28 februari - My aunt Sabina Rozental Wójcikiewicz

Sabina's grave in the Jewish Cemetery at Gesia Street, near the wall and two of her younger sisters that survived the Holocaust. 

Lucyna and Krystyna at theirs sisters grave, 28 of February, year unknown.

Krystyna at sister's grave, February 28, year unknown. I visited the grave of Sabina for the first time. the year 2002, when I was 53 years old. Very interesting is the content of the post-war inscription on the tombstone, probably composed by my mother. It's a kind of reversal of the Christian prayers of forgiveness. 

God, do not let us forget

God do not let us to forgive

Ciekawa jest treść powojenna na nagrobku, prawdopodobnie skomponowana przez moja mamę. To takie odwrócenie chrześcijańskiej Modlitwy przebaczenia. 

Boże nie pozwól zapomnieć

Boże nie pozwól przebaczyć

Sabina and her husband Ludwik Wójcikiewicz. Warszawa 1938.

Sabina worked as a model in Magazyn Français at 14 Kredytowa Street in Warszawa

Sabina worked as a model in Magazyn Français at 14 Kredytowa Street

Sabina (right) and her friend Maria Goldstein (left) on the street in Warszawa

In the ghetto, they lived at Ogrodowa Street No. 26a with their parents Helena and Gabriel Rozental. Sabina wanted to sell everything, buy a lot of food, eat dinner with the entire family, and take cyanide poison. After Ludwik's (he was POW) return they moved into their own flat, which Irka Polirsztok, Sabina's cousin, gave up to them, located at 28 Chlodna Street (corner 77 Zelazna). One day, Sabina sold her watch to buy carrots for her son Marian. Her wallet was stolen in the marketplace. She returned home and jumped out of the last floor of the building (she let loose her long, black hair and put on a black blindfold.

Name Sabina
Surname Wójcikiewicz
Maiden name Rozental
Born 1915-02-28
Died 1941-02-28
Born in Warszawa
Died in Warszawa

Curriculum vitae
Before WWII she worked as a model in Magazyn Français at 14 Kredytowa Street close to plac Dąbrowskiego and Marszalkowska St.

In April 1938 she marries Ludwik Wójcikiewicz in the Nozyk Synagogue at Twarda Street.

When the war broke out (September 1st, 1939) her son Marian was two months old. Her husband became a POW (prisoner of war) in German oflag but returned later to Warsaw.

In the ghetto, they lived at Ogrodowa Street No. 26a with their parents Helena and Gabriel Rozental. Sabina wanted to sell everything, buy a lot of food, eat dinner with the entire family, and take cyanide poison. After Ludwik's (he was POW) return they moved into their own flat, which Irka Polirsztok, Sabina's cousin, gave up to them, located at 28 Chlodna Street.

One day, Sabina sold her watch to buy carrots for her son Marian. Her wallet was stolen in the marketplace. She returned home and jumped out of the last floor of the building (she let loose her long, black hair and put on a black blindfold).

Sabina's husband Ludwik (Lutek) Wójcikiewicz was found in Bergen Belsen in the "Musselman" state, the point of exhaustion, in the final stage of starvation to death.

Foto: Sabina's grave in the Jewish Cemetery at Gesia Street, near the wall, and two sisters that survived the Holocaust. b/w Kredytowa street 14, here at Magazyn Français worked Sabina.

Source: "Losy żydowskie. Świadectwo żywych, pod red. M. Turskiego"

My  "memory letter" to my aunt Krystyna, she died on January 1. 2007

Chciałbym niniejszym, nie mogac byc z wami ze względów zdrowotnych przekazać Wam kilka moich zdjęc - wspomnien o mojej Cioci Krysi.

