Simon Gronowski
Simon Gronowski | |
|---|---|
Gronowski at the 8 May 2022 commemoration at Fort Breendonk | |
| Born | October 12, 1931 Brussels, Belgium |
| Alma mater | Free University of Brussels |
| Spouse | Marie-Claire Huybrechs |
| Children | 2 children |
| Parent(s) | Léon Gronowski Chana Gronowski |
| Relatives | Ita Gronowski (sister) |
Simon Gronowski (born October 12, 1931) is a Belgian jazz pianist. He serves as president of the Union of Jewish deportees in Belgium. His escape as a boy from a train bound for Auschwitz inspired an opera.
Life
Gronowski was born in Brussels in 1931. He lived there with his stateless parents and his sister who had Belgian nationality. Two Gestapo men arrived and arrested them. His father was in hospital, but his mother said her husband was dead. He and his mother travelled in the same cattle truck thinking that they were being deported.[1]
He survived the Holocaust by escaping deportation in the attack on the twentieth convoy, on 19 April 1943, which would have taken him to Auschwitz.[2] The train they were on was uniquely stopped by three members of the resistance who had rigged up a red danger light to stop the train. The three were cleared away by gun shots and the train continued on its way. The people in his wagon managed to open the door and as the train slowed again, his mother helped him to jump from the train.[1] He was able to return to Brussels because a Police officer ignored his instructions and he put Simon onto another train. He was reunited with his father and they then lived through the rest of the war in hiding like his father, Léon Gronowski.[1]
Gronowski holds a Doctor of Law degree from the Free University of Brussels.
PUSH opera
In 2014, Gronowski met British composer Howard Moody at a performance of his opera Sinbad at La Monnaie Opera House in Brussels; Gronowski told the composer the story of his escape and life and ended with the phrase "ma vie n'est que miracles" (my life is nothing but miracles). Moody was so moved that he promised to write his next opera about Gronowski that night. His opera PUSH tells the story of Gronowski's escape from the twentieth convoy train on 19 April 1943, and how his mother pushed Gronowski off the train.
The opera was premiered in Bexhill, England, at the De La Warr Pavilion after being commissioned by the Battle Festival. Gronowski attended the premiere. After an invitation from the House of Commons, PUSH was performed on 27 January 2018 to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, where Gronowski was a special guest.[3][4][5][6]
References
- ^ a b c "Escaping the train to Auschwitz". BBC News. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ Leo Cendrowicz (June 13, 2022). "My story is a miracle". The Brussels Times.
- ^ "Chichester and Bexhill singers join online commemoration of Belgian Resistance heroism". www.crawleyobserver.co.uk.
- ^ NWS, VRT (April 20, 2020). "77 jaar nadat Auschwitz-trein in België is gestopt, zingen 150 zangers virtueel samen opera over verzetsdaad". vrtnws.be.
- ^ "150 Performers Join Forces for Message of Hope from Opera 'PUSH'". Opera Wire. April 15, 2020.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: PUSH Opera - Finale with giant choir - Lockdown 2020 🇧🇪 🇬🇧. YouTube.
This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia.
External links
Media related to Simon Gronowski at Wikimedia Commons