The Last Wish of My Life has Been Fulfilled: Mordechai Anilewicz's Last Letter.
"It is now clear to me that what took place exceeded all expectations. In our opposition to the Germans we did more than our strength allowed--but now our forces are waning. We are on the brink of extinction. We forced the Germans to retreat twice--but they returned stronger than before.
One of our groups held out for forty minutes; and another fought for about six hours. The mine which was laid in the area of the brush factory exploded as planned. Then we attacked the Germans and they suffered heavy causalities. Our losses were generally low. That is an accomplishment too. Z. fell next to his machine gun. I feel that great things are happening and that this action which we have dared to take is of enormous value.
We have no choice but to go over to partisan methods of fighting as of today. Tonight, six fighting-groups are going out. They have two tasks-to reconnoiter the area and to capture weapons. Remember, "short-range weapons" are of no use to us. We employ them very rarely. We need many rifles, hand grenades, machine-guns and explosives.
I cannot describe the conditions in which the Jews of the ghetto are now "living." Only a few exceptional individuals will be able to survive such suffering. The others will sooner or later die. Their fate is certain, even though thousands are trying to hide in cracks and rat holes. It is impossible to light a candle, for lack air. Greetings to you who are outside. Perhaps a miracle will occur and we shall see each other again one of these days. It is extremely doubtful.
The last wish of my life has been fulfilled. Jewish self-defense has become a fact. Jewish resistance and revenge have become actualities. I am happy to have been one of the first Jewish fighters in the ghetto.
Where will rescue come from?
-Mordechai Anilewicz, Hasomer Hatzair member.
Our last few days were quite packed, but the majority of our time was spent in Warsaw, as we toured around the Warsaw ghetto and the places such as the Dror training farms which were large kenim for local youth, as well as historical ruins. If you do not remember from a pre-Poland blog post, I explain the role of the network of youth movements in the ghetto, and how it was the youth movements who are responsible for all rebellions and uprisings which took place. Particularly, leaders from Dror such as Antek and Zivia, and Hashomer Hatzair's Mordechai Anielewic lead the way in the uprising. From the very begining, the movement took ownership over the situation and created a soup kitchen for those who were in need, seeing as that was the number one need of the hour. The movement ran the entire ghetto, in fact, a wealthy family even sought out their permission to build a casino in the ghetto. As a point to demonstrate the dedication to what they beleived in was right, an example can be seen when the movement is offered a building to make a bakery for the ghetto. However, the leaders rejected the offer, seeing as that would go against the socialist ideologies of their movement. That is being a dugma yeshit.
The first place we stopped was at 34 Dzielna St, Grochov. At that location was the first Hachshara set up by Dror. Dror is a movement which strives to make Aliya, however knew that training must come first, so throughout Poland they set up training farms in order to learn how to properly move to Israel and live in the Dror ideology. However during the war, the movement knew they had to serve the Jewish youth, and so that is what they did. They knew there was no way they could get to Israel, not without their chanichim at least. (Unless if you are Begin, then you can abandon everyone.)Here is the experience of the hachshara farm from Zivia Lubetkin, who for those that forgot, was the mazkir of the movement at the time, and led her chanichim to freedom.
"The days were days of wandering about and madness, the first months of the war. Everything was in a state of confusion, people buffeted from place to place. A husband would wander from town to town in an unsuccessful search for his wife. A mother would lose her children and rush from one place to another with no one to help her. Everyone was overcome by a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Everyone was left to fend for himself.
Our movement did not stop functioning as a collective. Our comrades grew closer out of mutual concern and a desire to help each other. This fact encouraged and strengthened us. The house on Dzielna St. thus became an isolated island in sharp contrast to the rest of the bewildered and helpless Jewish community of Warsaw. It was a home not only for the members of our movement, but for people whose way of life and ideas were very distant from our own, even for those who opposed what we stood for, and for simple refugees who had never know or even heard about the movement. They all flocked to us to escape the utter chaos and to find some physical and spiritual support in our midst. A soup kitchen was immediately set up to provide a piece of bread and a hot meal for the hungry.