Pierwsze wspomnienie z Ciocią Krysią jest związane z konspiracją. Lata pięćdziesiąte. Moje zdjęcie to widok mojej mamy która wczesnym rankiem zbierała do torby szczoteczke do rak, gabke, mydlo i inne materiały do czyszczenia. Mama robila to w ciszy, mechanicznie z bardzo specjalnym wyrazem twarzy. Kiedys sie odwazyłem spytać - Dokąd jedziesz mamo. Z Krysia na grób Sabiny. Odpowiedz matki była tego typu ze wiedzialem ze temat należy do tych których nie należy poruszać nigdy więcej. Naukowcy nazwali to konspiracja ciszy dlatego że fenomen ten byl w wielu domach w rodzinach którym udało sie przezyc Zagladę. "Jadę z Ciocią Krysią na cmentarz" to znaczyło ze tylko one dwie i zadnych więcej pytan na ten temat w przyszłości!!! Pierwszy raz w moim zyciu zaprowadziła mnie własnie Ciocia Krysia na grób siostry Sabiny w roku 2002, miałem juz po 50-tce. Do dzisiaj drewniana szczoteczka do paznokci i gąbka w dalszym ciagu kojarzą sie mnie z ich rytuałem który równiez zawierał zapalenie świecy w dniu śmierci Sabiny. Na Królewskiej 2 i na Brodzińskiego 27. Swieczka miała sie palic do konca! Wiedziałem równiez ze 28 lutego tez nie mam prawa stawiać pytan.

Następne zdjęcie, wspomnienie z Ciocią Krysią jest bardziej pogodne i wesołe. Pracując dla PAPu zabrała mnie do siebie do Bułgarii w sławetnym 1956 roku na wakacje. Wakacje w Złotych Piaskach były wspaniałe. Ciocia Krysia dała nam 6-latkom dużo wolności. Wypływalismy kilkakrotnie z rybakami na morze, kąpalismy sie ile chcieliśmy i oglądaliśmy filmy fabularne w otwartym kinie letnim siedząc z drugiej strony ekranu z płótna. Ciocia Krysia zajęła sie tego lata dwójka innych dzieci z których jedno Ania (Baumritter) lat 5 czyli młodszą odemnie eskortowalem samolotem LOTu z powrotem do Polski.

Ciocia Krysia ubóstwiala naturę (przyrodę) i żeby chodzic. Jej długie spacery byly jej potrzebne by odetchnąć fizycznie i psychicznie. Raz w puszczy Kampinoskiej rozpędziliśmy sie z Krysia, Januszem i moimi rodzicami tak daleko że reszta spaceru to było kilku godzinne szukanie zaparkowanego samochodu.

Kolejne zdjęcie to żaglówka z Zalewie Zegrzynskim. Załoga – Janusz, Piotrek i ja. Krysia była oczywiscie kapitanem a Janusz sternikiem starajacy sie wykonywac rozkazy kapitana – żeby kapitan,  mógł sie opalac i żeby żagle nie zaciemniały kapitana. Ciocia Krysia ubóstwiala słonce. Próby tłumaczenia i prośby sternika że nie może trzymac takiego kursu bo wiatr jest z innej strony były nadaremne.

Dom na Brodzińskiego był dla mnie zawsze łączony z baza z której wyjezdzalem z Piotrkiem na długie wycieczki na rowerach marki Sport. Zawsze, kiedy wracaliśmy było przygotowane cos do jedzenia. Do popicia stało zsiadłe mleko które Ciocia Krysia robila sama w szklankach musztardówkach.

Dalsze zdjecia to juz we Szwecji. Ciocia Krysia przyjeżdżała na śluby, na urodziny nowych dzieci i na pogrzeby. Jaka by nie była oficjalna nazwa, przyczyna Jej przyjazdu to przyjeżdżała tak naprawde do mojej mamy. Moja mama kochala Krysie bardzo gleboka zwierzeca miloscia. Chyba nikt tak nie kochał w ten sposób, wszystko wybaczał i był tak bezgranicznie wierny przez tyle lat.

Pa, dowidzenia, Ciociu
Romek

Subject: RE: Krystyna
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 13:17:50 -0500

Hi Uncle Romek,

Thank you for your kind words. You were always very good to my grandmother and I know that she appreciated you for being like a son to her. You were always so thoughtful about calling her and keeping her up to date about family matters, etc.

