Julian Grobelny

Julian Grobelny (February 16 1893–December 4 1946) was an activist in the Polish Socialist Party (Polish acronym: PPS) beginning in 1915 and the President of Żegota (Council for Aid to Jews) from its inception in 1942.

Born in Brzeziny, Grobelny took part in the Silesian Uprisings and worked as an activist among the workers of Łódź before the Second World War. As soon as the Nazis entered the city however, the Grobelnys found themselves listed as enemies of the Third Reich and went into hiding.The RelatioNet project, International reunion of the younger generation with World War II Survivors, [http://grju93brpo.blogspot.com/2007/10/ycie-juliana-grobelnego.html Życie Juliana Grobelnego,] October 3, 2007 (Polish language).] Despite suffering from tuberculosis, Grobelny—together with his wife Halina (born 1900)—was personally involved in the rescue of a large number of Polish Jews during the German occupation of Poland. The couple was famous for their preoccupation with saving particular Jewish children from the Holocaust by entering the Warsaw Ghetto and walking out with them.Irena 'Jolanta' Sendlerowa, [http://www.forum-znak.org.pl/index.php?t=ludzie&id=29 Julian Grobelny i jego żona Helena,] FKCh "ZNAK" - 1999-2008.] They hid over a dozen Jewish PPS activists in their home and worked in close co-operation with Irena Sendler, head of the children’s section of Zegota. Julian (pseudonym "Trojan") and Halina turned their modest house in Cegłów near Mińsk Mazowiecki into a temporary shelter for Jews until they could be moved into a more permanent place. They offered protection to whomever needed it most, especially those who fled from the Ghetto. The Grobelnys devoted most of their time and energy to rescue work, but also helped Jewish adults by supplying them with “Aryan” papers, money and medicines.

In March 1944, the Gestapo arrested Grobelny without knowing about his clandestine work. He survived, thanks to help from physician friends, Dr. Z. Franio, Dr. M. Ropek, Dr. J. Majkowski and Dr. J. Rutkiewicz who were aiding him in prison. After the war, Grobelny became mayor of Mińsk Mazowiecki and died there of tuberculosis a year later on December 4 1946. He is buried at a cemetery in Mińsk Mazowiecki. The names of Julian and Halina Grobelny figure prominently in books about humanitarian aid to the Jews of Warsaw and elsewhere during the occupation. On March 8 1987, Yad Vashem recognized Halina and Julian Grobelny as Righteous Among the Nations.

References

* Natalia Bagińska, Natalia Dybowska, Sylwia Kesler, Bartek Koc, Warsaw, Poland: [http://grju93brpo.blogspot.com/2007/07/julian-grobelny.html Julian Grobelny, RelatioNet GR JU 93 BR PO]
* Anna Poray, [http://www.savingjews.org/righteous/gv.htm Julian Grobelny, Polish Righteous,] 2004.