Jerzy and Zofia Guminski papers

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

Jerzy Guminski (1923-1942) was born on March 20, 1923 in Warsaw, Poland. He had a sister Hanna Guminski. Jerzy and his mother, Zofia Guminski, worked for a Polish partisan group called the Związek Walki Zbrojnej (ZWZ). Among other activities, they assisted escapees from prison and gave shelter to endangered individuals in their pension in Świder, near Warsaw, Poland. In late 1940, Jerzy and Zofia were denounced and arrested by the Gestapo. They were incarcerated in the Pawiak prison in Warsaw. While imprisoned, Jerzy worked as an orderly in a German chancellery office and Zofia was employed in the laundry room. On March 6, 1942, Jerzy was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp where he was assigned prisoner number 26596. He was shot on August 14, 1942. Zofia was transported to Ravensbrück concentration camp in August 1942. She survived. 

Jerzy and Zofia Guminski papers 

folder 1 

The Jerzy and Zofia Guminski papers contains two letters and two photographs relating to the Guminski’s experiences in the Auschwitz and Ravensbrück concentration camps. One of the letters was written by Jerzy Guminski while in the Auschwitz concentration camp and addressed to his sister, Hanna Guminski, who was in Swinder, Poland. Jerzy reports on his health condition and asks her to send him sheet music. The second letter was sent by Zofia Guminski from Ravensbrück concentration camp and addressed to her family. In the letter she thanks them for sending her packages. Both letters are handwritten on camp stationery with German letterhead. The two photographs of Jerzy Guminski show his image in an Auschwitz concentration camp uniform with a triangular patch containing a “P” for Poles and the prisoner number 26596. 

The Jerzy and Zofia Guminski papers is arranged in a single series.