| ZEGOTA |
Zegota was the secret code name for the Council For Aid to the Jews. It was created through the efforts of two Catholic Polish women: Zofia Kossak and Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz, both dedicated to the mission of helping shelter the Jews from German persecution. Both women had long been activists and were extremely well-connected with important members of the Polish Underground, who were themselves already involved in the same mission. Together they formed a formidable network. Much of the funding they received came from the Polish govenment-in-exile in London, as well as from other sources. The officers of Zegota were comprised of representatives from various political parties: Adolf Berman, Secretary, from the Zionist Poale Zion Party; Leon Feiner, Vice-President, from the Bund, the Jewish Socialist Party; Julian Grobelny, President, from the Polish Socialist Party; Tadeusz Rek, Deputy, from the Peasant Party; Ferdynand Arczynski, Treasurer, from the Democratic Party; Wladyslaw Bartoszewski and Witold Bienkowski Liaison Directors, from the Catholic Front for Reborn Poland. The leadership and members of Zegota established vital links with the Jewish Underground which brought them into contact with the Jewish community. They had "offices" in Krakow, Lwow, Zamosc, Lublin, and many areas throughout the Polish countryside. But its base was in Warsaw. In the midst of Nazi terror, Zegota was quietly organizing its priorities, setting up its plan of action and secretly recruting candidates who were best equipped to implement the goals of the organization. The Council dealt with the specific needs of the Jews, organized into departments: Legalization, Housing, Clothing, Medical Care, Finances, as well as anti-szmalcownik strategies, directed at unscrupulous Poles who preyed upon the Jews using blackmail or extortion. Many of its members were part of the Home Army, the AK. Zegota's most important links were with Aleksander Kaminski and Henryk Wolinski, both from the AK. Kaminski was the editor of the Biuletyn Informacyjny (BI), the largest and most widely read underground newspaper. Wolinski was the head of the Jewish section of the Underground Bureau of Information and Propaganda, and the main contact between the AK and the Jewish liaison of the ZOB (The Jewish Fighting Organization). Witold Bienkowski, a very important key player, was a representative of the Delegatura ( The Home Delegation of the Polish government-in-exile.) Grobelny's contact with labor unions made it possible to obtain the assistance of railway workers to smuggle Jews out of Warsaw. Wanda Krahelska-Filopowicz had been a part of the Underground from its inception and early on began to hide the Jews in her own home. One of her charges was the widow of the reknown Jewish historian, Symon Aszkenazy. Zofia Kossak, by contrast, was a conservative nationalist and a self-professed anti-semite. She was the target of an intensive Gestapo manhunt for her activities in helping save Jews. Her children were involved in the same humanitarian mission. She strongly believed that German crimes were an offense against God and man, and expected other Poles to follow her example in helping the Jews. In the summer of 1947, Kossack appealed to the Polish community in a scathing pamphlet entitled, "Protest" in which she urged Poles to help the Jews even if only to defy the German occupation. Zegota was only one of three organizations dedicated to rescuing Jews. They were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among Nations. Irena Sendlerowa (Sendler) was among Zegota's first recruits. She was an adminsitrator in the Warsaw Welfare Department and had an invaluable network established with many medical and social workers. She succeeded in smuggling 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, and hid them with Polish and Austrian families. She too was recognized as Righteous Among Nations, and in 1991 became an honorary citizen of the State of Israel. She condemed Catholics who claimed to love God but hated their Jewish neighbours and demanded sacrifices from others no less than what she risked doing herself. The financial resources needed to save even one Jewish life ranged from 6,000 to 15,000 zlotys. The monthly budget of Zegota ranged from 500,000 to 2 million zlotys - not even close to the money required to meet the demands of the organization. The main activities of Zegota dealt with forging documents for Jewish refugees. On any given day, Zegota produced on average 100 forgeries. By the end of two years they had secretly issued over 50,000 fake documents. Because of Zegota, 40,000 to 50,000 Jews were saved. Despite the risks and dangers, all the leadership and members worked tirelessly in their mission. No one ever betrayed the organization, not even under threat of death. Zegota maintained contact with the Jewish Underground even when the ghetto walls were erected. The Bund maintained contact with its counterpart - the Polish Socialist Party; and the Jewish Communists with their Polish counterparts, and so on from every level on the political spectrum, In 1942, Dr. Adolf Berman, director of CENTOS, a Jewish charity established for the care of ghetto children, focused his energy on making Polish contacts on the outside with the goal of helping Jews escape the Ghetto. Leon Feiner, member of the Bund, the largest Jewish political party had also escaped the Ghetto, and worked with the AK and Delegatura. His appearance, that of a "Polish country squire" enabled him to travel all over Poland quite easily, armed with a collection of forgeries. Zegotas membership was enormous, and included vast networks representing students, members of the Scout Association, Writer's Union, Underground Journalist Association, the Democratic Doctor's Committee, as well as railway, tramway, and sanitation department workers' organizations, and so on. |