{"id":2991,"date":"2021-03-04T08:24:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T07:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/?p=2991"},"modified":"2022-04-28T13:34:23","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T12:34:23","slug":"rescue-initiatives-bricklayers-school-and-poles-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/rescue-initiatives-bricklayers-school-and-poles-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescue Initiatives: Bricklayers\u2019 school and Poles\u2019 school"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; h_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; top_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; bottom_padding=&#8221;2&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; el_class=&#8221;postflow&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;8\/12&#8243;][vc_custom_heading auto_text=&#8221;yes&#8221; text_color=&#8221;color-127588&#8243; heading_semantic=&#8221;h1&#8243; text_size=&#8221;fontsize-978791&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221;]This is a custom heading element.[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;yes&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;200993&#8243;]Under the pretext of training skilled workers for the German war effort, prisoner functionaries around Robert Siewert, a political prisoner and Kapo of the construction detail, launched a rescue initiative for young Polish prisoners in the fall of 1939. They convinced the SS of the idea of an apprentice masonry detail. The bricklayers\u2019 school was intended to protect the minors from the exhausting forced labor in other work details.<\/p>\n<p>In the spring of 1942, other political prisoners who were prisoner functionaries succeeded in setting up the Poles\u2019 School. Under the pretext of having to overcome language difficulties in the labor details, they organized German lessons for the boys. The Poles\u2019 School was also meant to protect them from the exhausting forced labor.<\/p>\n<p>The bricklayers\u2019 and Poles\u2019 schools increased the chances of survival in the camp, especially for Polish, and later also for Jewish, children and teenagers.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; h_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; top_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; bottom_padding=&#8221;2&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; el_class=&#8221;postflow&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][vc_single_image media=&#8221;1096&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; lbox_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_empty_space empty_h=&#8221;2&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;4\/12&#8243;][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_size=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;166550&#8243;]Rescue by the bricklayers\u2019 Detail. Woodcut <i>Durch Arbeit<\/i> from the series &#8220;A Friendship&#8221; by Herbert Sandberg, 1947\/49[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;427922&#8243;]The German graphic artist, cartoonist, and resistance fighter Herbert Sandberg (1908-1991) endured ten years of imprisonment, the last seven in the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. In April 1944, while in Buchenwald, he drew a series of sketches recounting his journey since he was first incarcerated in July 1938. He worked with stove soot and whiting on paper and linen remnants. Sandberg was trained as a bricklayer in a group of Jewish prisoners in 1941 &#8211; this saved him, as a &#8220;useful worker,&#8221; from deportation to Auschwitz. After liberation, he published the drawings he made in Buchenwald in a collection of his works.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;small&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;617018&#8243;](Buchenwald Memorial)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; h_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; top_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; bottom_padding=&#8221;2&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; el_class=&#8221;postflow&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; back_color=&#8221;color-189470&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_column_inner column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;1&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; column_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; shift_x=&#8221;0&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; shift_y_down=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; medium_width=&#8221;0&#8243; mobile_width=&#8221;0&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_empty_space empty_h=&#8221;1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text_color=&#8221;color-127588&#8243; heading_semantic=&#8221;h3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;font-124191&#8243; text_size=&#8221;fontsize-212371&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;314156&#8243; text_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221;]&#8221;The communists in the prisoner self-administration obtained [&#8230;] permission from the SS to set up a bricklayers\u2019<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>school by claiming there was a shortage of skilled workers for camp construction. Officially, the school was intended to train new workers for the construction detail, so it was supervised by that detail and the teacher was the <i>Kapo<\/i> of the <i>Kommando Maurer Truppengarage<\/i> (garage bricklayers) detail, Robert Siewert. [&#8230;] It was in this school that we survived the first Thuringian winter.&#8221;[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_empty_space empty_h=&#8221;1&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;6\/12&#8243;][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_size=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;100357&#8243;]Report by W\u0142adys\u0142aw Ko\u017cdo\u0144, 2006.[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;629389&#8243;]Polish Boy Scout W\u0142adys\u0142aw Ko\u017cdo\u0144 (1922-2017) was sent to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in October 1939, shortly after his 17th birthday, and was sent to the bricklayers\u2019 school.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;small&#8221;](W\u0142adys\u0142aw Ko\u017cdo\u0144, \u201e\u2026ich kann dich nicht vergessen\u201c. Erinnerungen an Buchenwald, G\u00f6ttingen 2007)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; h_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; top_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; bottom_padding=&#8221;2&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; el_class=&#8221;postflow&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][vc_single_image media=&#8221;1097&#8243; media_lightbox=&#8221;yes&#8221; media_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; lbox_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_size=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;999504&#8243;]Robert Siewert (left) in conversation with the &#8220;Buchenwald child&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/stefan-jerzy-zweig\/\">Stefan Jerzy Zweig<\/a> uand Bruno Apitz (right) in Weimar, 9 February 1964.[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;100843&#8243;]Robert Siewert (1887-1973) used his position as Kapo of a construction detail to initiate the bricklaying school. In 1945 he became Minister of Interior Affairs in Saxony-Anhalt, but lost this post in 1950 as part of Stalinist purges within the SED. He later worked in the GDR&#8217;s Ministry of Construction.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;small&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;500708&#8243;](Photo: Friedrich Gahlbeck, Bundesarchiv)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; h_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; top_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; bottom_padding=&#8221;2&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; el_class=&#8221;postflow&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; back_color=&#8221;color-189470&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_column_inner column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;1&#8243; override_padding=&#8221;yes&#8221; column_padding=&#8221;3&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; shift_x=&#8221;0&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; shift_y_down=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; medium_width=&#8221;0&#8243; mobile_width=&#8221;0&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_empty_space empty_h=&#8221;1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text_color=&#8221;color-127588&#8243; heading_semantic=&#8221;h3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;font-124191&#8243; text_size=&#8221;fontsize-212371&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;194758&#8243; text_color_type=&#8221;uncode-palette&#8221;]&#8221;We learned new vocabulary in German and had to repeat it several times. In class we dealt with grammar, spelling and reading. We also wrote dictations. We wrote on slates with styluses, read from the blackboard and from some books. There weren\u2019t many books. We put sentences together, and the advanced students wrote summaries in German in their notebooks.&#8221; [\/vc_custom_heading][vc_empty_space empty_h=&#8221;1&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;6\/12&#8243;][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_size=&#8221;h4&#8243; text_height=&#8221;&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;138208&#8243;]W\u0142odzimierz Kuli\u0144ski&#8217;s recollections of lessons at the Polish School, undated.[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;182279&#8243;]W\u0142odzimierz Kuli\u0144ski was deported from Poland to Buchenwald when he was 15 years old. German lessons were given by two Polish prisoners. On 29 November 1941, the young Polish teacher Henryk Sokolak was appointed head of the Polish School with the support of the camp elder Ernst Busse. Due to the boys\u2019 different levels of education, Sokolak divided them into two groups so that he could teach them better.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=&#8221;small&#8221; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;112356&#8243;](Buchenwald Memorial) [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;5\/12&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][uncode_block id=&#8221;625&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Under the pretext of training skilled workers for the German war effort, prisoner functionaries around Robert Siewert, a political prisoner and <i>Kapo<\/i> of the construction detail<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1095,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jugend-im-kz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}