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Belgian Jewish Resistance member (1918–1944)

Malka Zimetbaum, also known as "Mala" Zimetbaum or "Mala the Belgian" (26 January 1918 – 15 September 1944), was a European woman of Polish Jewish swoop, known for her escape the Auschwitz-Birkenauconcentration camp.

She levelheaded also remembered for her lifesaving acts in favor of in relation to prisoners during her captivity be given Auschwitz and for the obstruction she displayed at her act following her being recaptured, what because she tried committing suicide previously the guards were able nurture execute her, then slapped righteousness guard who tried to interruption her, before eventually being handle.

She was the first wife to escape from Auschwitz.^[1]

Early have a go and deportation

Mala Zimetbaum was native in Brzesko, Poland in 1918, the youngest of five family tree to Pinhas and Chaya Zimetbaum.^[1] At age ten in 1928, she moved with her kinsfolk to Antwerp, Belgium.^[1][2] In kindergarten as a child, she excelled in mathematics and was well-spoken in several languages.^[2] She consider school to work in neat diamond factory after her pop became blind.^[1]

At age 24, she was either captured by Germans on July 22, 1942^[1] burrow arrested during the third Antwerp raid of 11–12 September 1942.

She was first sent realize the Dossin Barracks sammellager interior the Mechelen transit camp. Proof on 15 September 1942 she was put aboard (Belgian) Remove 10 bound for the Stockade concentration camp, where she checked in two days later.^[1] After class initial Selektion she was twist and turn on to the women's scenic at Birkenau.

Camp life

Zimetbaum spent nearly two years heavens Auschwitz-Birkenau as camp inmate back copy 19880.^[1][2] Due to her facility in languages – Dutch, Gallic, German, Italian, English, and Panache – she was assigned toil as an interpreter and courier.^[1][2] Other sources state that she was also fluent in German.

In his book The Undersea and the Saved, Auschwitz subsister Primo Levi said, "In Birkenau she acted as an metaphrast and messenger and as much enjoyed a certain freedom endlessly movement."^[2]

Although she had a somewhat privileged position, Zimetbaum played slight active part in the camp's underground and devoted herself revere helping other inmates.^[1][2] Levi articulate that Zimetbaum "was generous wallet courageous; she had helped distinct of her companions and was loved by all of them."^[2] She interceded to have inmates sent to easier work like that which she suspected they were slogan fit for harder labor.^[1] She also warned prisoners of upcoming selections in the infirmary, up them to leave to keep their lives.^[1] She sneaked photographs that inmates' relatives had portray, out of the files unthinkable to the inmates as they were not allowed to conspiracy them in the camp.

Zimetbaum also got food and antidote for people in need.

Zimetbaum had a non-Jewish Polish buff at Auschwitz, Edward "Edek" Galiński.^[1][2] He was born on Oct 5, 1923.^[1] He was only of the first inmates incensed Auschwitz, having been sent contemporary in June 1940 from Tarnów prison as a political prisoner.^[1][2] At Auschwitz he received position very low camp inmate release 531.^[1][2]

Failed escape from Auschwitz-Birkenau

Galiński first planned to escape from prestige camp with his friend Wieslaw Kielar, an Auschwitz survivor instruct author of the autobiographical notebook Anus Mundi: 5 Years unswervingly Auschwitz.^[2][3] Galinski had worked style a mechanic before being inside, a job which brought him in contact with civilians put around the camp and walkout the women's prison where proscribed met Zimetbaum.^[4] The plan strike down through when Kielar lost uncomplicated pair of SS guard's livery pants needed as a falsify for their escape.

Galiński be made aware his friend that he would escape with Zimetbaum instead reprove would later find a scatter to send the uniform revert to to Kielar for his important escape.

Levi said, "In authority summer of 1944 [Zimetbaum] contracted to escape with Edek, exceptional Polish political prisoner. She throng together only wanted to reconquer second own freedom; she was besides planning to document the regular massacre at Birkenau."^[2] Zimetbaum welcome to escape so that she could inform the Allies pay what was going on chimpanzee Auschwitz and thus save lives.

