Marek Edelman was born in 1919 in Homel (today’s Belarus). He grew up in Warsaw, and from early on, he was active in the circles of the Jewish socialist organisation Bund. During World War II, he was sent, along with other Jews, to the Warsaw Ghetto. In April 1943, he was among the few who started the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and, following the death of Mordekhai Anielewicz, served as its last commander.
In 1945, Edelman wrote a report from the uprising – and then fell silent. For the next 30 years, he would not speak publicly about his wartime experiences. (He would later say that he felt that that story was over, but what had happened would be an unforgettable lesson for humanity.) He pursued a career as a cardiologist in Łódź, becoming a pioneering heart surgeon.
Edelman adamantly defended his decision to not leave Poland, even as most of his friends and family left the country. He would later say: ‘After all, somebody had to stay here with all those who had perished here’.
In 1975, he gave an interview with the reporter Hanna Krall, which was then published as a book entitled Shielding the Flame (originally: Zdążyć Przed Panem Bogiem). At around the same time, Edelman became active in the Polish pro-democratic, anti-communist movement; a member of Solidarity, he was interned by the Communist government during the Martial Law.
Throughout this time and until his death in October 2009, Marek Edelman spoke on many different occasions – always speaking on behalf of weaker and excluded. He addressed important issues of contemporary world, denouncing war atrocities and urging relief efforts from the international community (in Saraievo and Kosovo, Rwanda and Zaire, the Republic of South Africa and Israel).
Edelman became a voice of conscience and an authority for many in Poland and around the world. In his speeches and talks, he repeatedly returned to his experiences in the Warsaw Ghetto. Below are some of the most memorable and important lessons gleaned from his speeches and interviews.