us-005578-irn510530-irn511434
title: Warsaw Ghetto photographs
scope and content: The collection primarily consists of photographs depicting the Warsaw ghetto, some of which were likely taken by a prisoner known as Edek before he was deported and murdered in 1943, including people involved in food smuggling in the ghetto. Also depicted is Jan Kostański and his mother Wladyslawa Kostański, both of whom were involved with resistance activities, including hiding three members of the Wierzbicki family. Included with the collection is a certificate from the Jewish Historical Institute (Zydowski Instytut Historyczny w Polsce) in Warsaw, Poland attesting to Jan’s deeds.
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-ghettos/1106
is or was included in: us-005578-irn510530
has or had holder: us-005578
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn510530-irn511434/acquisitions/1
has record set type: Item
type: RecordSet
identifier: irn511434
has or had some members with language: pol
record resource extent: folder 1
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
biographical history: Jan Kostanski was the son of Wladislawa Kostanska. He was born June 24, 1925 in Warsaw and had two younger sisters, Jadzia and Danusia. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he was raised by his mother. Until 1940 the family lived in the old city of Warsaw. Due to the destruction caused by German bombing, they were forced to relocate to the commercial district near the Mirowski market. In their new apartment house located at 9 Mirowski Square, they befriended an extended Jewish family by the name of Wierzbicki, some of whom lived across the courtyard in the same apartment bloc. The family consisted of the widower, Ajzyk Wierzbicki, his elderly parents, his son Nathan and daughter Nacha, his brother Berek and Berek's wife and children, Fela and Jakob. The families became so close that Jan considered Ajzyk his stepfather and Ajzyk's parents, his surrogate grandparents. When the Germans built the Warsaw ghetto wall in 1940, the apartment house at 9 Mirowski Square was divided in two, with the Kostanskis on one side and the Wierzbickis on the other. Immediately after the sealing of the ghetto in November of that year, Jan (with the support of his mother) began sneaking into the ghetto in order to help the Wierzbickis. Soon both families became instrumental in a large-scale smuggling operation to bring food into the ghetto. At first smuggling was conducted over the ghetto wall. A few Jews would stand on a ladder and extend a rope with a hook over the wall while Poles would help hoist bundles of supplies over the wall. In this manner 15-20 pounds of goods could be transferred in an hour. Much of this activity took place in the Mirowski marketplace, where the transfer of goods was less noticeable. In addition to his smuggling efforts, Jan made frequent visits to the ghetto in order to maintain social contact with the Wierzbickis. One time he even arranged to take Nacha out of the ghetto to see a movie. Later, when the Germans moved Jews out of the apartments which …
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1937-01-01
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/701
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1960-12-31
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn510530-irn511434/alternateIDs/1