Pola Dwurnik
Shmuel Zygielbojm (1895–1943) was a political activist associated with the Bund socialist party; after February 1942, he was a member of the National Council of the Polish Government in Exile in London. He informed the world about the tragic fate of Polish Jews under German occupation. As a sign of protest against the world’s indifference towards the Holocaust of the Jews, he committed suicide on 12 May 1943. In a letter to President Władysław Raczkiewicz and general Władysław Sikorski he wrote:
(…) I can neither be silent nor live when the last remnants of the Jewish people, who I represent, are being killed. My comrades in the Warsaw Ghetto have fallen with guns in their hands, in their last heroic struggle. I wasn't given the chance to die like them, together with them. (…) Through my death, I wish to express my deepest protest against inaction with which the world is watching and permitting destruction of the Jewish people.
The portrayed person is situated on the border between life and death. The dark background is in sharp contrast with the man’s pale face. He is simultaneously powerless against the extent of suffering that he witnesses, as well as ready for the highest sacrifice. Behind Shmuel Zygielbojm’s back a red glow is visible, coming from the burning Warsaw Ghetto. The man’s features express helplessness, but also anger. This is a manifestation of his discord for helplessness, as well as a warning for contemporaries. The problem of indifference to the fate of those who are persecuted remains valid today.
Shmuel Zygielbojm’s portrait was painted for the exhibition Shmuel Zygielbojm. I can neither be silent nor live that is displayed in the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw from May 11 to July 22, 2018.
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