Objects

Belerski, Tadeusz

Tadeusz Belerski was born in 1947 in Bydgoszcz, where his father, Marian Belerski, served as Director General of Northern Poland Breweries.

During World War II, both of Tadeusz's parents were active in the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), serving in the "Ewa" airborne unit, under the command of Major Ignacy Lubczyński (who later received the title of “Righteous Among the Nations” for his assistance to Jews during the war). They hid under false identities with their daughter Ludwika (Tadeusz's older sister), in Otwock, among other places. Both parents were involved in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 - his mother, Matylda, worked as a liaison messenger, particularly in the Old Town, and his father was a deputy commander of air drops.

A few months after Tadeusz's birth, his father was arrested by the Security Office (Urząd Bezpieczeństwa) and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial was economically motivated but, based on documents received from the Institute of National Remembrance, Tadeusz Belerski believes that his father’s imprisonment was politically motivated. Marian Belerski was a former Home Army officer, an active member of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) and opposed its merger with the Polish Workers' Party (PPR). His mother, thinking that her husband had been murdered in prison, committed suicide.

Tadeusz spent his early years growing up in the home of his aunt and uncle in Gliwice. Following his father’s release from prison in 1954, he was brought to Warsaw, as his father had remarried and had settled there. Tadeusz was raised in the Christian tradition and believed that his mother was his father’s second wife, Halina Belerska. It was only later that he discovered the true fate of his mother and the Jewish origins of his parents.

In 1967, Tadeusz Belerski began studying in the History Faculty of the University of Warsaw. He became involved in the events of March 1968, participating in student rallies and demonstrations though, due to his lack of contact with the Jewish community, he was unaware of the impact these events had on Polish Jews.

Years later, Tadeusz Belerski uncovered his Jewish roots and began to rebuild his identity - he conducts historical research, archival searches, reconnects with relatives, visits Israel and learns Hebrew. He spent his professional life working as a journalist, including for the Polish Press Agency (PAP) and Rzeczpospolita. He was also a correspondent for PAP in Budapest.

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ID number
MPOLIN-HM303