Salomea Broniatowska

Salomea Broniatowska was the headmistress of a pre-war boarding house for girls belonging to the Centos (the Central Organization for Orphan Care), at Sliska Street No. 28 . In this boarding house in the ghetto there were many more children. She worked with Janusz Korczak and was one of the four nurses forced to lead a column of children out of the Warsaw Ghetto to the train to Treblinka.

On Thursday 6 August 1942 the Germans deported Korczak, his assistants and the two hundred children, from the orphanage at 16 Sienna Street, the orphanage having been relocated from Krochmalna. A witness to the orphans three mile march to the deportation train described the scene to the Jewish historian Emanuel Ringelblum as follows:

“This was not a march to the railway cars - this was an organised, wordless protest against the murder.”

The last route of Korczak and the children is recalled by Nechum Remba:

'“The children were lined up in fours, led by Korczak gazing upwards, leading two little children by the hand. The second party was led by Stefania Wilczynska, the third – by Ms. Broniatowska (her children were carrying blue backpacks), the fourth – by Mr Szternfeld of the boarding house in Twarda street.
Those were the first Jewish ranks walking to face death with dignity (…). Even the security personnel stood at attention and saluted them. As the Germans spotted Korczak, they asked each other: “Who is this man?” They were all deported in crowded cattle cars, windows covered with barbed wire, to the death camp in Treblinka."

Nothing is known of their last journey to Treblinka, where they were all murdered by the Nazis. Source: http://warszawa.getto.pl/index.php?mod=view_record&rid=070719982238...