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Mordechai
Anielewicz was born in Wyszkow near Warsaw in 1919, and grew up in a
working class Jewish family. After finishing secondary education he
joined the Zionist movement Ha-Shomer ha- Tsa’ir where he distinguished
himself as an organiser and leader.
On
the 7 September 1939 a week after the German invasion of Poland
Anielewicz went with members of his group from Warsaw to the eastern
regions of the country. Anielewicz attempted to cross the Rumanian
border in order to open a route for young Jews to go to Palestine.
However, he was apprehended and imprisoned in a Soviet prison cell. He
was released and returned to Warsaw.
He
went to Vilna where Jewish refugees and other political groups had
gathered, to convince Jews to return to Poland and resist the harsh
German rule. He returned to Warsaw in January 1940 with his girlfriend
Mira Fuchrer where he continued his work with the Jewish underground.
By
mid-1941, Anielewicz began concentrating on transforming the
underground youth movements into an armed resistance movement and he
also began creating self-defence organisations within the Warsaw ghetto.
Emanuel Ringelblum recalled a Ha-Shomer ha – Za’ir seminar in January 1942:
“Once,
during a break between classes in the Ha-Shomer seminar (I lectured on
the history of the Jewish labour movements), Mordechai Anielewicz and
Yosef Kaplan called me down into the yard of the building at 23 Nalewki
Street.
They
let me into a special room and showed me two revolvers. These
revolvers, the members of the central leadership explained to me, were
to be employed to train youth in the use of arms. This was the first
step taken by Ha-Shomer Ha-Za’ir even before the Fighting Organisation
was founded.”
Anielewicz
was engaged in underground work in the Bedzin- Sosnowiec area in
eastern Silesia and he returned to Warsaw when he learnt about the mass
deportations from Warsaw which commenced on the 22 July 1942.
In
the beginning of October1942 discussions were held by the various
Jewish underground organisations and on the 15 October the decision was
taken to form a joint fighting organisation, and the Bund agreed to join
the Z.O.B (Zydowska Organizac Bojowa – Jewish Combat Organisation)
without reservation.
The
first measures the Z.O.B took was against the leading Jews who had
helped the Germans during the mass deportations from Warsaw to the
Treblinka death camp, such as the two Jewish Order Police members
Szerynski and Lejkin, and Yisrael First, the director of the Economic
Department of the Judenrat.
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When
the Germans commenced the Second “Aktion” from the 18 – 22 January 1943
to Treblinka death camp, it was a very different Jewish population that
faced them. Von Sammern- Frankenegg the SSPF Warsaw had promised
Himmler that the ghetto “excess” would be deported without undue
difficulty.
Robust bunkers and hideouts had been constructed during the period from the cessation of the “aktion”
on the later part of September 1942 to January 1943, the Z.O.B were now
preparing to fight the Germans in the ghetto streets, as Von Sammern,
was soon to find out.
The
first group involved in the January fighting was a band of Ha-Shomer
ha- Za’ir members commanded by Mordechai Anielewicz. Armed with pistols
and hand grenades, the group attached itself to a long procession of
Jews being led to the Umschlagplatz.
The
fighters dispersed along the length of this march and each of its
members singled out one of the soldiers guarding the column. At a given
signal, the fighters sprang out of line and opened fire.
A
short battle, on the corner of Zamenhofa and Niska, followed, with a
number of Germans killed and wounded, while others fled. Most of the
Jewish fighters fell as well, Eliyahu Rozanski, who had assassinated
Lejkin, fought with great valour, died from his wounds.
Margalit
Landau, who also took part in the demise of Lejkin was killed in this
battle. Anielewicz also fought with valour until his ammunition ran out,
then snatched a gun out of the hands of a German soldier and was saved
by the quick intervention of a fellow underground fighter.
On
the 19 April 1943 the Germans entered the Warsaw Ghetto to eliminate
the ghetto, Chaim Frimmer a fighter in Braudo’s squad recalled:
“At
six a column of infantry entered. One section of the column turned into
Wolynska Street and the other remained in place, as if awaiting orders.
Before long the Jewish Police came through the gate. They were lined up
on both sides of the street and, as ordered, began to advance toward
us.
I
would report everything to a fighter lying down not far from me, who in
turn passed word on to the command room, where Mordechai Anielewicz,
Yisrael Kanal and others were seated.
After
the Jewish Police crossed the street an armed mobile German column
began to move. I was ordered to wait until the middle of the column had
reached the balcony and then throw a grenade at, which would serve as a
signal to start the action.
A
mighty blast within the column was the signal to act. Immediately
thereafter grenades were thrown at the Germans from all sides, from all
the positions on both sides of the street
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Above
the tumult of explosions and firing, we could hear the sputter of the
German Schmeisser operated by one of our men in the neighbouring squad. I
myself remained on the balcony and spewed forth fire from my Mauser,
onto the shocked and confused Germans.
The
battle lasted for about half an hour, the Germans retreated leaving
many dead and wounded in the street. Again my eyes were peeled on the
street, and then two tanks came in, followed by an infantry column.
When
the tank came up to our building, some Molotov cocktails and bombs put
together from thick lead pipes were thrown at it. The big tank began to
burn and engulfed in flames, made its way toward the Umschlagplatz.
The second tank remained in place as fire consumed it from every side.”
On the 23 April Mordechai Anielewicz wrote to his comrade Yitzhak Zuckerman, who was on the “Aryan” side of the city:
“I
can’t begin to describe the conditions under which the Jews are living.
Only an elect few will hold out under them. All the others will perish,
sooner or later. Our fate is sealed. In the bunkers where our comrades
are hiding, it is not possible to light a candle at night for lack of
air.
During the day they sit in the hideouts. Starting in the evening, we go over to the partisan
method of action. At night six of our companions go out with two tasks
before them, armed reconnaissance and the acquisition of arms.”
The
heroic uprising against the might of the German forces, by poorly
equipped but exceedingly brave Jewish forces lasted into May and the
Z.O.B command, including Anielewicz and others,were holed up in a bunker
at 18 Mila Street.
On
the 7 May 1943 SS- Police Leader Jurgen Stroop, who had taken over
crushing the Warsaw Ghetto from Von Sammern, recorded in his daily
report that was sent to Friedrich Wilhelm Kruger, Higher SS and Police
Leader East:
“The location of the bunker used by the so-called inner party leadership is now known. It will be forced open tomorrow.”
On
8 May Stroop’s daily report to Kruger reported the capture and
destruction of the underground leadership and the bunker itself:
Memorial stone on Mila street (circa 2005)
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“The
discovery of the bunker of the so-called inner party leadership
reported in yesterday’s teletype message was further pursued today. We
succeeded in opening the bunker of the party leadership and seizing
about 60 heavily armed bandits.
The
deputy head of the Jewish military organisation ZWZ and his so-called
chief of staff were caught and liquidated. About 200 Jews were sheltered
in this bunker: 60 of them were apprehended and 140 destroyed due to
the strong impact of smoke candles and heavy explosives laid in several
places.”
Whether
Stroop’s men killed Mordechai Anielewicz, or he took his own life that
will probably never be known, at the site of the former bunker on 18
Mila Street there is a monument to the brave ghetto fighters who
resisted the Nazis and perished in the struggle.
* Note:
The
ZWZ (Zwiazek Walki Zbojne) was founded as an underground Polish
Military organisation in February 1940. As this organisation did not
participate in the Ghetto uprising, Stroop was confused as, it was
probably the Z.O.B. Stroop may have wished to convey that his opponents
were more of a match.
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