I am the great-grandson of Włodzimierz and Apolonia Traegers. I will take us back to the pre-war times when my ancestors lived in the village of Deraźne in Volhynia. I will also briefly talk about what happened to those who survived World War II. Deraźne, vibrant in the pre-war years, was the center of family life for the Traegers. Their peaceful life changed dramatically with the onset of the war.
The fate of the Traeger family during the war
Włodzimierz and his wife, along with their four children, lived on 3 Maja Street. They were brutally torn from their family home by the invading Russians. Abducted and transported in cattle wagons deep into the USSR, most of them did not survive the hardships of life in Siberia. Stories of their lives are full of suffering and heroism, which have survived in the memory of their descendants.
Mojsze Traeger – a story of family bonds
My grandparents and I are related to Mojsze Traeger, one of the most influential residents of Deraźne. Mojsze played a significant role in the life of the Traeger family. His home became a refuge for many refugees, including Eleonora Dullin and her daughter Sylvia, who found shelter there during the war turmoil.
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Mojsze Traeger, as one of the few Jews in Deraźne, had good relations with the local parish priest, Father Michał Dąbrowski. It was at Traeger’s home that the Pomorzanek family found refuge when the Łuck Curia evacuated to the town. Eleonora Dullin, who contracted dysentery, was visited daily by Father Dąbrowski, who brought her Holy Communion.
Deraźne during and after the war
During the war, Deraźne was a place of dramatic events. On September 17, 1939, Soviet troops entered the town, marking the end of peaceful life for its inhabitants. Schools were closed, and the Potocki family’s property was confiscated. Despite the harsh conditions, the Traegers continued to help those in need, even hiding aristocrats fleeing from the occupiers.
After the war, Deraźne, which had previously been part of Poland, became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and, after the collapse of the USSR, became part of Ukraine. The translation of the town’s name as Derażne comes from this period.
The Traeger family after the war
After the war, those who survived quickly married someone with a Polish surname and behaved as if they were Catholics. The war destroyed many archives, making it easy for a „new start.” After the war, some Poles continued to blame Jews for what happened to their country during the war years. Even some of my family members gave different birth dates in offices to avoid being found and identified as Jews. I remember how in my family home, the term „żydzenie” (being stingy) was used. This term, although it might seem innocent and colloquial, is actually a manifestation of anti-Semitism. Stereotypes about Jews that attribute characteristics such as stinginess to them have a long and painful history. Perpetuating such negative generalizations reinforces prejudices and sustains harmful perceptions of Jews.
Why did my family behave this way?
Returning Jews from concentration camps and exile often faced hostility and brutality. The most famous incident was the Kielce pogrom in 1946, in which 42 Jews were killed, and many others were injured. This pogrom shocked public opinion in the Third Republic of Poland and drew attention to the problem of anti-Semitism in post-war Poland.
The largest wave of anti-Semitism in People’s Poland occurred in 1968, in the context of the events of March 1968. After student protests against the government, the PRL authorities, led by Władysław Gomułka, launched an anti-Semitic campaign to divert attention from the political and economic problems of the PRL. In this campaign, Jews were accused of disloyalty and portrayed as „Zionists” collaborating with the West against Poland. As a result of this campaign, thousands of Jews were forced to leave the country.
It was therefore a successful attempt by my ancestors to adapt to socialist Poland after the war. It is hard for me to judge and write something personal about this topic even after so many years of being aware of my family’s past and origin. Especially in the face of events and genocide in the Gaza Strip and the growing, largest anti-Semitism in „Western civilization” since World War II. The use of collective responsibility and equating Jews with the state of Israel seems to be a major simplification, with which those Jews who call the events in Gaza outright genocide do not agree.
