The Zabinski Family
Antonina Żabińska née Erdman Wife
born 1908 – died 1971
Jan Żabiński Husband
born 1897 – died 1977
Recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations:
7 September 1965
- Antonina Żabińska née Erdman
- Jan Żabiński
Help Was Extended to:
Magdalena Gross
born 1891 in Warszawa (mazowieckie) – died 1948 in Warszawa (mazowieckie)
Maurycy Paweł Fraenkel
Rachela Auerbach
born 1901 – died 1976
Regina Kenigswein née Sobol
Samuel Kenigswein
Eugenia Sylkes
Marceli Lewi- Łebkowski
died 1944
Maria Ascher (Aszer) née Kramsztyk
born 31 August 1892 in Warszawa (mazowieckie) – died 7 June 1981 in Warszawa (mazowieckie)
Joanna Prochaska née Kramsztyk
born 22 September 1926 in Warszawa (mazowieckie) – died 29 August 2011
Kellerowie
Leonia Tenenbaum
Irena Tenenbaum
Story of Rescue
November 2008, Jakub Beczek
“I am a democratic Pole. My actions were and are the result of a particular psychological attitude which resulted from a progressively humanistic upbringing.” It is in this way that Doctor Jan Żabiński described himself after the war. A distinguished zoologist, an advocate of knowledge about nature and biology, author of books on the life of animals and the protection of the environment, who for many years held the position of director at the zoological gardens in Warsaw. During the II World War, along with his wife Antonia, Żabiński hid Jews – in rooms throughout the zoological garden, as well as at friends’ homes – from the Warsaw ghetto. Before the war he counted many friends among them. The Żabińskis were friends with, among others, Szymon Tenenbaum, as well as the famous Warsaw Kramsztyk family. The doctor decided to move them outside the walls and to take care of them on the “Aryan side.” He got a pass to enter the ghetto in order to be able to bring food for his friends. He was able to get the wife and daughter of Professor Tenenbaum out of the ghetto, as well as the sister of Kazimierz Kramsztyk. Later on, other people who had made it across the walls began coming to the Żabińskis, or those who were already on the “Aryan side” but who had to change their hideouts. ‘Żegota’, the organization which was dedicated to helping Jews, also sent people to the Żabińskis. Among them were: the prewar journalist Rachela Auerbach and the famous sculptor Magdalena Gross.
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