People did not only come in search of physical or material relief. Dzielna had become a focal point for Jewish youth and for a long time it served as their only center of activity. It was here that the thought of creating a new path for the Jewish youth in the present circumstances was born and took shape.
We realize that our primary concern was to provide emergency and social welfare and assistance, in particular supplying the hungry with bread and a hot meal. But at the same time, we realized that it would be impossible without the help of organized youth. We returned, therefore, to our one foolproof and tested method of the past. We would renew our youth training program-which meant establishing kibbutzim."
-Ziva Lubetkin, Dror.
Again, during the 1940's there was no where for the Jews to go. They were trapped under the regime of the Nazi's, and many of them were falling victim. When fully populated, the ghetto held 500,000 Jews, creating unbearable living conditions, as thousands were either dying in the street, or being sent to Trblinka or Mejdanik. There was little to no organization, besides from the
Judenrat,
and when the movement leaders approached the heads of the
Judenrat
, they were shot down, every time. However, the youth knew they had to do something, and at the time, setting up soup kitchens and providing a place for informal education were the least they could do. The Jewish people were faced with a dilemma: do they follow the
Judenrat
and simply sit back while they are tortured, or do they go against the grain and spend time resisting death? The movement's leadership was strong, and at times of disagreement with the
Judenrat
, the movement continued to operate at full force. Although he did not hold any official tittle, a leader emerged in Antek Zuckerman, as he took responsibility of the Jewish people, and did what he felt necessary. Here is a quote explaining responsibility, by Antek:
"In general, I was at peace with myself. Even about the "question of democracy," which can be stated as who "authorized you." This question didn't bother me very much. In those circumstances, it wasn't so important if you were an elected "representative." Not only did the Jews not elect me, the Movement didn't elect me either or send me to do what I did. there is a moment where you assume the responsibility and the mission of your own free will. If you don't want to, don't accept it. The movement didn't elect me to play a role in the underground.
Can you really talk about that in terms of democracy? From the moment I came forward-I or one of my comrades-there was no going back. There's no point repeating every day that it's hard. From that moment on, you, you've got the responsibility, as if you had been elected. I was two years older than the young members. They believed in me and hung onto my words. But there was a time when I didn't know what to say to myself or what to do, where to start. And at first, as i said, that was the time of deep depression that came on me and lasted a few weeks."
This at large, is making a big statement about responsibility, and the type of movement Dror was, and still continues to be. (Habonim Dror now.)In the movement, social hierarchies are very rare, and when it does exist, there is always room for people like Antek to take as much responsibility as necessary. Responsibility means taking ownership over things which are important to you, and that is just what Antek did. Just as Zivia, Antek did not have to come back to the ghetto, but he cared about his chanichim, and unlike Begin, he chose to return.
As time drew on and movement activity continued, more needed to be done. The final liquidation was quickly approaching, and a resistance was absolutely necessary. The movement knew that people were going to die either way, seeing as they had curriers spying. Here is the story of what happened when the movement approached the
Judenrat.
"We invited the most prominent leaders of the various Jewish groups to our meeting. Yitzhak Zuckerman, who acted as our spokesman, explained our point of view and our desire to take up arms against the enemy. The faces of these Jewish leaders grew pale, either from sudden fear or from anger at our audacity. They were furious. They reproached us from irresponsibly sowing the seeds of despair and confusion among the people, and for our impertinence in even thinking of armed resistance. If this were to become known, disaster would fall on everyone's head. They asked us if we would be willing to accept the responsibility for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jews!
We left the meeting with a feeling of frustration and helpless rage. we saw that we were facing an impenetrable wall. Again we asked ourselves: "Whaat can we do?" We had to recieve the support of the Jewish masses, without which we could not hope to succeed."
