Emmanuel Ringelblum
Emmanuel Ringelblum was a Polish-Jewish historian, politician, and social worker known for founding the secret Oyneg Shabes organization in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Born on November 21, 1900, in Buczacz, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ringelblum was deeply involved in Jewish education and the Zionist movement from an early age. He earned a doctorate in history from the University of Warsaw, focusing on the history of Polish Jews.
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Ringelblum established the Oyneg Shabes archive, a comprehensive collection of documents, testimonies, and artifacts from the Warsaw Ghetto. This archive was intended to preserve the memory and experiences of the Jewish community under Nazi oppression. Despite the extreme risks, Ringelblum and his colleagues managed to compile vast amounts of material, which they hid in milk cans and metal boxes buried beneath the ghetto.
Ringelblum and his family were captured by the Nazis in March 1944, and he was executed on March 7, 1944. His legacy, however, survives through the Oyneg Shabes archive, which was partially recovered after the war and serves as a vital resource for historians studying the Holocaust. Ringelblum's work has been recognized posthumously with numerous honors, and he is remembered as a hero for his dedication to documenting the truth and preserving the dignity of his community.