Poland

A COUNTRY of well-watered plains and rapidly growing cities. A country bordered by the Commonwealth of Independent States on the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic on the south, Germany on the west, and the Baltic Sea on the northwest. Home to over 38 million people. This is Poland.

But in the case of music lovers, Poland brings other things to mind. It is associated with composers such as Frédéric Chopin as well as pianists such as Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Arthur Rubinstein. To scientists, Poland is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, who developed the theory that the earth moves around the sun and that, at the same time, it turns on its axis once a day. Madame Curie (Maria Skłodowska-Curie), a discoverer of radium, was also born in Poland, in Warsaw.

On the other hand, heartache has been part of the history of Poland. Though it once was an  empire that extended across Europe from the Baltic down toward the Black Sea, for a hundred years it virtually disappeared from the map. After a brief existence as a republic following World War I, it was again dismembered and came under foreign domination during World War II. The Polish people were just clearing away the rubble of that war when, like other Central and Eastern European lands, Poland was cut off from the rest of the world by an “Iron Curtain.” However, in recent years that barrier has crumbled.

In 1985, Jehovah’s Witnesses around the globe began to hear reports of large international conventions of their Christian brothers in Poland. They later rejoiced over news that in 1991 the number of Witnesses in Poland had surpassed 100,000 and that twice that many had been at the commemoration of the Lord’s Evening Meal. Yet, how was this possible? After all, ever since 1950, when the Witnesses in Poland numbered only 18,116, their activity had been prohibited there.

In answering that question, we call to mind these words recorded by the prophet Isaiah: “Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success . . . This is the hereditary possession of the servants of Jehovah.”​—Isa. 54:17.

How the Bible Found Its Way to Poland

Poland has been considered a “Christian” country ever since 966 C.E., when Prince Mieszko I was baptized according to rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Mass baptisms of his subjects also took place​—not meaning, of course, that they suddenly became good Christians. Actually, people continued observing pagan Slavic traditions and superstitions for hundreds of years. Some still do.

 For centuries after the country became Catholic, the Bible was not available to the Polish people, not even to the clergy. The Psałterz floriański (Florianski Psalter) of the 14th century and the Biblia królowej Zofii (Queen Zofia Bible) of the late 15th century are the oldest preserved Polish translations. But only one manuscript of each of these Bibles was made, and just a chosen few had access to them. In the 16th century, however, in many European countries, including Poland, religious views underwent drastic changes. Catholic dogma was challenged. The Holy Scriptures were increasingly viewed as the sole criterion. As a result, translators more frequently made the Bible available in vernacular languages so that the public could read it.

A Polish “New Testament” that appeared in 1574 used the Creator’s name, Jehowa (Jehovah), in several passages. It was published by Szymon Budny, who belonged to a small group of people desirous of adhering to God’s Word and who called themselves simply Christians or brethren. Later they adopted the name Polish Brethren. As a result of what they learned, they rejected the Trinity dogma.

In 1658, however, the Polish Sejm, or parliament, decreed that the Polish Brethren, under penalty of death, be given three years’ time​—and later a year was shaved off that period—​either to become Catholics or to leave the country. How did this come about?

A marked change had come over the land. For years, Poland had been a land known for its religious toleration. Victims of religious persecution in other lands had sought refuge in Poland. The oath administered to Polish kings from 1573 onward had included such guarantees as this: “I . . . promise and solemnly swear by Almighty God that . . . I will preserve and maintain peace and quiet among those that differ with regard to religion, and will not in any way  . . . suffer anyone to be influenced or oppressed by reason of his religion.” Indeed, John II Casimir Vasa, during whose reign the Polish Brethren were banished, had taken that oath. But there can be no doubt that his training for the Jesuit priesthood, prior to his becoming king, influenced his attitude regarding religious freedom.

The Jesuits had begun operations in Poland in 1564, some 84 years before John Casimir came to the throne. They had shrewdly directed their influence toward the royal court. At the same time, they sought to gain control of the schools and thereby mold the thinking of the populace. The guarantee of religious freedom was gradually eroded. Those trained in the Jesuit-controlled schools were imbued with a spirit of religious intolerance, manifest in violent attacks on those who adhered to other faiths as well as on their homes and on their places of worship. The Bible came to be viewed as a forbidden book. During this period, Poland lost much of its territory. Surrounding nations seized one portion of the country and then another, until, in 1795, Poland as an independent nation disappeared from the map of Europe.

