On June 19, on the 80th anniversary of the death of Paweł Frenkel, commander of the Jewish Military Union, we met to commemorate the tragic events of June 1943.
The Jewish Military Union (ŻZW) was an underground Jewish armed organization that fought during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was likely founded in the autumn of 1942 at the initiative of pre-war activists of the Jewish national movement. The ŻZW included Jewish officers and non-commissioned officers of the Polish Army, as well as members of the Jewish intelligentsia. By April 1943, the organization had approximately two hundred members.
After World War II, due to a lack of documents and witnesses, the history of the ŻZW was either ignored or marginalized. It is known that Paweł Frenkel was one of its commanders . However, knowledge about him is essentially minimal – we do not know when he was born, where he came from, or what his pre-war biography was. He was most likely killed in an armed clash with a German unit on June 19 (or June 11, as some sources suggest), 1943. Other members of the Jewish resistance movement perished with him. Commemorative ceremonies organized by the Warsaw Ghetto Museum were attended by representatives of the Jewish community, public institutions, and state authorities.
The ceremony was attended by, among others, Jarosław Sellin , Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage; Aleksander Ferens , Mayor of Śródmieście; Elena Lagutin , Director of Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Israel in Poland; Artur Hofman , President of the Jewish Historical Institute (TSKŻ); Piotr Wiślicki , Chairman of the Jewish Historical Institute Association; and Dariusz Lipowski , Deputy Director of the Jewish Historical Institute. The ceremony took place at the commemorative plaque dedicated to Paweł Frenkl at 5a Grzybowska Street.
Unfortunately, over the years, the history of the Jewish Military Union (ŻZW) has often been overlooked or forgotten. Therefore, as a community, we must make a concerted effort to restore it to the public memory and awareness (…) Restoring the memory of the Jewish Military Union not only allows us to appreciate the extraordinary deeds of its heroes, but also reminds us of the importance of combating hatred, intolerance, and discrimination. With this knowledge, we can build a better future in which every person, regardless of their origin or religion, can live in dignity and security, " said Albert Stankowski , Director of the Jewish Military Union (MGW), during the ceremony.
Director Stankowski emphasized that the Warsaw Ghetto Museum is making efforts to have the square near the former Muranowski Square named after the Jewish Military Union. It was here that, for several days, two banners were hung on the roof of a tenement building on Muranowska Street: Polish and Zionist – it is believed that ŻZW fighters did this at Frenkel's personal behest. No street or square in the capital has yet been named after the ŻZW, even though it was the second largest organization whose members fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
