Zvi Zimmerman
Encyclopedia
Zvi Henryk Zimmerman was a Zionist activist, jurist, and Israel
i politician. He is also known for his cooperation with Henryk Sławik to save Jews during the Holocaust
.
in Austria-Hungary
(today in Ukraine
), the son of Benjamin (Alter) Zimmerman and Zlata Pessia (Babe) Bitterman. He attended a secular high school and studied law at the Jagiellonian University
. At the age of thirteen he became a devoted Zionist. He was a member of the Youth Movement of the General Zionists
, Chairman of Kedima (the Zionist Student Union in Kraków) and Deputy Chairman of Kedima's national organization, and Deputy Chairman of the Zionist University Graduates.
He spent most of the war in the Kraków Ghetto
. In the spring of 1943, after the ghetto was liquidated, he was taken to the Plaszow camp. He escaped and made his way to Budapest
in October 1943. There, he met Dr. Henryk Sławik, the leader of the Polish Civic Committee for Relief for Refugees. The Polish government in exile
(based in London
) authorized the cooperation, which was possible thanks to the help of the Hungarian
authorities - including Dr. József Antall Sr. (the father of future prime minister of Hungary József Antall
), the head of Department IX of the Ministry of Interior Affairs (responsible for refugees of all nations), and Countess Szapary. Sławik provided Zimmerman a stamp with which he confirmed documents and forms the refugees had to fill out and then submitted them to Sławik. Along with the official stamp of the Polish Civic Committee, this signature on an official form enabled Polish Jews to obtain "Aryan
" passports. About 14,000 Jews were thus saved.
In 1944 he immigrated
to Palestine. From 1951 to 1959 he was a member of the Haifa
City Council. In 1959, he was elected to the Fourth Knesset
for the General Zionists (which later merged into the Liberal Party
), and was a member of the Internal Affairs and House Committees. He was re-elected to the next three Knessets for Gahal
and served on the Labor-Welfare and Finance Committees. In the Seventh Knesset
he was Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. From 1983 to 1986 he served as Israel's ambassador to New Zealand
. In 1961 he testified as a witness in the trial of Adolf Eichmann
.
After his term in Wellington
ended, he returned to Israel. Following the fall of the Iron curtain
, he decided to visit Poland and Hungary in order to pay back his debt to Sławik and Antall. he found out that Sławik was tortured, and killed by the Nazis. Sławik never told the Germans about his cooperation with Antall, who died in 1974. He published an announcement on the Cracow Przekrój weekly and has thus contacted Sławik's daughter. Thanks to Zimmerman's efforts, Sławik was awarded the Righteous Among the Nations
title by Yad Vashem
in 1992.
Zimmerman died on 10 June 2006.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politician. He is also known for his cooperation with Henryk Sławik to save Jews during the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
.
Biography
Zimmerman was born in 1913 in Skala-PodilskaSkala-Podilska
Skala-Podilska or Skala on the River Zbrucz is a town in Ukraine. It was, at one time, named simply "Skala." To distinguish itself from another town with that same name, the town compounded its name, variously, to "Skala on the River Zbrucz," "Skala Podilska" , and "Skala Podolskaya" .-History: ...
in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(today in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), the son of Benjamin (Alter) Zimmerman and Zlata Pessia (Babe) Bitterman. He attended a secular high school and studied law at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. At the age of thirteen he became a devoted Zionist. He was a member of the Youth Movement of the General Zionists
General Zionists
The General Zionists were centrists within the Zionist movement and a political party in Israel. Their political arm is an ancestor of the modern-day Likud.-History:...
, Chairman of Kedima (the Zionist Student Union in Kraków) and Deputy Chairman of Kedima's national organization, and Deputy Chairman of the Zionist University Graduates.
He spent most of the war in the Kraków Ghetto
Kraków Ghetto
The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major, metropolitan Jewish ghettos created by Nazi Germany in the General Government territory for the purpose of persecution, terror, and exploitation of Polish Jews during the German occupation of Poland in World War II...
. In the spring of 1943, after the ghetto was liquidated, he was taken to the Plaszow camp. He escaped and made his way to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
in October 1943. There, he met Dr. Henryk Sławik, the leader of the Polish Civic Committee for Relief for Refugees. The Polish government in exile
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
(based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) authorized the cooperation, which was possible thanks to the help of the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
authorities - including Dr. József Antall Sr. (the father of future prime minister of Hungary József Antall
József Antall
József Antall was the first democratically-elected Prime Minister of Hungary after the fall of Communism , teacher, librarian, historian and political figure...
), the head of Department IX of the Ministry of Interior Affairs (responsible for refugees of all nations), and Countess Szapary. Sławik provided Zimmerman a stamp with which he confirmed documents and forms the refugees had to fill out and then submitted them to Sławik. Along with the official stamp of the Polish Civic Committee, this signature on an official form enabled Polish Jews to obtain "Aryan
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
" passports. About 14,000 Jews were thus saved.
In 1944 he immigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Palestine. From 1951 to 1959 he was a member of the Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
City Council. In 1959, he was elected to the Fourth Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1959
Elections for the fourth Knesset were held in Israel on 3 November 1959. Voter turnout was 81.5%.-Results:¹ The General Zionists and the Progressive Party merged to form the Liberal Party....
for the General Zionists (which later merged into the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Israel)
The Israeli Liberal Party was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Likud.-History:The Liberal Party was formed on 8 May 1961, towards the end of the fourth Knesset, by a merger of the General Zionists and the Progressive Party, with the new party having 14...
), and was a member of the Internal Affairs and House Committees. He was re-elected to the next three Knessets for Gahal
Gahal
Gahal , lit. Herut-Liberals Bloc) was the major right-wing political faction in Israel led by Menachem Begin from its founding in 1965 until it merged into Likud in 1973.-Background:...
and served on the Labor-Welfare and Finance Committees. In the Seventh Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1969
Elections for the seventh Knesset were held in Israel on 28 October 1969. Voter turnout was 81.7%.-Results:¹ Meir Avizohar defected from the National List to the Alignment² Avner Shaki left the National Religious Party and remained a single MK...
he was Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. From 1983 to 1986 he served as Israel's ambassador to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In 1961 he testified as a witness in the trial of Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
.
After his term in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
ended, he returned to Israel. Following the fall of the Iron curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, he decided to visit Poland and Hungary in order to pay back his debt to Sławik and Antall. he found out that Sławik was tortured, and killed by the Nazis. Sławik never told the Germans about his cooperation with Antall, who died in 1974. He published an announcement on the Cracow Przekrój weekly and has thus contacted Sławik's daughter. Thanks to Zimmerman's efforts, Sławik was awarded the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
title by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
in 1992.
Zimmerman died on 10 June 2006.