The Cyganeria Café attack on the night of December 22, 1942, was one of the first open acts of armed resistance by the Jewish people in occupied Europe. Although comparatively small in scale, and despite the German response, which eventually destroyed Akiva’s organization in Krakow, it proved to other Jewish groups that resistance was possible.
As noted in the story, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was never going to result in victory over the German forces. But the effects of what the Jewish people accomplished there, in managing to stave off the Nazis for nearly a month, reverberated through Poland and all of occupied Europe.
Ultimately, the Warsaw Ghetto fighters held out longer than the entire country of Poland did against the initial German invasion. It inspired other uprisings in ghettos such as those in Bedzin and Bialystok, and in the extermination camps of Treblinka, Sobibor, and Auschwitz. It also was a foreshadowing and model for the Warsaw Uprising, launched by the Polish Underground army on August 1, 1944. Within the world of my imagination, I picture that Chaya was there for this fight too.
However, because this is a work of fiction, it’s important to separate my characters from the actual people who chose heroism, courage, and honor in the face of certain defeat.
Chaya and Esther, their families, and many of the people they meet along the way are fictional characters so as not to intrude upon the personalities or actions of actual people involved. However, many details from their experiences are pulled from true stories.
In this book, most of those referenced in leadership positions within the resistance movement actually existed, and where it was possible to quote them exactly, this has been done. Where it was not possible, I attempted to preserve the spirit of their message.
The following are some of the many heroic individuals involved in the Jewish resistance.
AKIVA
Aharon “Dolek” Liebeskind would have been twenty-seven at the outbreak of World War II. He was described as charismatic and loyal. He was key in organizing the couriers and forming connections with other resistance groups. His motto was to “fight for three lines in history,” even when the outcome was already known. He died in a shootout at the Akiva bunker on December 24, 1942.
Abraham “Laban” Leibovich is not mentioned in this book but was heavily involved with the Akiva raids in the fall of 1942. He died during an attempted prison escape on April 29, 1943.
Hillel “Antek” Wodzislawski stepped into the leadership of Akiva after the organization’s collapse following the Cyganeria attack. He died in October 1943 during a retaliation strike for the murder of a Jewish child in hiding.
Justyna “Gusta” Draenger was the young wife of Shimshon Draenger and it is thanks to her that we know as much of Akiva’s story as we do. After her arrest, she dictated the story of the resistance to the other women in her prison cell. Five copies each were made on pieces of toilet paper, which were then smuggled out of Montelupich Prison. Most of the narrative survives and was compiled into a book titled Justyna’s Story. She was killed in November 1943 after fulfilling an agreement with her husband that if either was ever captured by the Nazis, the other would surrender too.
Maniek Eisenstein was the youngest Akiva leader and hid in the Tarnow Ghetto after the Cyganeria attack. He was killed on March 20, 1943.
Shimshon Draenger was twenty-two when the war began, and caught the attention of the Germans early on because of an anti-Nazi newspaper he published. He was the head of the Kopaliny Farm and had a talent for forgery. He was the husband of Gusta Draenger and had an intense focus on the cause of the resistance. He was killed in November 1943 after fighting with the partisans in the forests of Poland.
ZOB
Mordecai Anielewicz was twenty years old at the beginning of World War II but quickly began to understand the threat of the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish people. It took time to persuade the various resistance groups within the Warsaw Ghetto to unite, but once he did, and became their captain, he fulfilled the dream of many resistance fighters to prove that “not all sheep go like lambs to the slaughter.” He died on May 8, 1943, in the ZOB bunker at 18 Mila Street in Warsaw.
Mira Fuchrer was nineteen at the outset of the war and eventually became a courier through the Warsaw Ghetto. She was the girlfriend of Mordecai Anielewicz and fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising until her death on May 8, 1943, in the ZOB bunker.
Zivia Lubetkin was a leader during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and acted as a liaison between bunkers. When it became clear that the resistance headquarters was about to be raided, Zivia was sent through the sewers to find a connection on the Aryan side. She escaped but continued to run resistance operations from outside the ghetto. She died in Israel in 1976.
COURIERS
After the war, many of the young people who had been involved in courier work spoke little of their accomplishments, preferring to let those who died in their efforts be named as the true heroes. Thus, there is no complete list. However, I wish to mention a few couriers whose work saved countless numbers of lives and gave hope to a people in an otherwise sealed-off world.
Anka Fisher was a courier in attendance at Akiva’s “Last Supper” meal. She had recently been released from prison following a brutal questioning and torture but never surrendered any information, remaining true to her oath of silence. Her fate is unknown.
Chajka Grosman was nineteen when the war began and almost immediately was asked to take a leadership position within her resistance group. Much of her courier work involved warning the residents of Warsaw about extermination plans for the Jews. She was actively involved in the uprising at the Bialystok Ghetto in August 1943, survived the war, and died in Israel in 1996.
Chavka Folman Raban was fifteen at the outset of the war. She became well trained in the use of weapons, helped smuggle many Jews out of the ghettos, and was directly involved in the Cyganeria Café attack with Akiva. She was eventually arrested and sent to Auschwitz but survived. She died in 2014.
Frumke Plotnicka was the first courier in Warsaw to smuggle weapons into the ghettos inside a bag of potatoes. She joined the Bedzin Ghetto Uprising and was killed on August 3, 1943, in a basement with a rifle clutched in her hands.
Hela Schüpper worked as a courier between Warsaw and Krakow. She was once arrested while carrying forged identification but begged to use the bathroom before leaving with the soldiers. There, she flushed all the evidence so they were eventually forced to release her. Hela was later involved in and survived the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by escaping through the sewers. She died in 2007.
Mire Gola was a courier throughout Poland and a key player in encouraging Akiva to begin fighting back after the ghetto Aktions in Krakow. She was shot to death while trying to escape from Montelupich Prison on April 19, 1943, the same day the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began.
Rivka Liebeskind was Dolek Liebeskind’s wife. Her courier work focused on finding safe houses and distributing false identification papers. When other Akiva leaders were arrested or absent, she played a key role in keeping the resistance moving forward. She survived the war, and died in 2007.
Vladka Meed was a Warsaw courier and expert smuggler, who brought dynamite, gasoline, and pistols into the Warsaw Ghetto and helped many children to escape. She survived the war and died at age ninety.
* * *
When thrust into a situation as intense and traumatic as war, and facing possible extermination, no two people will respond in the same way. Some will collapse, others will betray, and others will try to ignore the calamity. But in those same circumstances, some will emerge with honor and rise as heroes. However, it is important to note that because of the horrifying and extraordinary nature of the Holocaust, any attempt to judge the actions of anyone through a “normal” lens will likely reflect a poor understanding of just how difficult the circumstances were.
May we never forget. May we live with honor at all times, regardless of our circumstances. And may we choose love, a weapon that will defeat hate every single time.
Love is the resistance.
-Jennifer A. Nielsen
2018