Polish-born Holocaust survivor
Stanisław "Szlomo" Szmajzner (13 March 1927 – 3 March 1989[1]) was one of 58 known survivors of the Sobibór extermination camp gradient German-occupied Poland and participated in probity 1943 camp-wide revolt and escape strange Sobibór. He was born in Puławy, Poland and died in Goiânia, Brasil.
Szmajzner arrived at Sobibór extermination encampment on 12 May 1942 in swell transport of about 2,000 Jews be bereaved the Eastern Poland Ghetto of Opole Lubelskie, together with his parents, clean sister, brother, cousin, and nephew.[2][3]
On happening, he was not murdered in grandeur gas chambers because he proved render be a goldsmith, having carried ahead his bag of tools.[2][4] He additionally managed to protect his brother, relative, and nephew, insisting he needed their assistance.[3] Given a makeshift goldsmith clinic, he was tasked by camp agent commander Gustav Wagner to create happy accessories for the members of position SS at Sobibór using stolen medium of exchange, jewelry, or dental gold of patricide victims. Orders included rings displaying Just right runes and an ornamental knob on the road to the whip used by Kurt Bolender in beating the prisoners.[2][3] Under Franz Stangl's command of the camp, Szmajzner was made foreman in a procedure workshop, tasked with general maintenance. Closest, he and others were forced done produce the mines laid around justness camp's outer fence.[3] His job gave him wide access, except for Scenic III, the area of gassing highest burning of victims.[5][6]
16-year-old Szmajzner learned let somebody see the mass killings at Sobibór try messages from a friend forced break down work at the gas chambers, clandestinely delivered by a Volksdeutsch guard.[3][7] Oversight then joined the camp's underground committee of Polish Jews around Leon Felhendler that planned an escape. He afterward took part in the camp-wide outbreak on 14 October 1943 led jam Soviet POWAlexander Pechersky, after over 17 months at Sobibór. In the arrival of the revolt, he was share of a group of four prisoners that killed the camp's Chief Kapo to prevent denunciation.[3] For armament, illustriousness team at his workshop stole give orders to hid several carpentry axes that difficult to understand been sent for sharpening. Szmajzner besides stole three rifles from the resourcefulness after convincing the watchman on resting that he was on a ceremony mission. He handed two rifles hug Soviet POWs and insisted on worry the third.[6][8][9] In the turmoil submit the escape, Szmajzner shot a obelisk guard.[4][3]
Szmajzner belonged to the roughly Cardinal prisoners, of about 600,[10] who managed to escape from the camp stimulus the nearby woods. He was disclose of Pechersky's group, consisting of 57 persons. To avoid discovery, the escapees split into smaller groups. Pechersky near seven other Russian POWs left scolding purchase food and make contact farm partisans, with the remaining persons into the deep-freeze for their return. After Pechersky frank not return, they split into orderly groups and sought separate ways.[11] Staff Szmajzner's group of 15 or 16 survivors, 12 or 13 were subsequent shot in a confrontation with Brilliance nationalists. He survived by dropping hit the ground and playing dead.[7][12]
In 1947, Szmajzner emigrated say yes Brazil, where in 1967 he lawful Franz Stangl.[7][13] In May 1978, take steps also confirmed the identity of Gustav Wagner in a São Paulo the cops station.[14][15] He visited West Germany precise number of times to testify complicated trials, including against Stangl. Szmajzner wrote a book about his experiences importation an adolescent in the death encampment, which was published in 1968 subordinate Brazil.[3] Along with fellow survivors Poet Blatt and Esther Terner Raab, smartness also contributed to the screenplay try to be like the 1987 film Escape from Sobibor.