Gronowski-Kaplan family. Collection

Simon Gronowski, born on 12 December 1931 in Uccle, Belgium, is a Holocaust survivor. His parents were Léon (or Lajb, or Leib) Gronowski and Chana Kaplan. Léon Gronowski was born on 19 April 1898 in Rodziejów, Poland. He was a leather merchant. Chana Kaplan was born on 10 December 1902 in Jurbarkas, Lithuania. Before Simon, the couple had a daughter named Ita who was born on 24 September 1924 in Liège, Belgium. The family lived at Chaussée de Wavre, 639, in Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium. Remacle and Madeleine Rouffart were neighbours of the Gronowski family. The two families developed close relations. Madeleine Rouffart was also the manager of Mr. Gronowski’s leather enterprise. Her son, Raymond, was a close friend of Simon. Her daughter, Marguerite or Maggy, was a schoolmate and friend of Ita Gronowski. With the onset of the deportations of the Jews to death camps in summer 1942, Madeleine found a hiding place for the four Gronowskis with the family of an acquaintance, Mrs. Poilvache, in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Belgium. They stayed here from 1 September 1942 to March 1943. On 17 March 1943, caused by a denunciation, Simon, his sister Ita and their mother Chana, were arrested by the Gestapo. Léon Gronowski was not at home. He was at the hospital because of depression. Simon, Ita and Chana were interned in the Dossin barracks for one month. On that same day, Remacle Rouffart and José Delsart, went to the hospital where he was being treated and whisked him out to prevent his arrest. They brought him to the house of José’s parents, Julia and Charles Delsart, where he found safe shelter until the end of the war. During the Gronowskis’ incarceration in the Dossin barracks, Madeleine Rouffart visited them, provided them with food parcels, transmitted their letters and tried desperately to free them, but without success. On 19 April 1943, Simon and his mother were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Transport XX as numbers 1233 and 1234. Ita was sixteen years old and could opt for Belgian nationality. At this time, Belgian Jews were not deported, thus, Ita stated in the Dossin barracks. Transport XX was attacked by three members of the resistance near Borgloon, Belgium. Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau managed to bring the transport to a halt and to open one cattle car’s doors. Seventeen people were able to jump from the train. In total, 236 Jews got out of this train, escaping from other wagons. Some of them had planned their breakout while at Dossin, assisted by Jewish employees at the camp. 26 of them were killed or mortally wounded in the attempt. Ninety were recaptured and re-deported. Simon Gronowski managed to jump from the train. His mother took him to the step and made him jump at the right moment. Simon was helped by people to go to Brussels and find his father at Rouffart’s. Madeleine Rouffart immediately took Simon to his father’s hideout at the Delsarts’ where he stayed from June 1943 until January 1944. Then he was moved to Henri Pieri and his wife Joséphine Calvaer, who sheltered him for eight months until the Liberation. Simon’s mother did not succeed in escaping and was murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau. On 20 September 1943, his sister Ita, was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau with transport XXIIB as number 274. The letter “B” in Transport XXIIB means “Belgisch” (Belgian) because this transport brought together Jews of Belgian nationality for the first time. Ita was gassed on her arrival. Simon and his father survived the war. They returned to live in Etterbeek, Belgium. Léon Gronowski, stricken with sorrow and illness, died in 1945. At fourteen years old, Simon remained alone. He managed to finance his studies and became a lawyer and a doctor of law. He did not talk about his life during the war until the 1990s. In 2002, Simon wrote and published his story entitled “Eindelijk bevrijd” or “L’enfant du 20e convoi” in French (The child of Transport XX). In 2005, Simon’s account was adapted for children and a book entitled “Simon, het jongetje dat wist te ontsnappen” or “Simon, le petit évadé” in French (“Simon, the little escapee”) was published. On 27 January 2005, Yad Vashem recognised Madeleine Rouffart, Julia and Charles Delsart and Henri and Joséphine Pieri as Righteous Among the Nations.

On 30 August 1995, Mr. Simon Gronowski kindly permitted the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance, predecessor of Kazerne Dossin, to digitise two letters and three photos in this collection. On 21 May 1996, Mr. Simon Gronowski permitted to digitise five other letters, one diary and two postcards. In 2019, he permitted to digitise 128 other photos.

Simon Gronowski