Aftermath of Kielce pogrom - Cooperation of Irgun Ha - Bricha and Polish Army - Midnight border crossings - "Jews cross frontier with connivance Polish and Czechoslovak border guards"...

During five months 77 777 Polish Jews crossed the Polish-Czech border at a single place between Kudowa-Zdrój and Náchod. In Náchod the transit camp was set up where Jews stayed for maximum 2-3 days.

From the Ghetto Fighters House Archives in Israel

Several Polish officers, some of them Jews were overlooking this gigantic operation - Michal Rudawski, Michal Wroblewski (Wasserman) and Tadeusz Chorabik. Two first mentioned were Jews. Here together with Luba Geller from Bricha.

Yitzhak Zuckerman "Antek" in the middle with Lowa Lewite (in light coat) and Luba Geller (in raincoat). Luba and Lowa were Bricha emissaries from Mandatory Palestine. Lowa Lewite came to Poland from the kibbutz Ein Harod - a kibbutz that Janusz Korczak visited twice and was on his way to visit in September 1939 when WWII started. Officers in the photo are probably Czechoslovak while soldiers on the left and on the right are Polish soldiers.

During five months 77 777 Polish Jews crossed the Polish-Czech border at a single place between Kudowa-Zdrój and Náchod. In Náchod the transit camp was set up where Jews stayed for maximum 2-3 days.  In the photo Jewish orphans from Poland arrive in Náchod in Czechoslovakia.

After Kielce pogrom Irgun Ha-Bricha organized together with the Polish Government and Polish army free passage from Poland to surrounding countries. The initiative came from General Marian Spychalski who was together with Icchak Cukierman - Yitzhak Zuckerman "Antek" taking part in the funeral of the Kielce pogrom victims. Several Polish officers, some of them Jews were overlooking this gigantic operation - Michał Rudawski, Michał Wroblewski (Wasserman) and Tadeusz Chorabik. Two first mentioned were Jews.

"Irgun Ha - Bricha" [Hebrew: flight, escape] was a movement and organization for smuggling and transporting of Jews out of Eastern Europe to central and southern Europe, 1944 - 1948, with the ultimate objective of immigration to Palestine.

Up to 175,000 Jews left Poland at this particular action that started on July 20th, 1946 only weeks after the pogrom. It is likely that the action ended after diplomatic protests from the British who were at that time responsible for the Mandate Palestine. Polish general Gwideon Czerwinski was responsible for the entire mission.

Icchak Cukierman (Yitzhak Zuckerman) "Antek" on the left with Lowa Lewite, a Bricha emissary from Mandatory Palestine, when they were operatives of the "Irgun Ha - Bricha.". Lowa Lewite came to Poland from the kibbutz Ein Harod - a kibbutz that Janusz Korczak visited twice and was on his way to visit in September 1939 when WWII started.

How did everything start?
On July 4, 1946, Icchak "Antek" Cukierman (Yitzhak Zuckerman) took part in a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Edward Osóbka-Morawski. At one point of the meeting, the Prime Minister was called to the phone. When he returned, he announced to those gathered that a pogrom had taken place in the city of Kielce. Cukierman directly left the meeting and was the first to reach Kielce from Warsaw, bringing with him two trucks of medicines and other necessary supplies. 

The top row in middle - Icchak Cukierman (Yitzhak Zuckerman) "Antek" on his right Lowa Lewite, a Bricha emissary from Mandatory Palestine, when they were operatives of the "Irgun Ha - Bricha". Below is the group of Jewish orphans. The photograph was taken at the Polish Border Protection Forces.

Cukierman recalled:

I went out into the streets of Kielce, but the city was like a ghost town. I asked to be taken to the mortuary. I saw dozens of bodies. And new bodies of Jews murdered on the roads were still being brought. I saw pregnant women with their bellies ripped open. I cannot describe what I saw. But it wasn't 1942. It was 1946!