I hope that you will be able to make it to her funeral. I think that I am going to try to go. It will probably be in about one week or so, but we will let you know exactly once we find out.

love,
Sara

Barndoms händelser

Kanske skulle man ha kallat de händelserna jag kommer ihåg för traumor då jag minns de så bra trots att jag var i 4-5 års åldern.

Den första "kom ihåg" händelse var när ett stort lok passerade mig och min mamma stående på den låga perrongen i Warszawa och visslade förfärligt högt.

Den andra hade med det vita skåpet hemma att göra. Vi skulle åka bort någonstans och min bror skulle i sista sekunden hämta något från skåpets översta hylla. Han öppnade spegeldörren drog ut den nedre lådan och ställde sig på den för att nå fram. Då han var tjock och tung samt p.g.a. hävverkan så fick han rörelse på skåpet som kanske skulle ha fallit över honom och dödat honom som min pappa sa, om inte fallet stoppades av en stol.

Korczak summer camp - Różyczka - Little Rose - Where are You?!

Summer camp Różyczka. Dr. Janusz Korczak in the middle. My father, Michal (Pan Misza) Wasserman Wróblewski, is on his right, and Saba Lejzerowicz is on his left.

Korczaks Orphanage opened its summer camp Różyczka in 1921, which remained in operation until the summer of 1940. Children from several orphanages in Warszawa spent their time there.

Różyczka in 1938. My father, Misza Wasserman Wroblewski (Pan Misza) together with children.

In September 1939, Hitler landed with a small plane on a field close to a brick factory and Różyczka summer camp (which was in operation until the summer of 1940) and was watching from the church tower, the German offensive on Warszawa.

The letter from Janusz Korczak to The Honorable Mr. Krupka, the Mayor of the village of Wawer. Korczak is also enclosing some of his books. It is evident that the letter is written in Rózyczka and sent to Stanislaw Krupka by the messenger, thus - Korczaks asks Krupka if he might visit him in his private home in the (same) evening (instead of his office). The handwriting below relates to an event of a stolen bicycle and mandoline that occurred at the Rózyczka summer camp.  Thanks to Stanislaw Krupka, the children from the orphanages and Korczak managed to travel from Warsaw to Goclawek during the Summer of 1940. After they returned they were forced to leave 92 Krochmalna (street) and move to the Warszawa Ghetto.

Convent and fields close to Rózyczka summer camp.

Convent and fields close to Rózyczka summer camp.

Klasztorna (Convent) street - now Korkowa str and the Convent building 280 meters (approx. 300 yards) south from Klasztorna (street. See the Convent building at the bottom right on the Google Earth picture. There is not a single sign after Rózyczka summer camp houses. The area is fully occupied by houses built in 60-ties and only the names of streets like Old Doctor St and King Matt I, are witnessing about former summer camp. 

Rózyczka was in the area called Czaplowizna (Houses of Rozyczka summer camp) just below the sign Czaplowizna with letters Cg (Cg = brick plant, Polish Cegielnia) on the map). My father worked there before WWII. He probably visited this area on September 10th, 1944 when he was leading an attack from the South-East, towards Praga. It is known that by the end of the day "his division" broke through the first and second positions of German defense, smashed German troops in the area of ​​Glinki, and reached the road between Czaplowizna - Wawer, the road that my father knew so well from Korczak summer camp Rózyczka. Rozyczka was at street called Klasztorna street (Convent str) as there was an convent (klasztor), there. Korczak's summer camp was located at Klasztorna Street nr. 1, approx. 250 meters from the Convent.  Later this week, my father was wounded when entering Praga. He lost his hearing in one ear.

Janusz Korczak established in 1912 a Jewish orphanage, Dom Sierot, in a building at 92 Krochmalna st, which he designed to advance his progressive educational theories. He envisioned a world in which children structured their own world and became experts in their own matters. Jewish children between the ages of seven and fourteen were allowed to live there while attending Polish public schools and government-sponsored Jewish schools.

