75 Years Ago, Brave Poles Documented Nazi Atrocities
As we search for leaders of integrity and bravery, we would do very well to remember the actions of some outstanding and honourable Poles during World War II.
Readers may be unaware that December 10 is the 75th Anniversary of an extraordinary but sad historical document, “The Mass Extermination of Jews in German Occupied Poland,” a report published in 1942 by the London-based Polish Government in Exile under the name of Count Edward Raczynski, Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is remarkable for documenting a range of atrocities against the Jews in multiple Polish cities, detailing specific incidents and mentioned killing by the use of gas. It was published well in advance of the Auschwitz Protocols, a collection of three eyewitness reports from 1943-44.
This report was based on exceptional feats of bravery by multiple people. First and foremost was Witold Pilecki, who as the member of a Polish resistance operation, purposely engineered his incarceration in Auschwitz to gather intelligence for two and a half years. In 1948 he was executed by the Soviets. Jan Karski, in November 1942 at the age of 28, carried information to London and then to Washington D.C. He met Anthony Eden, President Roosevelt, Felix Frankfurter and others. Jan Nowak, known as the Courier from Warsaw, was involved at a later stage and also traveled to meet Allied leaders. Importantly, he provided confirmation of Karski’s activities and meetings. Their individual stories are remarkable and should be read.
This document appealed to the Governments of the United Nations, and the Poles also made three specific demands at the Allied Council to aid the Jewish population. In summary and tragically, it had no influence and did not alter the Holocaust’s horrific outcome.
Nonetheless, it is very important for us to remember, recognize and then salute these enormously brave people who, among others, attempted to alert the world to the horrors of Nazism through their fine leaders at such a relatively early time.
Michael Norwich
New York, NY
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
