Szlama Grzywacz
Encyclopedia
Szlama Grzywacz was one of the members of the French resistance
executed at the fort of Mont Valérien as a member of the Manouchian group
, a volunteer of the French liberation army FTP-MOI
. His name is one of the ten which featured on the Affiche Rouge
displayed by the Germans during the trial of the 23 captured members of the Manouchian group. His photograph
is displayed with the caption Grzywacz juif polonais 2 attentats (Grzywacz, Polish Jew, 2 attacks).
in 1909, to a working-class family. He was obliged to work from a young age.
At 16 years old, he joined the Jeunesses communistes (communist youth) where he became an active militant. In 1931, he was arrested by police of the Pilsudski regime and condemned to five years in prison
. Invigorated by his incarceration, he resumed his activism on release. His friends advised him to leave Poland to escape persecution by the police.
Grzywacz arrived in Paris
in 1936 but soon left for Spain
, where he fought in the international brigades
against the worldwide threat of Fascism
. After the defeat of the republican army
, he spent time in the concentration camps of Gurs
and et Argelès-sur-Mer
, but managed to get away.
during their massive arrest operation against foreign fighters.
Grzywacz' experience as a fighter for republican Spain and the Francs-Tireurs prepared him for the suffering he was to endure when he was brought before a German military tribunal
, sentenced to death, and executed on the 21 February 1944 at Mont Valérien.
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
executed at the fort of Mont Valérien as a member of the Manouchian group
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
, a volunteer of the French liberation army FTP-MOI
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
. His name is one of the ten which featured on the Affiche Rouge
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
displayed by the Germans during the trial of the 23 captured members of the Manouchian group. His photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
is displayed with the caption Grzywacz juif polonais 2 attentats (Grzywacz, Polish Jew, 2 attacks).
Early years
Szlama Grzywacz was born in Wołomin, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1909, to a working-class family. He was obliged to work from a young age.
At 16 years old, he joined the Jeunesses communistes (communist youth) where he became an active militant. In 1931, he was arrested by police of the Pilsudski regime and condemned to five years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. Invigorated by his incarceration, he resumed his activism on release. His friends advised him to leave Poland to escape persecution by the police.
Grzywacz arrived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1936 but soon left for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he fought in the international brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
against the worldwide threat of Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
. After the defeat of the republican army
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, he spent time in the concentration camps of Gurs
Gurs
Gurs is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Gurs was the site of the Camp Gurs concentration camp. Nothing remains of the camp; after World War II, a forest was planted on the site where it stood.-Geography:...
and et Argelès-sur-Mer
Argelès-sur-Mer
Argelès-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies near Perpignan.-Geography:...
, but managed to get away.
Second world war
In the German occupation of France during World War II, Grzywacz became active in the underground trade unionism movement. He organized Jewish workers in the fur industry. However, he regarded this work to be too sedate for him, and joined the FTP-MOI where he fought against the Germans. He slipped between the fingers of the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
during their massive arrest operation against foreign fighters.
Grzywacz' experience as a fighter for republican Spain and the Francs-Tireurs prepared him for the suffering he was to endure when he was brought before a German military tribunal
Military tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
, sentenced to death, and executed on the 21 February 1944 at Mont Valérien.
See also
- Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée
- Affiche rougeAffiche RougeThe Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
- Brigades Spéciales
- Geheime Feld Polizei