Once again, however, religious freedom has been established by law in Poland. No longer does the law forbid Roman Catholics to change to another religion, as it did under the Polish Constitution of 1791. As of 1993, the Constitution declares: “The Republic of Poland shall guarantee freedom of conscience and religion to its citizens.” More of the Polish people are availing themselves of that freedom and are turning to the Bible for direction. The Roman Catholic Church has been forced to abandon the policy of keeping God’s written Word away from the people. Since the end of World War II, several good Polish Bible translations have been published, and Jehovah’s Witnesses make good use of them. When the Witnesses share with  others the good news of God’s Kingdom, many, like those noble-minded people referred to in the Bible at Acts 17:11, are eager to examine ‘whether these things are so.’

The Light of Truth Reaches Emigrants

As Poland came under the domination of other countries, conditions were at times very hard for the people. Many Poles, either willingly or unwillingly, moved abroad​—some to the United States. The religion of their parents, the one that had been inculcated in them at home and in church, was Roman Catholicism. A considerable number of them sought to preserve a national identity by practicing that faith. Hence the common notion that “a Pole is a Catholic.”

However, with their traditional environment left behind, some began to change their way of thinking. As an example, in a letter to the Watch Tower Society in 1891, C. Antoszewski (then living in Chicago, U.S.A.) explained that though he grew up in the Russian sector of partitioned Poland and was reared by Catholic parents, he had been searching for the truth. When he came into possession of some of the Watch Tower literature, he became convinced that he had found what he was seeking. Almost every evening, he translated information from the books for another man from Poland who had also been hungering for spiritual truth. As Jesus advised, they did not ‘hide this spiritual light under a basket.’ Together they began to visit other Polish families to share the good news with them.​—Matt. 5:3, 14-16.

Among the Polish immigrants were those who not only accepted precious Bible truths readily but also shared these with their family and friends in the Old Country. Some of them returned to the land of their birth in order to publicize the news of Christ’s presence. Under the heading “Progress  of the Work Abroad,” Zion’s Watch Tower of June 15, 1895, reported: “Brother Oleszynski, a Polander who received the truth into a good and honest heart some three years ago, has gone to his native land to search out consecrated ones to preach to them the grand gospel of ransom, restitution and the high calling.”

At first they had to use whatever literature was available in English and German. But the work of sharing Bible truth with fellow Poles was greatly helped in 1909 when the Watch Tower Society published Polish tracts for free distribution. A condensed Polish edition of material from Studies in the Scriptures also appeared that year. And by 1915, The Watch Tower was being printed regularly in Polish each month.

Seeds of Truth Begin to Sprout

In the fall of 1905, the management of a Warsaw lace factory was taken over by a new director from Switzerland, a Bible Student named Mr. Bente. Despite having to communicate with his workers through an interpreter, he won their confidence, and his home became a meeting place for people who wanted to learn about genuine Christian brotherhood. Soon they were holding regular discussions, considering current events in the light of God’s Word and with the help of Bible literature.

This was a period of protest and turmoil in Russia. Polish territory under Russian control was affected as well. Still, an edict of the Russian czar in 1906 granted to all religious denominations the right to engage in peaceful religious activity.

Yet, the light of Bible truth scarcely penetrated the darkness and went largely unnoticed except by close relatives and acquaintances of people already interested in the Bible. Nonetheless, the light did seep out beyond Warsaw,  and small groups were formed in other towns. These were visited several times by Brother H. Herkendell from the Society’s office in Barmen-Elberfeld, Germany, which supplied the groups with literature.

New Stimulus

In May 1910, Charles Taze Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Society, paid a short visit to Warsaw. What a joy for the group of about 20 persons who came to hear him! Three of them were so enthusiastic that they applied for colporteur work, as pioneer service was then called. They succeeded in placing much literature and found people who were interested in learning about the upcoming end of “the times of the Gentiles.” (Luke 21:24, King James Version) In 1913 some of these who were showing interest in God’s Word formed a group in Łódź, as well as in other places.

Problems began to develop in Warsaw, however, in connection with holding public gatherings. The Russian police were becoming suspicious of anything that looked like preparations for an uprising. But a military official who had recently taken an interest in the truth intervened in behalf of the Bible Students, so that an edict was issued granting them legal recognition. When Poland regained its independence after World War I, that edict issued in 1913 by the military general who was governor of Warsaw provided a legal basis for the activities of the brothers.

