Jewish friendships and contacts
Twelve hundred of Wadowice’s seven thousand residents were Jewish. Included among those whom Karol knew best were:
- Chaim Balamuth, a crystal and glassware merchant, whose apartment the Wojtylas rented.
- Regina (Ginka) Beer, a classmate and friend, who emigrated to Palestine during the war.
- Jerzy Kluger: "…at least a fourth of the pupils in
my class were Jewish. I should mention my friendship…with
one of them, Jerzy Kluger—a friendship that has lasted from
my school days to the present" (Crossing the Threshold
of Hope, [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994], p. 96. Available
from Pauline Book &
Media Centers or from www.amazon.com.).
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