Marian Seidner was born in 1937 or in 1938 in Cracow, as Józef Seidner.

„Fuzzy, I remember the house on the Czerwony Prądnik street in Cracow, in which I was born. A particularly large garden, where I plucked off the fruit and the bridge on the nearby river, under which we hid during the bombing” – those were the only memories that Marian had connected with his first home

Little Marian was caught with her mother during a raid. They were taken to prison on Montelupich street, and then placed in a ghetto, from where later they were sent to camp in Płaszów. Marian’s mother was afraid of deportation to the Auschwitz. She asked Maria Nawrocka and a priest to help in freeing her son.1 From a moving train she threw the wicker basket in which was a child. Fortunately, nothing happened to the boy.

Maria fell in love with the kid. All of her children, and she had the three of them, were killed during the war. She named the boy Marian, after her son.

After the war, in 1946, the Jewish community found the boy and together with other Jewish orphans sent him to the children’s Home in Zabrze. After two years, all the children received a visa to Israel. Marian, scared, fled to Cracow, to Maria. He didn’t move to Izrael, he stayed in Poland. He was found again and sent to an orphanage in Bielsko-Biała, where he remained until 1949, that is to the time when institution was closed. Then he went to Cracow to Augustyńska street.

At the age of 18 he moved out to Israel. There he founded a family. Together with his wife raised two daughters and a son. When the children grew up, they encouraged him to search for his roots. He decided to return to Poland. After about 50 years, he managed to find the mother, which – as expected – died in Auschwitz. In reality she emigrated to Holland. There he met also his sister and brother.

Unfortunately when he searched for his dear Maria Nawrocka it turned out that she was already dead. He get after her only one photo with the caption: “Dear son, I give You my photo for a forever memory. Your loving You always, the same Mom”.

Bibliography:

  1. FLV, List od Ryszarda Babrzyńskiego z 25.01.2014 r., Kraków.
  2. M. Ziemianin., Historia współczesnego Mojżesza, „Gazeta Krakowska” z 06.06.1995 r.