-Zivia Lubetkin.
Again, actions needed to be taken, and Jews continued to be killed. The Movement apporoached the
Judenrat
about uprising, however, they received no support. Antek and Zivia knew that death was in store either way, and along with Mordechai they planned the next revolt. This brings up the question: was this responsible? Is it responsible to go against the word of those in charge in order to save lives when many are going to die any way? The situation was difficult, but this was the decision made. By the first week of may, the last main focus of Jewish resistance in the ghetto was at a bunker at 18 Mila St. On may 8, the Germans attacked, creating a blockade and throwing gas in. Mordechai Anilewicz was one of those down in the bunker, and took his life before the Germans could. these were his last words.
"It is now clear to me that what took place exceeded all expectations. In our opposition to the Germans we did more than our strength allowed--but now our forces are waning. We are on the brink of extinction. We forced the Germans to retreat twice--but they returned stronger than before.
One of our groups held out for forty minutes; and another fought for about six hours. The mine which was laid in the area of the brush factory exploded as planned. Then we attacked the Germans and they suffered heavy causalities. Our losses were generally low. That is an accomplishment too. Z. fell next to his machine gun. I feel that great things are happening and that this action which we have dared to take is of enormous value.
We have no choice but to go over to partisan methods of fighting as of today. Tonight, six fighting-groups are going out. They have two tasks-to reconnoiter the area and to capture weapons. Remember, "short-range weapons" are of no use to us. We employ them very rarely. We need many rifles, hand grenades, machine-guns and explosives.
I cannot describe the conditions in which the Jews of the ghetto are now "living." Only a few exceptional individuals will be able to survive such suffering. The others will sooner or later die. Their fate is certain, even though thousands are trying to hide in cracks and rat holes. It is impossible to light a candle, for lack air. Greetings to you who are outside. Perhaps a miracle will occur and we shall see each other again one of these days. It is extremely doubtful.
The last wish of my life has been fulfilled. Jewish self-defense has become a fact. Jewish resistance and revenge have become actualities. I am happy to have been one of the first Jewish fighters in the ghetto.
Where will rescue come from?"
-Mordechai Anielewicz, commander of the ZOB.
However after this, Zivia and others found a way out of the Bunker and through the sewers. Here is the story told by ZIvia:
"You crawl through the sewer canal utterly exhausted, but your mind never ceases to function, never rests. Your entire being is centered on a reckoning of you life, and of the Movement which has given that life meaning and purpose. The movement which has given that life meaning and purpose. The movement which has given you and others like you the strength to overcome, to endure this terrible path to safety...You are alone with your thoughts. Your legs drag through this dark squalid cavern and you envisage the shadow of a distant dream you shared with your comrades, a dream of a far off land, of Eretz Israel and its life of friendship and work, human dignity and pride. The images of those who have already reached that distant shore appear before you to gather with those of emissaries from the land of Israel, who have come and touched your heart. The thought of meeting them on Kibbutz, in the Homeland, tortures you like a recurrent nightmare. How will I be able to explain how I survived, how i escaped the valley of death, how i remained alive? I didn't ask to be rescued, it happened in the strange guise of blind fate. I push on and feel as if our comrades left behind in the bunkers are following us. "What will become of them? Their fate gives me no peace and incessantly plagues me. I am totally drained of strength. My will to drag myself through these slimy gutters is completely dead. Someone whispers to his companion: "Move on and let me be. I can't go on. Let me lie here. Let me stay." No one remained behind of course. By morning we had all reached the area beneath Prosta street on the Aryan side, and rested."
-Zivia Lubetkin.
This is how our Journey ended, just outside the bunker. Zivia always had the values of the kibbutz movement in her head, which she felt made her a good person. Those values shined on throughout everyone involved, and it was what kept them going. This concludes our Poland Journey, and boy was it a good one!