Cukierman on the way back from the funeral of the pogrom victims was returning with a government delegation. During this short flight, he talked to General Marian Spychalski. Spychalski during World War II belonged to the Polish underground forces operating within Poland and was one of the leaders of the People's Guard, then People's Army. During the Warsaw uprising in August 1944, Cukierman was the commander of a ŻOB unit fighting in the as they fought the Germans in the ranks of the People's Army (Armia Ludowa - AL). Cukierman´s small troop named after Anielewicz was composed of 322 survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. They have known each other since that time. Year 1946 Spychalski was the Deputy Minister of Defense and a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party. It was during this flight from Kielce Cukierman gained an "emigration gate", actually gates on the border with Czechoslovakia. It was aimed for Polish Jews who wanted to leave/escape. Poland. Approx. 145,000 - 175,000 people took advantage of this opportunity that lasted for several months. It was the largest and for many years actively forgotten emigration of Polish Jews after World War II. Major Michał Rudawski who was overlooking this mission, actually controlled the Border Protection Forces. Also appointed to supervise the action was my father Michał (Wasserman) Wróblewski. At that time he was a "political officer" (probably placed at GZP Główny Zarzad Polityczny - Army Politburo). I don't know what this role was, but I assume it was to calm down those fellow officers and Polish soldiers who "didn't like" such an action or taking the economic advantages of, robbing the Jews at the border. Both my father and Michał Rudawski spoke fluently, Polish, Russian, and Jiddisch, and this knowledge and knowledge of the cities and pre-war shtetls as well as the fate of Jews during the Holocaust was important to solve the conflicts at the gates by short interrogations, checking how true were the stories. Opening the gates was of course an attractive way for non-Jews to leave Poland and get into the American or British zone of Germany and Austria. Polish army officers, Chorabik, Rudawski, and Wróblewski cooperated with two Bericha members Aleksander Charkowski and Luba Geller that were sent from Israel. It was important for all involved that the entire operation be kept secret, especially from the world press.

Polish army cooperated with local Jewish committees that were actually responsible for identification of unknown persons that came to crossing without documents. Representatives of Jewish committees were together with the Polish army planning exactly day and hour of crossing. The groups of Jews were often staying at the places close to the crossing points waiting for the signal.

Jewish committees were established after the war. They had different ranks (city, district, voivodeship) and were subordinated Central Committee of Jews in Poland (CKŻP). Central Committee of Jews in Poland was until Spring 1945 based in Lublin, and thereafter in Warsaw.

After passing the "gates" most of the Jews were directed to Bratislava, thus avoiding Prague, the Czech capital because both the Bricha and the Czech government were aware of British reactions. The British Ambassador to Prague lodged many protests demanding the closure of the borders, but the Czech government procrastinated. Polish Government and army were keeping the "gate mission" confidential, also for the Polish Foreign Office.

Transports of Jewish refugees kept arriving at the Czech borders and later also to Germany in spite of all the British and American protests to the Czech government. Most transports remained just a few days Czechoslovakia and continued their journey to Germany or Austria and hence to Italy or France for the refugees to board illegal ships and head to Palestine. Many Jews went also to the DP-camps and also Children facilities for the Jewish orphans and arrived to the Eretz later within the British Mandate quota of legal immigrants or after the rebirth of Jewish state in 1948.

Jews arrived at the Polish border in small groups, many by truck, and some on Polish trains that stopped at the last railway station on the Polish side. The refugees went to a pre–arranged meeting point where the Bricha guides were waiting to take them across the borders in small groups. Most of the Jewish refugees crossed the border on foot while a few managed to cross aboard trucks. To start with the border was crossed by Jews from Lower Silesia*. Many of them were earlier planning their life in Poland. Numerous, were, however, there as they were planning to illegally cross the border (with help of Bericha).

Rudawski mentioned in his book the gate that led to place on the Czech side called Nachod. It had a god road there, close to the border. On Polish side the nearest city was Kudowa-Zdrój that had a train communication to Wrocław (only 94 km) that had train connection with the rest of Poland. During five months 77 777 Polish Jews crossed the Polish-Czech border at a single place between Kudowa-Zdrój and Náchod. In Náchod the transit camp was set up where Jews stayed for maximum 2-3 days.  From Náchod there was also train communication. During the "gate mission" additional trains have been placed from Nachod to Bratislava. Nowadays, the bus journey time between Náchod and Kudowa-Zdrój is around 8 min and covers a distance of around 7 km.

Once the refugees reached the Czechoslovakian side, the small groups gathered at one of a few staging areas, either at the large camps the Czech government set up at Náchod or Broumow, or other smaller camps. The small Jewish refugee groups were then combined into larger groups and put on trains bound for Austria and Germany. Rarely did the groups spend more than a day at the camps, although sometimes two or three days were needed to organise the transports.

