When the situation in the ghetto during the uprising became extremely difficult, some fighters decided to attempt to cross over to the so-called Aryan side. Due to the ongoing fighting and the heavy German presence, they decided to escape through the sewers.
This form of escape was extremely difficult and risky. The occupiers guarded the sewer inlets and often released gas into them. Of the large number of Jews who attempted this, only a handful survived. Some perished in the sewers, while others were recognized and captured upon exiting.
Among the most famous actions was the escape of a group of fighters by "Kazik," aka Symcha Rotem-Ratajzer . On May 1, 1943, at the behest of the Jewish Combat Organization (ŻOB), he and Zygmunt Frydrych crossed over to the so-called Aryan side to prepare an evacuation route for a larger group. A week later, on May 8, with the help of two Polish municipal waterworks workers, "Kazik" returned to the ghetto to search for survivors. Władysław Gaik "Krzaczek," a member of the People's Guard, helped organize the operation.
On the night of May 8-9, 1943, a group of several dozen insurgents descended into the sewers. They used a manhole on Franciszkańska Street. After several arduous hours of trekking through the maze of underground roads, they reached the agreed-upon location. The next day, they emerged to the surface on Prosta Street. From there, they were taken in a rented furniture truck towards Łomianki. Among those rescued were Cywia Lubetkin , Tosia Altman , Michał Rozenfeld , and Marek Edelman . Due to various circumstances, many of this group did not survive the war.
Today, at 51 Prosta Street in Warsaw, there is the Monument to the Evacuation of the Warsaw Ghetto Fighters.