For a time the Bible Students operated normally. Some longtime fighters for the truth still recall or remember hearing from their parents about brothers active in the pre-1914 Warsaw Congregation. Among them were Brothers Kącki, Kokosiński, Barcikowski, Rudaś, and Kremer. Brother Dojczman and Sister Maron were active in other areas.

 When war broke out in 1914, difficult living conditions​—especially in the cities—​caused families in the Warsaw and Łódź groups to scatter. Nevertheless, the activity of the Bible Students did not come to a standstill. A small group still held meetings in a Warsaw apartment. In time this group found more people who were searching for the Biblical explanation of world events. For example, Bolesław Uchman was baptized in 1916 and then served as a pillar in the Warsaw Congregation for over half a century. By 1918 as many as 50 persons were attending public talks. Once the war was over and Polish-American brothers came to help, the work picked up momentum.

Flourishing Polish Congregations in the United States

Of all the foreign-language groups of Bible Students in the United States at that time, those of Polish origin were among the largest and most active.

Although the Bible Students in the United States were undergoing severe persecution, especially during 1918-19, the Polish group showed initiative in serving Jehovah in an organized way. At the beginning of 1919, they set up a legal corporation especially to care for the needs of the Polish-speaking congregations. They registered it in Detroit, Michigan. Its Polish name, Strażnica​—Towarzystwo Biblijne i Broszur, means “Watchtower Bible and Brochure Society.” It was not designed to compete with the parent corporation, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The Detroit office was simply viewed as the Society’s Polish branch. It was meant to supply the congregations with spiritual food from the organization and to provide encouragement to faithfulness during a difficult time, as well as to help spread Bible truth in Poland.

 As early as 1920, this corporation arranged for ten traveling representatives, called pilgrims, to visit Polish congregations. The 622 public lectures they delivered were attended by 211,692 persons. Polish colporteurs numbered 36. The Polish Watch Tower appeared regularly twice a month. Congregations were able to replenish their supplies of booklets as well as of volumes of Studies in the Scriptures in Polish. In 1921 a new songbook, Hymns of the Millennial Dawn, appeared. A translation of the booklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die was received with enthusiasm, and within a year 45,545 copies had been distributed. Moreover, a seventh volume of the Studies was published, as was the book The Harp of God, some time later.

The Polish brothers had no desire to be independent of their English-speaking brothers. Thus, in January 1921 the directors of the Detroit corporation chose J. F. Rutherford, who was then president of the parent corporation, to be their president. Later, in July, during the corporation’s general meeting, the decision was made to merge with the Society’s Pennsylvania corporation. From then on, it was even more evident that the Detroit office served as a branch of the Watch Tower Society. In May 1922 that branch moved to Brooklyn, which since October 1919 had again been the Society’s center of activity. The Polish Watch Tower, as well as books and booklets, was thereafter published in Brooklyn.

Because of the zeal shown by the Polish brothers as well as their respect for the organization that Jehovah was using, Jehovah blessed their efforts. For example, the 1921 Memorial of Christ’s death was celebrated in Polish in the United States in 65 places, with a total attendance of 2,942. A year later, 73 Polish congregations and groups reported Memorial celebrations. And in 1923 the Chicago Polish Congregation  had 675 persons in attendance, the fourth-largest figure in the world; only in New York City (906), London (1,029), and Los Angeles (850) were attendances higher for any language.

The effects of this were also felt in Poland. In greater numbers than ever before, the Polish brothers began visiting their families in the Old Country, explaining Bible truths to them and sometimes even staying to form congregations. This became easier in 1921, when Poland adopted a democratic constitution. Although the Roman Catholic Church was given a privileged position, freedom of conscience and religion was guaranteed for all.

In ever-increasing numbers, Watch Tower publications were sent to Poland. To facilitate the work there, announcement was made in 1919 of plans to establish a branch office in Warsaw. The office began operation in 1921.

