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  3. Nieśwież
  4. The Nieśwież Ghetto and the Jewish Uprising
  5. Haim Eliyahu Polaczek

Haim Eliyahu Polaczek

Haim Eliyahu Polaczek, born in Nieśwież, was one of the leaders of the resistance in the Nieśwież ghetto.  He finished high school only a few years before the German occupation.  In the Nieśwież ghetto, Polaczek was one of the teachers at the underground school for children set up by Shalom Cholavski. The school operated in private houses, and the teachers taught reading, writing, mathematics, geography and history.  Polaczek taught chemistry, his field of expertise.

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Haim Eliyahu Polaczek

Haim Eliyahu Polaczek

In December 1941, two resistance organizations were established in the Nieśwież ghetto.  Polaczek was a member of a resistance cell together with Dov-Berl Alperowitz and Mosze Dameszek, and this organization later merged with the resistance cell headed by Shalom Cholavski.

The resistance movement in the Nieśwież ghetto readied itself in preparation for the impending Aktion of 21 July 1942, declaring: "30 October [1941] will not happen a second time" – the date of the Aktion in which most of the city's Jews were murdered.  In light of his chemistry background, Polaczek was in charge of preparing acids and explosives, also consulting with other chemists living in the ghetto.  On the night between 20 and 21 July 1942, Polaczek was one of those manning the firing position in the synagogue opposite the ghetto gate. 

Haim Eliyahu Polaczek was killed on 21 July 1942, during the uprising in the Nieśwież ghetto.