with unique study & volunteer experiences.

Connect with tens of thousands of other JewishGen members via the Family Finder, Discussion Group, Facebook Group, and ViewMate. It's a great way to share success, ask questions, and stay informed of the happenings throughout the Jewish genealogical community.

The JewishGen site is offered as a free public resource. However, it costs a lot of money to maintain and expand our services. If you are in a position to do so, please consider a contribution today - your support will make a difference!

ViewMate Posting VM 114404

Submitted by Andrew Blumberg