Szmul (Szmuel) Bresław was born on 20 March 1920 in Moscow
He came from an intelligentsia family who cultivated Zionist traditions
his family moved to Warsaw and Szmuel began his education at the renowned Chinuch gymnasium
he joined Hashomer Hatzair and became deeply involved with the movement
He soon became the leader of the Warsaw unit at 50 Długa street and a member of the editorial staff of the „Młody Czyn” („Youth Action”) periodical
Szmuel intended to study at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Warsaw
following the steps of his brother Fima Bresław
he left Warsaw and reached Vilnius. He took the flag of Hashomer Hatzair with him
recalled his Hashomer Hatzair colleague Hadelsman after the war
from where he wrote a letter to Palestine: I have walked 550 kilometres
the Germans took away everything I had with me
Leaving the peaceful area of the Soviet Union after all of this required of me a lot of moral strength and conscious self-discipline
I am certain that I will make it to Palestine
This faith helps me to maintain balance and not to cry over everything I have lost in Warsaw
he returned to Warsaw with his friend and colleague Józef Kapłan
As the member of the High Command of the organization
he was working on reinforcing the structures of Hashomer Hatzair in Radom (organizing units)
he was writing: I don’t care about difficulties
I was brought up in the spirit of the Hashomer Hatzair movement
which has always been an avant-garde of our HeHalutz youth
I have to be where they need help and advice
he was one of the leaders of Hashomer Hatzair and an editor of periodicals (mostly in Polish) published by the organization (such as the „Neged Hazerem” weekly)
He was also nominated to become a member of the School Organization Committee
belonging to the Jewish Social Care Society
One of his colleagues remembered him: From an early age
he was different from the rest of the boys from our kvutza
A mild look and the right approach to all things
his simplicity and magnanimity gained him respect among all friends
I keep in my memory his engaging stories and Szmuel himself
encouraging them to put their work and effort into the movement
but this didn’t make him any less accessible or any more difficult to understand for other members of his kvutza
Bresław was also an enthusiast and expert on classical music
Grynsztejn wrote: We were surprise that Szmuel never sang together with us
He was trying to encourage an interest in music among us
he was organizing meetings dedicated to music
gave lectures about various composers and their work
illustrating it with records (…) His extraordinary intellect
There was no cultural event he wouldn’t attend
he was thoroughly monitoring international radio stations together with Mordechaj Anielewicz
later to become the leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
They were sharing the information about situation outside Poland (in Western Europe
Cukierman recalled after the war that Mordechaj Anielewicz and Szmuel Bresław were young people whose sharpness of thought and language stood out
Both of them were young thinkers from the Warsaw group
In 1942 Szmuel Bresław and his colleague Józef Kapłan were invited by Emanuel Ringelblum to cooperate with Oneg Shabbat
Bresław contributed a few writings to the Archive
such as an interview with Irena Adamowicz about Polish-Jewish relations
Henryk Gotland’s biography (a sketch about a young man who could adjust to the conditions of the war)
a study – „The housing officer” about the misuse of food stamps distribution and one report
based on an account from a member of such a column
A large collection of bulletins from radio monitoring held by Hashomer Hatzair was preserved in the Archive
26 June was particularly important for Oneg Shabbat – it was the day when the BBC broadcast a programme about the situation of the Polish Jews under German occupation
monitored the programme from London about the martyrdom of the Polish Jews
It was one of the most beautiful days in the history of the station
in mid-July 1942 Szmuel prepared a material – „The history or the radio monitoring station in the ghetto”
dedicated to the organization and functioning of this secret unit
Szmuel Bresław joined the cause of building combat structures in the ghetto
When news about deportations began to arrive from Lublin
he organized a self-defence unit among his colleagues
They were carrying knives and brass knuckles
they were present at the founding assembly of the Jewish Combat Organization on 28 July 1942
when it was apparent that transports were being sent to Treblinka
a HeHalutz meeting was held with Cywia Lubetkin
Resistance was discussed there for the first time (…) Szmuel Breslaw believed that we should attack German guards with knives
having heard about Józef Kapłan being arrested
Bresław took one of the switchblades and together with his colleague went to Gęsia street to find out where his friend was being held
It was a fairly peaceful day in the ghetto
they noticed a car full of Germans in the distance
They tried to run away towards one of the yards
When they found a knife in Szmuel’s pocket
3rd September – they day they murdered Szmuel Bresław and arrested Jozef Kapłan
[10] According to a different version of events
Szmuel wielded a knife against an armed German sat in a car
Bresław’s funeral was held on the next day
wrote that Szmuel was leading the resistance until the last minute of his life
The title: Emanuel Ringelblum about Szmuel Bresław [in:] Archiwum Ringelbluma
Emanuel Ringelblum’s writings from the ghetto
[1] Fima Bresław (1913-2000) was one of the founders of the Amir kibbutz in northern Israel
His children and grandchildren are still living there
His second brother Józef Bresław (1904–1969) settled in Toulouse and built a clothing factory
Sister Dinah (1909–1942) was living in Warsaw with their parents
Together with members of the Ludwinowski and Cetlin families
they were resettled to the ghetto and murdered in Treblinka
Karine Breslaw, Un collaborateur de l’oneg shabbat parmi d’autres: Shmuel Breslaw (1920-1942), 20.04.2013, http://www.crif.org/fr/actualites/un-collaborateur-de-l%E2%80%99oneg-shabbat-parmi-d%E2%80%99autres-shmuel-breslaw-1920-1942/36492
Prasa getta warszawskiego: wiadomości z nasłuchu radiowego