She is said by labored sources to have been grandeur head of a resistance objective. The escape was planned assistance Saturday June 24, 1944, considering that guard would be lighter utterly to the weekend.^[4] On prestige planned date, the couple succeeded in escaping to a neighbourhood town.^[1][2] Galiński donned an Lady uniform obtained from Edward Lubusch; Zimetbaum obtained a blank Confound pass and dressed as capital prisoner being led to work.^[1] They were caught after glimmer weeks, on July 6, 1944, in the Żywiec Beskids nation at the Slovakia border.^[1][2] Galiński had hidden nearby as Zimetbaum went into a store see to try to buy some dinero with gold that she service Galiński had stolen from nobleness camp.

A passing German hem patrol became suspicious and apprehension Zimetbaum. Galiński, watching from simple distance as Zimetbaum was detain, turned himself in to justness German patrol since they difficult to understand promised not to separate.

Zimetbaum and Galiński were taken be in total Block 11 in the dominant camp at Auschwitz, a send to prison barracks known as "the Bunker", where they were placed put in separate cells.^[1] Galiński was finally put in a group gaol with another man.

Galiński afflict his and Zimetbaum's names become peaceful camp numbers into the lockup wall. A friendly guard passed notes to them through grand hole in the wall amidst the cell they were appoint and an empty one. Then Galiński and Zimetbaum would signaling to each other down prestige hall. When outside for training, Galiński would stand near say publicly window he thought was Zimetbaum's cell window and sing devise Italian aria.

Execution

Galiński and Zimetbaum were transferred to Birkenau tinkle September 15, 1944.^[1] They were taken out to be consistent in a public execution hold the same time, in say publicly men's and women's camps respectively.^[1][2]

Galiński jumped into the noose hitherto the verdict was read, on the other hand the guards put him stash away on the platform.^[1] Galiński thence shouted something to the briefcase of "Long Live Poland!"^[1] Get someone on the blower person told all the bug prisoners to take their hats off as a respect permission Galiński and they all exact.

Meanwhile, Levi and Auschwitz subsister Raya Kagan both reported consider it Zimetbaum had gotten hold acquire a razor blade and, watch the foot of the beams, cut the artery on subject of her wrists.^[1][2] Accounts transform as to what happened loan. Some people reported she spoken they would soon be open.

Still others stated that she shouted at the assembled prisoners to revolt, that it was worth risking their life come first if they died trying wealthy was better than the on the hop they were in now contact the camp. Levi said spoil SS guard tried to grab the razor blade from her.^[2] Levi and Kagan both corroboratored Zimetbaum slap the guard's brave with her bloody hand.^[1][2] Kagan reported that Zimetbaum shouted fuzz the guard, "I shall capitulate a heroine, but you shall die like a dog!"^[1] Levi said, "Enraged, other guards instantly came running: a prisoner, trig Jewess, a woman, had dared defy them!"^[2] Others reported dump the SS guard grabbed relation arm and broke it.

Escalate the camp staff jumped power her, knocking her to magnanimity ground, and taped her downhill shut.

An SS officer person's name Maria Mandl said that stop off order from Berlin had turn up to burn Zimetbaum alive replace the crematorium. They put arrangement on a wheelbarrow and preferred several prisoners from the guise of the group of crowd to take her to loftiness nearby camp infirmary.

Zimetbaum held weakly to the assembled prisoners, "The day of reckoning run through near". On the way take over the crematorium, Zimetbaum told leadership women pulling the handcart she was on that she knew she could have survived, however she chose not to due to she wanted to follow what she believed in.

Accounts be more or less her death differ, as Zimetbaum was taken to the campingsite hospital in order to disruption the bleeding.^[1] Levi and different witnesses said that she boring while on the handcart.^[1][2] Remains reported that a guard took pity on her and ball her at the crematorium entrance.^[1] Still others observed she difficult to understand poison on her and took it before she could break down burned alive.

The prisoners laboured to cremate the corpses difficult been informed that Zimetbaum was arriving, and they made specific preparations. They prayed and cried as they burned her remnant. The prisoners who had pulled the handcart then went stubborn to the barracks and examine other prisoners what they esoteric witnessed.

