Anti-Fascist Bloc
Encyclopedia
The Anti-Fascist Bloc was an organization of Polish Jews formed in the March of 1942 in the Warsaw Ghetto
. It was created after an alliance between leftist-Zionist, communist and socialist Jewish parties was agreed upon. The initiators of the block were Mordechai Anielewicz, Józef Lewartowski (Aron Finkelstein) from the Polish Workers' Party
, Josef Kaplan from Hashomer Hatzair
, Szachno Sagan from Poale Zion
-Left, Jozef Sak as a representative of socialist-zionists and Izaak Cukierman with his wife Cywia Lubetkin from Dror. The Jewish Bund
did not join the bloc though they were represented at its first conference by Abraham Blum
and Maurycy Orzech
. According to Hersz Berlinski and Izaak Cukierman, the Bund did not join because they were waiting for a general socialist organization to be formed which would encompass non-Jewish Poles.
The organization was active in the ghettos of occupied Poland, in the General Government
, and in Silesia
. It served as a basis for organized resistance against the Germans. It also published underground newspapers.
Members of the organization took part in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
and the Białystok Ghetto Uprising, after being incorporated into the structures of the Jewish Fighting Organization. In Białystok the bloc function under the name "Anti-Fascist Combat Blo". Before the uprisings, the Bloc organized escapes from the ghettos and accumulated arms.
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
. It was created after an alliance between leftist-Zionist, communist and socialist Jewish parties was agreed upon. The initiators of the block were Mordechai Anielewicz, Józef Lewartowski (Aron Finkelstein) from the Polish Workers' Party
Polish Workers' Party
The Polish Workers' Party was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland, and merged with the Polish Socialist Party in 1948 to form the Polish United Workers' Party.-History:...
, Josef Kaplan from Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
, Szachno Sagan from Poale Zion
Poale Zion
Poale Zion was a Movement of Marxist Zionist Jewish workers circles founded in various cities of the Russian Empire about the turn of the century after the Bund rejected Zionism in 1901.-Formation and early years:Poale Zion parties and organisations were started across the Jewish diaspora in the...
-Left, Jozef Sak as a representative of socialist-zionists and Izaak Cukierman with his wife Cywia Lubetkin from Dror. The Jewish Bund
General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland
The General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland was a Jewish socialist party in Poland which promoted the political, cultural and social autonomy of Jewish workers, sought to combat antisemitism and was generally opposed to Zionism.-Creation of the Polish Bund:...
did not join the bloc though they were represented at its first conference by Abraham Blum
Abraham Blum
Abraham Blum was Polish-Jewish socialist activist, one of the leaders of the Bund in the Warsaw Ghetto and a participant in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.-Early life and activism:...
and Maurycy Orzech
Maurycy Orzech
Maurycy Orzech was a Polish-Jewish economist, journalist, politician and a leader of the Jewish Bund in interwar Poland. He was one of the commanders of the Bund during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.-Interwar Poland:...
. According to Hersz Berlinski and Izaak Cukierman, the Bund did not join because they were waiting for a general socialist organization to be formed which would encompass non-Jewish Poles.
The organization was active in the ghettos of occupied Poland, in the General Government
General Government
The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...
, and in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. It served as a basis for organized resistance against the Germans. It also published underground newspapers.
Members of the organization took part in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
and the Białystok Ghetto Uprising, after being incorporated into the structures of the Jewish Fighting Organization. In Białystok the bloc function under the name "Anti-Fascist Combat Blo". Before the uprisings, the Bloc organized escapes from the ghettos and accumulated arms.