Once the Czech trains reached the Austrian or German border, the refugees disembarked, the Bricha divided again the refugees up into smaller groups that surreptitiously found their way across the Austrian or German borders. After crossing the borders in small groups, the Bricha transported further the survivors on trucks borrowed from UNRRA, the JDC, or the American Army. 

Michał Rudawski described border crossings from Poland to Czechoslovakia 1946-1947 in his book entitled "My foreign country" (Mój obcy kraj). Actually the book was initiated by me as I was often meeting Rudawski after my father and his wife Klara died in the beginning of 1993. The photo above was taken at Polish Institute in Stockholm at the ceremony of decorating of my father with a medal on hist 80-ties birthday (October 1991).

Rudawski later described crossings from Poland to Czechoslovakia in his book entitled "My foreign country". Actually the book was initiated by me as I was often meeting Rudawski after his wife Klara died. Our families stayed very close. Rudawski´s son, Włodek, several years younger that me could not understand at that time my curiosity. I wanted simply to know more about my own father that died one month after Rudawski´s wife did.

Actually, Michał Rudawski opened my eyes for numerous historical happenings. I told my mother about my "interrogations" with Michał and suggested that the should work together on a book. Michał told his history and my mother wrote it down i proper way. I got the very first copy of his book with inscription To Hero Roman.

Telegram - CONFIDENTIAL

The Ambassador in Poland (Lane) to the Secretary of State

WARSAW July 25, 1946—5 p.m.

[Received August 4—8:50 a.m.]
1144. 

1. Embassy has evidence Jews now leaving Poland illegally in great numbers via Czechoslovak frontier, with ultimate destination American zone, Germany. Rate prior to Kielce pogrom approximately 70 per week. Rate now 700 per day. Evidence indicates numbers involved may total 100,000.
2. According eyewitness account by Mary Gibbons, UNRRA Deputy Director General for Health, Welfare and Repatriation, who has just visited Czechoslovakia, Jews cross frontier with connivance Polish and Czechoslovak border guards and are transported by Czechoslovak railway to Bratislava. Here Soviets facilitate transit to American zone Austria, and US military authorities, Austria, send them on to Germany.
3. JDC assists with food and other help in Czechoslovakia. Apparently Jews so arriving all well provided with money.
Detailed information follows by air.

Repeated to Berlin as 181; Vienna as 21; London as 153.
Lane

How the "open gate" mission ended?
Britain and the United States were demanding the closure of the borders. Wen they saw that their protests against the open borders were not succeeding, they decided to use another tactic. They put pressure on UNRRA and UNRRA used economical threat and direct measures on Poland and Czechoslovakia.

Poland. Rudawski describes a meeting between Józef Olszewski representing political bureau at Polish Foreign Office, him and major Chorabik. The meeting was arranged after Olszewski called general Gideon Czerwinski and wanted information about "open gates". Olszewski said that this arrangement at the border compromises Poland. Both majors answered that they are army officers and just fullfil given orders. The meeting took place during the first 10 days of February 1947. Some days later, in mid-February the gates were closed. It is likely that the decision was taken after American and British and also by the UNRRA that was at that time very important deliver of food, trucks, traktors and horses to Poland. The economical support that was so important for the post-war Poland.

Czechoslovakia. Also the sam factors were used concerning Czechoslovakia. After WWII ended, the Czechs had been assured that UNRRA would assume most of the costs of transportation, temporary lodging and food for the transient Jewish refugees. However, when the Czechs cooperated with Poland to let the Jews to pass the border and continue to Germany and Austria UNRRA refused to pay bills concerning transport of them.

At the same time the UNRRA office in Czechoslovakia readily paid transportation bills and other expenses for the transport of non–Jews while payment for the transport of Jews dragged on. UNRRA officials could easily determined which was which. Almost all the passengers on transports originating at the Polish borders heading toward Austria or Germany were Jewish refugees. The non–payment of the bills that increased the expenses of the Czech government was of course the way to put a pressure to close the gates on the Czechoslovakian side.

The largest concentration of Jewish population in Poland after the war was in Lower Silesia (belonging to Fermany before WWII). The idea of establishing a Jewish settlement in Lower Silesia was supported by the Polish government and central Jewish institutions.