False Brothers Sought to Subvert Faith

During World War I, the brothers in the Polish sector of Russia had been cut off from contact with the outside world. It was not until 1919, for example, over two years after the fact, that the Warsaw Congregation received news of Brother Russell’s death​—and even then, only through private channels. Unsettling rumors about divisions among the brothers in America also arrived, and these caused difficulties, especially when a representative of an opposition group traveled from the United States to Warsaw to influence the group there. By drawing away most of the brothers for themselves, the opposers gained control of the legal corporation that was then being used by the brothers in Poland. Among other things, this resulted in the loss of the meeting place of the Warsaw Congregation.

Happily, however, loyal Polish brothers in America also arranged to send a delegation to Poland. It consisted of  W. Kołomyjski, a pilgrim, or traveling speaker, who was chairman of the Society’s Michigan corporation, and C. Kasprzykowski. Arriving in Poland in 1920, they were joyfully received by brothers in Warsaw.

Having lost their regular meeting place, the remaining brothers rented movie theaters for congregation studies and public talks. Sunday public discourses were advertised in newspapers and by handbills distributed on the streets. Despite the problems the brothers had faced, prospects for progress looked bright.

That same year Satan struck another blow. War broke out between Soviet Russia and Poland, causing inflation on a scale heretofore unknown. This greatly hampered the work. Also at that critical time, Brother Kołomyjski came down with typhoid. After recuperating, he returned to the United States, where he continued to serve as a pilgrim.

At the request of the Warsaw brothers, the Society kept Brother Kasprzykowski in Poland as its representative. He showed great initiative, accomplishing, for example, the registration of the Bible Students Association Group II. This Group II was composed of brothers loyal to the Society; it replaced the former corporation, which was in the hands of the opposition. With legal recognition once again, the Bible Students could organize public talks on a grander scale. During 1921 these talks were sometimes attended by as many as 700 people. Also, the brothers located a building to use as a new hall, and after remodeling, it seated more than 400 persons.

At the first general convention (October 30 to November 2, 1921), 500 were in attendance from various parts of Poland, and 14 got baptized. The following year, Memorial attendance, at 32 locations throughout the country, reached 657! That same year several conventions were held, at which  108 individuals presented themselves for water immersion. The work was moving ahead at a good pace.

Was He Slandering the Pope?

Jan Kusina returned from the United States to Kraków, a large city in the territory of former Austria-Hungary, in 1920. Though himself new in the truth, he quickly managed to generate interest among a small group of sincere people. But he was arrested and charged with slandering the pope. In fact, however, all he had done was to share Bible truths with others. In court he relied on the Bible to defend himself. The judge, a fair-minded man, acquitted him.

About the same time, Józef Krett, a pilgrim brother from the United States who visited Warsaw and Kraków, reported that schoolchildren were being instructed to amend their catechism prayer so that they said: “From sudden death, hunger, fire, war, and the pestilence of American heresy, preserve us, O Lord.”

Theologians Try to Discredit Bible Students

Another repatriate, Brother Winiarz, a wealthy but self-sacrificing man, bought a house in Kraków to use as a meeting place. In 1922 that house served as the site of a debate between three brothers and three Catholic theologians.

The previous year Franciszek Puchała had returned from America and privately published a leaflet containing a list of 13 church doctrines. He offered 10,000 Polish marks to anyone for each doctrine that the person could prove to be based on the Holy Scriptures. Included were immortality of the human soul, hellfire, purgatory, sacrifice of the Mass, celibacy of the clergy, confession to priests, use of the rosary, and so forth. “It was like poking a stick into an anthill,” Brother Puchała later wrote.

 The clergy, speaking through Catholic papers, demanded a public renunciation of the leaflet. Otherwise, they declared, they would prosecute Franciszek Puchała for slandering the church. Not to be intimidated, he called for a public discussion.

After consulting the Roman Curia, the clergy agreed to a discussion, but only behind closed doors, ‘because of the sacred nature of the things involved,’ as they put it. Brother Puchała agreed. So sure were the clergy that they would win that they arranged to have present a lawyer who was to launch legal action against the brothers as soon as they were defeated. Arrogantly the church newspaper declared: “We will see who is right​—the centuries-old Roman Catholic Church or this pitiful handful of misled creatures who are incapable of even correctly reading the Holy Scriptures.”

The well-known Jesuit theologian Jan Rostworowski led the Catholic delegation, accompanied by two other priests.  The Bible Students were represented by Franciszek Puchała and two other brothers. Stenographers, as well as several persons to serve as witnesses, were also present. The Jesuits came equipped with two large suitcases full of books. The brothers had only their Bibles and Greek and Hebrew dictionaries.