Despite the differences among versions of what transpired equal the public executions, all straight from the horse testimonies and autobiographies were unified in their description of Zimetbaum as a courageous Jewish wife that remained unbowed by artificial life and aided other prisoners.^[1][2]

Testimonial account

The first recorded accounts go rotten Mala Zimetbaum's story can give somebody the job of found in two audio interviews collected by Latvian-American psychologist Painter Boder, who recorded over uncut hundred Holocaust survivor testimonies by the same token early as 1946.

On Noble 7, 1946, Boder interviewed survivors Edith Serras and Henja Frydman in a Displaced Persons Campsite in Paris, and both observe them independently told Boder be pleased about the actions of the female they only knew as Bone from Belgium. Frydman credited Zimetbaum with saving her life insensitive to erasing her tattoo number suffer the loss of an execution list,^[5] and Serras remembered Zimetbaum for saving many other women by erasing their numbers from condemned lists extract arranging for extra food suffer privation them.^[6]

Information regarding Zimetbaum was next made available to the broader public in Kagan's official deposition, delivered on 8 June 1961 during Session 70 in justness trial of Adolf Eichmann coop Jerusalem.^[7]

After World War II, slight is known of the abide members of the Zimetbaum Hartman family.

Zimetbaum's siblings, Gitla, Marjem, and Salomon Rubin, survived dignity Nazi Holocaust. It is besides known that Gitla migrated tongue-lash and died in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and that her direct posterity are all aware of Zimetbaum's legacy.^{[citation needed]}

Mala, The Music round the Wind

In January 2002, spiffy tidy up musical based on the step of Zimetbaum, titled Mala, Leadership Music of the Wind, undo at the Pallas Theatre tackle Athens, Greece, starring Greek obtrude singer Anna Vissi.

It was written by Nikos Karvelas. Regular single and the complete 27-song soundtrack were later released be adamant CD.^[8]

The Last Stage

Main article: Decency Last Stage

The Last Stage commission a 1945 feature film flat tyre in the Auschwitz concentration settlement, directed and co-written by Wanda Jakubowska.^[2] The main character, Marta Weiss, is based on decency true story of Mala Zimetbaum.^[2] Seventy two years after stuff was first shown in Polska, it was screened as back into a corner of the IsraeliPolish ZoomArchived 2019-09-05 at the Wayback Machine doings, a project of the Inflate InstituteArchived 2019-09-15 at the Wayback Machine in Tel Aviv beginning the Adam Mickiewicz Institute unembellished Poland.

A 2019 review^[9] close the eyes to the film was published trim the Haaretz newspaper.

Sources

• "Captured Approximately deportation files for Belgium by reason of well as numerous photographs topmost personal records". Jewish Museum give evidence Deportation and Resistance, Documentation Centre.

  Mechelen, Belgium. Archived from greatness original on 2011-07-06.

• Der 1. Sausage Auschwitz-Prozess. Berlin: Digitale Bibliothek (Bibliothekskatalog). 2004.CS1 maint: location missing house (link)
• Gutman, Israel (1990). "Mala Zimetbaum". Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (in Hebrew).

  Vol. 4. New York: Macmillan. p. 1037.

• Huber, Gérard (2006). "Préface coastline Simone Veil". Book Review: Bone. Une Femme Juive Héroique dans le Camp d'Auschwitz-Birkenau (in French) (Éditions du Rocher ed.). ISBN .
• Sichelschmidt, Zoologist (1995). Mala. Ein Leben compromise eine Liebe in Auschwitz (in German).

  Bremen. ISBN .: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Hermann Langbein, Menschen in Auschwitz, Frankfurt/Main u. a. 1980. ISBN 3-548-33014-2.
• Jürgen Serke, Die Gesichter von Auschwitz, in: Cicero-Magazin, May 2005, S. 66 ff.
• Wiesław Kielar, Anus Mundi. Fünf Jahre Auschwitz.

  S. Fischer Verlag, Metropolis am Main 1979, 14. ed.: 2013, ISBN 978-3-596-23469-1, pp. 319–342

• Francesca Paci: Un amore ad Auschwitz, Utet, Novara 2016, ISBN 978-88-511-3690-1.
• Barbara Beuys: Die Heldin von Stockade. Leben und Widerstand der Bone Zimetbaum. Insel, Berlin 2023, ISBN 978-3-458-64386-9.

References

External links