We all know someone who died in the Holocaust. My polish relatives on my mother’s side were all Catholic from Warsaw Poland. My mother and grandmother never wanted to talk about the Polish relatives who did not make it to the United States.
They were the Forgotten ones.. My grandmother was fortunate to escape the Russians and the Bolsheviks before The Purge of World War 1. She emigrated to America. But her sisters and brothers, uncles, nieces, aunts, nephews and cousins were all left in Poland. As I have since learned, they all died at the hands of criminal Catholic priests who worked with the Nazis to murder Catholics and Jews in Aushwitz Treblinka and Sobean.
I learn to speak Polish at home by listening to my mother aunts ,uncle’s and grandmother. They did not know I understood what they were talking about. But my grandmother did. She secretly taught me how to speak Polish. She would look at me with a twinkle in her eye.
They used to tell the story of my uncle for whom I am named. “Jan Zeki kasperovich”.. he stayed in Warsaw in the Warsaw Ghetto to fight the Germans. And he died there.
They would toast his name with peach brandy and look at me and say in Polish.. “he is your namesake… In you he lives…” every family has a story of heroism from the holocaust..this us mine..
There were mixed feelings in my family about what the children should know about World War II. Most everyone said that we should not know anything. They wanted to forget. They wanted to move on and live in the American dream…
forget the Holocaust.forget all about it.
But my grandmother Zeki (Ponya ) would tell me about my uncle Jan
He was 25. Ponya would mail guns, ammo, dry food, radios, to him .. my whole family was involved in supporting the resistance Fighters. My mom got the office of OSS to drop packages into the ghetto… the Polish Community in America knew what was going on in Warsaw and it would not take no for an answer
,” that he stood up to the Nazis. my Uncle Jan did get word out thanking everyone.” He was a great Polish resistance fighter.. she said. that I was named after him and should always be proud of my heritage. and what the Nazis did in the Warsaw Ghetto and how the Polish resistance Fighters fought back.”
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Linda Mcloughlin
Linda Mcloughlin My Uncle is Polish Catholic…he was captured by the Russians and sent to Siberia along with his Mother..once Russia was invaded by Germany the British suggested that all political prisoners should be released to fight..he came to the UK and fought in …See More
Like · Reply · 3 · January 28 at 6:49pm
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Jann Scott replied · 1 Reply
Linda Mcloughlin
Linda Mcloughlin Excuse spelling 1.50 am and fighting to stay awake.
Like · Reply · 2 · January 28 at 6:51pm
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Jann Scott
Jann Scott Karolyn Kasprzak I lived in Great Britain for three years and work there and became very familiar with the War years in the 1970s mitt many citizens who fought the Germans especially during the Battle of Britain
Like · Reply · 1 · January 28 at 10:02pm
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Eva A Malanowski
Eva A Malanowski My grandparents were both in the Polish Resistance. My grandfather escaped from Auschwitz and along with Pilecki got documents and the first information out about what was really happening in the camps. He was later killed in the Warsaw Uprising. Many other relatives died as well.
Like · Reply · 2 · January 30 at 9:57am
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Eva A Malanowski
Eva A Malanowski I think it is very important to know your history