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מרדכי טננבאום

Mordechai Tanenbaum

"Tamroff" or Tanenbaum ,(1916 – August 1943) was one of the founders of the Fighting Jewish Organization. Commanded the organization in Bialystok ghetto. In August 16 1943 commanded the uprising in the ghetto against the Germans. After the suppression of the rebellion committed suicide, in order not to fall alive into the hands of the Nazis. Was linguist  in his training.

His life story

Tenenbaum was born in 1916 in Warsaw as one of the seven children of David Tenenbaum and Hania Sarah née Goldman a very religious family. Together with one of his brothers, Mordechai they abandoned the religious lifestyle and became interested in secular culture from a young age. After graduating from the "Tarbut" Hebrew High School in Warsaw, he studied Semitic languages and Turkish at the Institute for Orientalism of University of Warsaw.

He was active in Zionist youth circles from his childhood, and in the year, 1935 joined the youth movement of Zion workers in Poland, which included the "Freiheit" movement and “Dror” movement. On behalf of the youth movement, he was sent for training in the kibbutz in Baranowice where he attended a course for Hebrew teachers and then in Vilnius underwent pre-military training in 1938 The Freiheit and Dror movements united with the "Halutz Ha'Tsa'ir" movement under the name "Halutz Ha'Tsa'ir-Freiheit-Dror Movement". At that time, Tenenbaum was asked to work at the movement's headquarters in Warsaw and was elected as a member of the central committee of the movement's branch in Warsaw. He was involved in the editing of the pioneer movement's bulletin. After breaking out World War II, with the German invasion of Poland, Tenenbaum left Warsaw together with his girlfriend Tama (Tamara) Schneiderman (1917-1943) and moved to Vilnius. Their plans to immigrate to Palestine were delayed because of the lack of certificates. Finally, he obtained for his friends forged documents that helped them to immigrate, while he himself remained in Vilnius to engage in activities among the Jewish youth.

In Vilnius under the Soviet occupation (1940-1941), Tenenbaum continued to work to save young Jews by providing them forged certificates. As someone with knowledge of Turkish languages, Tenenbaum made a fake certificate for himself in the name "Yosef Tamarov" (in German spelling - Tamaroff, a surname that also was similar to the name of his girlfriend, Tamara Tema Schneiderman). This borrowed identity allowed him to move more freely, including crossing territories under German control. Even after the Nazi invasion of Soviet Union, including Lithuania, Tenenbaum continued to make many fake certificates for people that saved their lives. After the murder of Jews in Ponary Tenenbaum with some of his friends moved to Bialystok

In Bialystok he organized the Jewish underground fighters and headed the rebellion movement, which included members of "Kibbutz Tel Hai", in which, among other participants ,there were members of Has homer Hatzair and Dror . It was decided that with the beginning of the actions they will fight on the streets of Bialystok, and then will try to escape into the woods to join the partisans.

August 16th, 1943 The Germans began the last action to destroy the ghetto. Tenenbaum and his friends fought for four days against the superior German forces. At the end of the fighting, Tenenbaum committed suicide along with his comrade Daniel Moskovich, in order not to fall alive into the hands of the Germans. Many others managed to escape and to join the partisans in the forests surrounding the city.

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