Zygmunt Rolat was born in 1930 in Częstochowa into a wealthy Jewish family. He was raised with a deep sense of patriotism towards Poland, the figure of Marshal Józef Piłsudski was surrounded by a cult in his home. He was raised by a Polish nanny Elka, who, in solidarity with her beloved charge, went with the Rolat family to the ghetto and then died in the death camp in Treblinka. Zygmunt Rolat's father died during the rebellion in Treblinka in August 1943, his mother did not survive the selection in the ghetto, she died in Treblinka. Zygmunt Rolat's brother died taking part in the Jewish uprising against the Germans in the ghetto in Częstochowa. Zygmunt Rolat survived the war thanks to the intercession of the German director of the ammunition factory (Hasag), who asked for the survival of a dozen or so Jewish children. These children worked on ammunition repairs because they had small fingers and could repair hard-to-reach cartridge parts. Zygmunt Rolat also worked as a shepherd on a farm adjacent to HASAG. After the war, his family home was taken over by unknown Polish families, he managed to find an aunt from his mother's side of the family. He settled in Katowice. In 1946 he left Poland, in 1947 he passed his secondary school leaving exams in Munich, then studied law in the USA and founded a company specializing in transport and then forwarding. He was married twice. He has one son and two daughters. For years he has been developing philanthropic activities. A distinguished donor of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, he supports many cultural initiatives in Poland and his hometown of Częstochowa. He was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Initiator of the construction of the "Survivors - Rescued" monument dedicated to Poles who helped Jews during the Holocaust in occupied Poland. INTERVIEWER’S NAME: Zygmunt Rolat INTERVIEW BY: Joanna Król-Komła RECORDING: Przemysław Jaczewski DATE OF RECORDING: April 23, 2013 COPYRIGHT TO THE RECORDING: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews DETAILED CONVERSATION TOPICS: 00:01:06 - Description of the initiative to build a monument commemorating Poles who saved Jews during the Holocaust “To the Rescuers – Survivors”. 00:14:00 - Commentary on Polish blackmailing and the situation of Jews in occupied Poland based on his own example (imprisonment in a munitions factory in Hasag), 00:18:09 - The story of the takeover of post-Jewish houses by Poles in the interlocutor’s hometown of Częstochowa. English: 00:19:10 - Recollection of the reaction of the inhabitants of Częstochowa to the pogrom in Kielce in 1946; quoting the reaction of Cardinal August Hlond; recollection of pre-war anti-Semitism in Częstochowa. 00:22:00 - Recollection of the death of Marshal Józef Piłsudski, reflection on Częstochowa as a family home. 00:24:00 - Recollection of Elka, Zygmunt Rolat’s beloved nanny, who, in solidarity with the interlocutor’s family, moved to the ghetto and was later murdered in the Treblinka death camp. 00:26:54 - The interlocutor’s motivations for leaving Poland; recollection of the train action (attacking Jews on trains); departure with the Agudat Israel group to France through Germany. 00:28:50 - Preparation for the high school final exams in 1947; recollection of the interlocutor’s German teacher, a retired teacher from Munich, Prof. Eugentzip. 00:30:00 - Recollection of being saved in Hasag in Częstochowa by a German, the director of Hasag; forced labour in Hasag - description. 00:44:26 - Liberation of Częstochowa. 00:50:00 - Recollection of studying in Germany and then leaving for the USA. 00:52:27 - Returning to Poland with his son in the 1960s; description of a trip to Auschwitz and a conversation with a guide; attitude of Poles towards Jews in 1967, after the Six-Day War; description of the journey from Poland to Israel immediately after the Six-Day War. 01:06:00 - The interlocutor’s reflection on the events of March ’68. 01:18:00 - Description of business and social contacts and help for members of “Solidarity”; description of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening of the first businesses with Poland in the early 1990s. 01:48:50 - Reflection on the most important issues in human life. 01:52:40 - Description of the interlocutor's activities at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and for the city of Częstochowa. 01:59:00 - The interlocutor's attitude towards Poland; the three souls of Zygmunt Rolat: Israeli, Polish, American. Discover the POLIN Museum's oral history collection: https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/historia-mow... Subscribe to our channel: / @historiamowionapolin Watch the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews channels: POLIN (announcements and reports from events at the Museum): / mhzp2013 Virtual Shtetl (history and culture of Polish Jews): / wirtualneshtetl Polish Righteous (stories of help provided to Jews during the Holocaust): / polscysprawiedliwi Contac