Shortly after its establishment in December 1942, the Council for Aid to Jews (known by its code-name “Żegota”) became one of the most active and dedicated organizations operating in the underground in occupied Poland. In spite of the grave dangers which its workers faced daily, and the frequent crises as a result of the discovery of the Council’s clandestine apartments, the arrest of its leaders and workers, and the constant fear of the Gestapo, the Council was able to extend aid to Jewish survivors, and the cooperation between the Polish and Jewish members of the Council was very close. Thousands of Jews were saved from death as a result of the systematic and ramified work carried on by the Council until the liberation, and its cooperation with the Jewish National Committee and the Bund.
The Poles in both camps – those in Poland as well as those in exile – are proud of the achievements of “Żegota”, which constituted part of the underground in Poland, and Polish historiography has greatly overestimated its accomplishments.
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