Janusz Korczak was serving as principal of Dom Sierot and at another orphanage, Nasz Dom aimed for Christian children. Korczak was also a doctor and author, worked at a Polish radio station, was a principal of an experimental school, published a children’s newspaper, and was a docent at a Polish university. Korczak served as an expert witness in a district court for minors. He became well-known in Polish society and received many awards.

The orphanage opened a summer camp Różyczka in 1921, which remained in operation until the summer of 1940. Children from several orphanages in Warszawa spent their time there.

Where is (was) Rózyczka? I knew from my father, who worked for several years with Korczak, that one could get to Rózyczka either by tram or by train. My father preferred to go by tram and walk through the fields. The train station (WKD) was may be closer but the way to summer camp not that nice. My father told me that there was a brick plant close to the summer camp and the church. There was also an ammunition factory in the area. The address of Różyczka was 1, Convent Street (Klasztorna 1). Klasztorna Street do not exist anymore in Warszawa, and I could not find the location on present Warszawa maps.

In 1986, Betty Jean Lifton the author of the biography of Korczak, The King of Children, went with Ida Merzan, who worked for several years at Różyczka in search of the summer camp. Betty Jean Lifton remembers that Ida Merzan was startled that she could not find it. She said it was near a church. But we could not locate that either. Nothing in the area she remembered looked the same. The camp seemed to have completely disappeared. We were so disappointed, writes Betty Jean Lifton.

However, I got an old map from 1932 and I found the Church-convent and a brick plant (Cg cegelnia) on the map. The area was called at that time Czaplowizna and the area close to the convent was called Glinki.

It was rather difficult to find the same area on Google Earth. Finally, I found Klasztorna (Convent) street - now Korkowa and the Convent building 280 meters (approx. 300 yards) south of Klasztorna (street. See the Convent building at the bottom right on the Google Earth picture. There is not a single sign after Różyczka summer camp houses. The area is fully occupied by houses built in 60-ties and only the names of streets like Old Doctor Street and King Matt I, are witnessing about former summer camp. There is as well bus stop sign with the name Pocisk (Bullet) after the Pocisk ammunition factory (PK sign on bullets from 1932-33 - picture. There were some of Różyczka buildings left until the sixties!

In September 1939, Hitler landed with a small plane on a field close to Różyczka summer camp (which was in operation until the summer of 1940) and was watching from the church tower, the German offensive on Warszawa.

In the spring, of 1940, Korczak wrote to Stanislaw Krupka, mayor of the municipality Wawer, a letter asking for help in organizing a summer camp. Korczak wanted to give the children a little bit of security and peace from the war.

He wrote to Krupka: "This may be the last chance of letting children to run in the woods (...) it is maybe the last summer."
Stanislaw Krupka arranged both transportation and food for the Orphanage! One has to remember that Poles were not allowed to help Jews. After this last summer, Korczak wrote several letters to Krupka and gave him signed books.

I was always wondering if Różyczka,  besides showing life outside the big and crowded city, was also a kind of Hachshara, the first preparation for children to kibbutz life?

The only known document is a bilingual letter, signed by Janusz Korczak both with Goldschmidt and with Korczak's signatures. The letter was a kind of epilogue for the Summer camp Rózyczka.  The letter was addressed to German authorities. Later, Korczak started to use a rubber stamp with both names!

One of the Polish children left at the convent described Polish/Russian offensive in 1944: On September 10th (14th ?) 1944 at about three o'clock in the basement of the Convent, a very young nun ran with a cry of "Polish Army!" The room emptied immediately. I saw the Polish and Soviet soldiers. They were dirty, dusty, and tired but happy to see the smiling faces of Polish children. They kissed us, shirked flap their uniforms, and showed them pinned medals and images of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The joy was enormous. We all hugged, kissed, cried. Other soldiers were searching for the hidden Germans. Those who are prepared to blow up the church. They found them, but what happened to them - I do not know.

View from the seventies. The area around the convent was still fields. The church tower is absent as it was "removed" by Polish soldiers in 1944 as it was partly destroyed by Germans and could easily fall.

