However, alongside these tales of courage and survival are the grim accounts of the oppressors who orchestrated and carried out the German-Nazi regime's brutal policies. The faces of them are also essential to understanding the full scope of life in the ghettos.
Those who Survived: Children Smuggled to Safety
Children in the ghettos were among the most vulnerable, often facing separation from their families, and in some cases, being smuggled out to safety. One such child was Elżbieta Ficowska, who was just six months old when she was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto in a carpenter's box, hidden beneath bricks. Ficowska’s biological mother perished during the Holocaust, and she was raised by a Polish family, leaving her to grow up with a complex understanding of identity and survival. Her story reflects both the tragedy and hope that characterized the lives of children hidden during the war.
Similarly, Giza Alterwajn was rescued as a sick, malnourished infant, smuggled out of the ghetto by Irena Sendler in a nurse's bag. As they passed the guards, the barking of a trained dog drowned out any cries from the baby, allowing them to slip past undetected. Thanks to the ingenuity of Sendler and her network, Giza escaped the fate of her parents, who were murdered in Treblinka and Auschwitz. The story of Giza, much like that of Elżbieta, underscores the courage and creativity required to save the youngest and most vulnerable during the Holocaust.
Both stories reflect the extraordinary lengths to which individuals went to save the lives of children. Many of them never saw their parents again.
Those who Risked Lives to Save Others: Pharmacist from the Krakow Ghetto
While the children of the ghetto often relied on the brave efforts of others for their survival, adults like Tadeusz Pankiewicz played a pivotal role in aiding the Jewish population trapped inside. Pankiewicz, a Polish pharmacist, operated the only pharmacy in the Krakow ghetto, and against German orders, he chose to stay behind rather than abandon his store. His pharmacy became a vital centre for communication and resistance, where Jews could obtain medicines, forged documents, and information from the outside world.
Pankiewicz’s bravery did not stop at providing medicine. He and his staff smuggled sedatives to parents, enabling them to calm their children during risky escapes. His pharmacy became a meeting point for Jewish intellectuals and leaders, and Pankiewicz himself even hid people within the pharmacy to protect them from night raids by the Germans. Over the course of two years, Pankiewicz bore witness to the gradual destruction of the ghetto and the suffering of its inhabitants. His memoir, ‘The Pharmacy in the Krakow Ghetto’, offers a powerful, firsthand account of life in the ghetto and the efforts of those who risked their lives to help others.
Those Who Dared: Irena Sendler and the Żegota Network of Resistance
One of the most renowned figures associated with the rescue of Jews during the Holocaust is Irena Sendler, a social worker and member of the Polish underground organization Żegota. Sendler, operating under the pseudonym ‘Jolanta,’ coordinated efforts to smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto. Using her position as a social worker, she gained access to the ghetto under the pretext of conducting sanitation checks. Once inside, she and her network carried in food, medicine, and money while planning escape routes for children.
Sendler’s work, in collaboration with many others, saved approximately 2,500 Jewish children, a remarkable feat considering the danger. Children were hidden in various ways—inside boxes, bags, and even among the dead in coffins—and transported to the Polish side, where they were placed in safe houses, orphanages, and convents. One of Sendler’s key collaborators was Mother Matylda Getter, head of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, who took in many Jewish children, giving them new identities and keeping them safe for the duration of the war.
Another notable figure was Władysław Bartoszewski, who played a leading role in Żegota and helped coordinate efforts to provide false papers, hiding places, and support for Jewish families. His work with Żegota not only saved lives but also laid the foundation for post-war efforts to memorialize the victims.
Those Who Preserved Life and Memory: The Ringelblum Archive
Among various acts of resistance and compassion, there were also efforts to document the day-to-day experiences of the ghetto’s residents. The ‘Ringelblum Archive’, meticulously compiled by historian Emanuel Ringelblum, remains one of the most valuable collections of firsthand accounts from the Warsaw ghetto. Ringelblum and his team of dedicated chroniclers documented the lives of the ghetto’s residents, preserving testimonies, diaries, drawings, and photographs that reflected the stark realities of life under German rule. This archive, hidden in milk cans and other containers, and later discovered after the war, made sure that the voices of the ghetto’s residents would not be silenced, even if their bodies were lost to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Those Who Showed No Remorse: Jürgen Stroop
In stark contrast to the stories of survival and resistance stands Jürgen Stroop, a German SS commander responsible for the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto. Stroop led the brutal suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, personally overseeing the massacre of thousands of Jews and the ultimate liquidation of the ghetto. His role in the ghetto’s destruction has been immortalized in his chilling report to Heinrich Himmler, where he boasted of the systematic murder of tens of thousands of Jews. Stroop’s complete lack of remorse, even as he faced trial after the war, remains a stark reminder of the dehumanization and cruelty of the German-Nazi regime.
His callousness, recorded in Kazimierz Moczarski’s ‘Conversations with an Executioner’, reveals the mindset of those who orchestrated the genocide, believing they were too lenient in their methods.
Not Just the Numbers
When discussing the Holocaust and the tragedy of the ghettos, it is all too easy to focus on the staggering numbers: the six million Jews murdered, the thousands crammed into ghettoes, the hundreds smuggled out. But behind these numbers are individual stories—stories of children like Elżbieta Ficowska and Giza Alterwajn, of brave souls like Irena Sendler and Tadeusz Pankiewicz, and of those who documented life within the ghetto like Emanuel Ringelblum. These were real people with families, dreams, and futures that were violently stolen or forever altered. These were people who, amid such unimaginable suffering, fought to preserve life and dignity.
Discover the resilience and courage of the Warsaw Ghetto residents through individual stories that capture both the humanity and tragedy of this historical chapter. Visit 1943.pl to explore personal accounts and in-depth narratives of those who lived within the Warsaw Ghetto, each story a window into the lives forever changed by resistance, survival, and the unyielding spirit of the Jewish community during the Holocaust.
References:
Irena Sendlerowa (Dzieje.pl)
In the Name of Both Her Mothers (enrs.eu)
Rada Pomocy Żydom „Żegota” – fenomen w okupowanej Europie (Instytut Pamięci Narodowej)
Ringelblum Archive (The Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute)
2 marca 1949. Kazimierz Moczarski trafia do celi z Jurgenem Stroopem, katem getta warszawskiego (The Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute)