End of War 1945 and Postwar Experience

I was there.

From 1946, Halina lived in Wrocław, where she married Maciej Elczewski, and in 1953 she moved with her family to Warsaw. After her husband's death in 1957, she started working at TVP [Polish Television] in the popular science department, where she worked until 1969.

The antisemitic campaign [after the events of March 1968] forced Halina to retire earlier, and part of her family to leave Poland. She is the originator of the creation of the Park of Survivors in which she planted the first tree marked with the number "0".

Halina Elczewska (1919-2013), Poland

Halina Elczewska (1919-2013), Poland

Consider here how Halina describes the Liberation

Good People in An Evil Time

Halina meets German SS guards.

1) Listen to Halina, as she describes two SS women guards. Answer the question.

  • 1a. Describe different attitudes of the camp guards towards the prisoners?

The Will of Revenge

After the liberation of the camp, Halina and other prisoners decide to take revenge.

2) Listen to Halina, as she describes her revenge on Halbstadtwomen guards. Answer the questions.

  • 2a. How do you understand the word vengeance? What does it make you think about?

  • 2b. What difference does Halina make between 'revenge' and 'act out'?

  • 2c. What need could the women from the camp fulfil by the revenge they took?

New Life After the War

Halina tries to recover after her war experiences; starts a family.

3) Listen about the post war life story of Halina. Answer the questions.

  • 3a. What role played the children of Halina in her life?

  • 3b. What did Halina loose in March 1968?

  • 3c. Why did she not oppose the emigration of her daughters?

  • 3d. Why Halina did not leave with her daughters?

Łódź Ghetto

Slideshow about the Łódź ghetto.

4) Watch the slideshow about the Łódź ghetto. Answer the question.

  • 4a. Why do you think the Łódź ghetto functioned the longest of all ghettos in Nazi-occupied Poland?

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Extra Material

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