Bygga igloo i snöffattig Stockholm

Kungsholmens barn från fritis i Rålambshovsparken får äntligen bygga igloo och kasta snöbollar i det annars snöfattiga Stockholm. Runtomkring dem finns en gräsmatta som blir bara grönare och grönare för varje dag.
Varför fylls Rålambshovs amfiteater med snö?
Svaret är att den 16 februari mellan 12-16, för andra året i rad, körs Snowboard showoff i amfiteatern. Precis som förra året så hämtar man snö från Zinkensdamms IP och bygger upp en backe med hopp och rails. Under tiden får Rållsungdomar leka lite med årets bristvara.
Vår egna söta Juni bär på en jättesnöbit (högst upp).

Tack vare Stalin och Lenin kände jag mig som en vinnare

Pappersinsamling under femtiotalet var obligatorisk för oss elever som gick i grundskolan. Ett visst antal kilo fick lämnas under skolåret. På den tiden var det ont om all papper. Särskilt känsligt var avsaknad av toapapper. Hittade man toapapper så köpte man ett större antal och för att få hem rullarna så trädde man ett snöre igenom. Därefter, gick man stolt med ett halsband av toapappersrullar och fick oupphörligen svara på samma korta fråga: Var finns det?
Min skola, nr. 211, som ordnade pappersinsamling och en Pappersinsamlingstävling låg på en bakgård av paradgatan Nowy Swiat. Nästan alla bakgårdar av Nowy Swiat var efter andra världskriget bortblåsta och låg i ruiner. Man restaurerade så gott man kunde paradgatan eller egentligen dess fasader medan de totalförstörda hus i bakgårdarna ersattes med nya hus, bl.a. så byggdes min grundskola som stod färdig 1958. På samma bakgård vid Nowy Swiat 21, på kortsidan av biografen Swiat (Värld) låg ett Pappersinsamlings- eller återvinningsstations kontor.

I skolan utlyste man en Pappersinsamlings Tävling. För en del elever var det svårt att fylla den vanliga kvoten. Böckerna var heliga och tidningspapper användes flitigt till allt från mataffärer till toapapper. Min pappa jobbade på ett förlag och fick massa böcker p.g.a. det. Därför, hade vi hemma i Warszawa, halva källaren fylld med böcker. Böcker var av olika typ, tyngd och dignitet. De bästa ur pappersinsamlingssynpunkt var de tyngsta böckerna, således kompletta verk av Stalin och Lenin.

Med hjälp av en liten Nysa bil har jag lyckats att överföra alla samlade Stalins och Lenins tankar till pappersinsamlingen. Nog var det lite pirrigt att lämna fortsättningsvis gällande Lenin till papperskvarnar.

Jag tror att tack vare Stalin och Lenin vann jag Pappersinsamlingstävlingen.

Nelly efter operationen

Nelly hade tre jobbiga nätter efter operationen. De första nätterna präglades av smärta. Sista natten så tror jag att Nelly mådde dåligt p.g.a. morfinplåstret som jag har, idag, tagit bort.

August 5, 1942 - The Pianist and Marek Rudnicki about Janusz Korczaks deportation

Korczak's deportation from the Warszawa Ghetto to Treblinka extermination camp is also mentioned in Władysław Szpilman's book The Pianist:, see below:

"One day, around 5th August when I had take a brief rest from work and was walking down Gesia Street, I happened to see Janusz Korczak and his orphans leaving the ghetto. The evacuation of the Jewish orphanage run by Janusz Korczak had been ordered for that morning. The children were to have been taken away alone. He had the chance to save himself, and it was only with difficulty that he persuaded the Germans to take him too. He had spent long years of his life with children and now, on this last journey he could not leave them alone. He wanted to ease things for them. He told the orphans they were going out in to the country, so they ought to be cheerful. At last they would be able exchange the horrible suffocating city walls for meadows of flowers, streams where they could bathe, woods full of berries and mushrooms. He told them to wear their best clothes, and so they came out into the yard, two by two nicely dressed and in a happy mood. The little column was lead by an SS man who loved children, as Germans do, even those he was about to see on their way into the next world. He took a special liking to a boy of twelve, a violinist who had his instrument under his arm. The SS man told him to go to the head of the precession of children and play – and so they set off. When I met them in Gesia Street the smiling children were singing in chorus, the little violinist was playing for them and Korczak was carrying two of the smallest infants, who were beaming too, and telling them some amusing story. I am sure that even in the gas chamber, as the Zyklon B gas (actually, disel exhausts were used in Treblinka to kill) was stifling childish throats and striking terror instead of hope into the orphans hearts, the Old Doctor must have whispered with one last effort, ‘it’s all right, children, it will be all right’. So that at least he could spare his little charges the fear of passing from life to death." The Pianist - Page 96

