Holocaust rebel shares his story

Many book clubs hold discussions on what they read. One local group was lucky enough to talk with someone that lived through their book’s topic: World War II Poland.

Anthony Kruszewski was part of of the Polish Underground when he was a teenager. Saturday he led a discussion on a book at the El Paso Holocaust Museum. The book by Jan Karski details his activities during the occupation of Poland.

“[Karski] was sent from Nazi-occupied Poland through Germany, France, Spain, to England as a communicator, carrying messages,” said Kruszewski.

The book and talk were not mere coincidence. The Holocaust Museum has a traveling exhibit detailing the activities of the Polish Underground, which was active from 1939-1945.

Kruszewski told his own story during the book club meeting, giving personal context for readers to understand what life was like for a Polish rebel.

“I participated as a young man of 16, and I was trained in commanding 100 boys for communication,” he said.

Kruszewski was later captured by Nazis but escaped with the help of a German man.

The exhibit on the Polish resistance, which is based on more than 400 interviews of Poles who helped Jews, will run until November first.