Marek Rudnickis true story
When in Paris, I talked several times with my fathers close friend, artist Marek Rudnicki. Marek told me that Korczak was very, very tired and weak. August 5th was a very hot day. Due to Korczaks health conditions the entire group had to halt several times to let him rest. That, the possibility to stop, was the only nice gesture from the "deportation team". There was no flag. Marek told me that Korczak probably died on his way or upon arrival to Treblinka. The cattle cars were so hardly chlorinated!

Marek Rudnicki testimony in the article Janusz Korczak's Final Journey
Marek Rudnicki's account gives a different perspective on the last journey of Korczak and the orphans. Rudnicki followed Korczak and the children from the Orphans' Home on Sienna Street all the way to the "gate" on Umschlagplatz.

"I don't want to be an iconoclast or a debunker of myths, but I must relate what I saw then. The atmosphere was dominated by an enormous sense of passivity, automatism, and apathy. No one was visibly moved that it was Korczak who was going, there was no saluting (as some people describe), there certainly was no intervention on the part of Judenrat members, and no one approached Korczak. There were no gestures, no singing, no proudly lifted heads, and I don't remember whether anyone was carrying the banner of the Orphans' Home, though some people say this was the case. There was a terrible, exhausted silence. Korczak dragged his feet, hunched over, mumbling something to himself from time to time (...).

A couple of adults from the Orphans' Home, including Stefa (Wilczynska), walking alongside, like I did, or behind him, the children at first going in groups of four, but then any way at all, in mixed ranks, in single file. Some of the children held Korczak by his clothing, maybe by his hand, they walked along as if in a trance."
M. Rudnicki, "Ostatnia droga Janusza Korczaka" ("Janusz Korczak's Final Journey"),

Färgfotot: Michal Wasserman Wróblewski vid en ceremoni i utrotningslägret Treblinka, år 1983. Bland 17.000 stenar med namn på orter från vilka de i Treblinka mördade kom ifrån, finns en sten som bär ett namn Janusz Korczak.
Michal Wasserman Wroblewski (Pan Misza) stands at the place where the concentration camp at Treblinka used to stand, a garden now contains 17.000 memorial stones to represent the villages, towns, and countries of the million men, women, and children slaughtered there. Only one stone bears a person's name: it reads JANUSZ KORCZAK (HENRYK GOLDSZMIT) AND THE CHILDREN

Fotot sv/v: The Orphans Home, Dom Sierot, Warszawa, Krochmalna (street) 92. Dr. Janusz Korczak and Misza Wasserman Wroblewski, the only teacher that survived orphanage deportation to Treblinka.

Filmen The Pianist av Roman Polanski The Pianist handlar om den gudabenådade pianisten Wladyslaw Szpilman lever i Warsawa under tiden för nazisternas utbredning över Europa. Han är jude och tvingas att på nära håll uppleva de restriktioner som sätts upp för honom, hans släkt och hans folk. När Szpilmans familj skickas till arbetsläger lyckas Wladyslaw fly och gömmer sig. Får först hjälp av en polsk familj. Lidande, förnedring och kamp för överlevnad blir hans vardag. En dag blir han upptäckt av en tysk officer...

Old Doctor - During the 1930s Korczak had his own radio program Old Doctor talks until it was cancelled due to complaints from anti-semites