The clergymen asked that point 13 on the leaflet (immortality of the soul) be considered first. After two hours or so, the theologians excused themselves, saying they had no more time, and left. Although never publicly conceding defeat, they did confess in a newspaper article: “We must admit that the Bible Students . . . are not totally ignorant.”

The entire discussion was published in a booklet entitled Bitwa na niebie (The Battle in the Heavens), which had an initial circulation of 10,000 copies and was reprinted a number of times. The traditionally religious community of Kraków along with the surrounding area was forced to sit up and take notice. The result? By 1923, there were 69 persons present for the Memorial celebration in Kraków.

The clergy, of course, never forgave Brother Puchała for publicly undermining the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. They tried everything possible to make his life difficult. A policeman was sent to take notes at meetings held in his home, and he was later hauled into court several times. More than once hired killers threatened his life, but Jehovah protected him.

During a sermon in the village of Wawrzeńczyce, a priest incited the people to attack Brother Puchała with wooden clubs when he came to give a discourse. A group of overly zealous women were anxious to do the priest’s bidding. They lay in wait for Brother Puchała from early morning until late afternoon. When he arrived, he addressed them calmly, saying: “The one among you without sin should strike me  with her club first.” Eventually the women withdrew. Upon returning home, however, they were struck by their husbands with the very clubs they had taken to use on Brother Puchała. Why? Because the husbands were upset at having been forced to wait so long for dinner!

Store Owner Shares Truth With Schoolteacher

In 1919 the owner of a large shoe store in the textile center of Łódź went to Gdańsk for medical treatment. There this businesswoman, Mrs. Mandowa, heard the truth from the Holy Scriptures for the first time. She accepted it into an honest heart. She returned home with a stack of the Society’s literature and enthusiastically spoke to friends and acquaintances about what she read. Her arguments deeply impressed a young teacher who was urged by a friend to attend meetings with her.

In 1920 this teacher, Wilhelm Scheider, arranged to be transferred from a rural area to Łódź so that he could have closer contact with the small group of interested persons there. Mrs. Mandowa later became a Bible Student, and the group meeting with her was supported by brothers who occasionally came by train from Gdańsk, 240 miles [390 km] away. Study of the Society’s publications along with the Bible likewise convinced Mr. Scheider that he had found the truth. Despite trials and tribulations, he faithfully built his life around it until the end of his earthly course in 1971.

Giving a Bold Public Witness in Łódź

At first the activity of the Łódź group was rather limited as to any public witnessing. But after Sister Mandowa died in 1922, the problems involved with her funeral marked a turning point. The clergy refused to grant permission for burial in the cemetery. This gave rise to a storm in the media. After a three-day struggle in which even the police had to intervene, a burial plot was obtained in a small Muslim  cemetery. About one thousand persons attended the funeral, curious to find out what the Bible Students really believed. The Scriptural talk, delivered by a brother from Gdańsk, was the first public witness ever given in Łódź.

From then on, public discourses were arranged more frequently and were advertised in the newspapers. Movie theaters were rented for these meetings. At first these were large enough, but soon even the largest theater in that city of 500,000 inhabitants was too small. Meanwhile, small groups were meeting in private homes to study the Bible and Bible-based literature. Since many of the people in Łódź were of German and Jewish origin, the public talks and the smaller meetings were held in both Polish and German.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of those who attended these public talks in Łódź were, as the disciple James expressed it, “hearers only” but not “doers of the word.” (Jas. 1:22) Nonetheless, the attendance at the Memorial had jumped from 25 persons in 1922 to 92 in 1924. And in 1924, after having remodeled an unused factory in the center of the city, the brothers in Łódź had a beautiful hall to use for their first convention. On that occasion about 200 were present.

At this time the brothers were concentrating on the new work of inviting people to see the “Photo-Drama of Creation,” a film that had just begun to be shown in Poland in the early 1920’s. The complete program consisted of four two-hour presentations. Such large crowds wanted to see it that, despite having engaged the biggest halls, the brothers had to repeat the showings many times.

Public Meetings Bring Growth in Poznań

In 1910, at 18 years of age, Teofil Szmidt had left his home near Radomsko and moved to Germany to find work. There in 1914 he heard about the Bible Students and went  to see the “Photo-Drama of Creation.” He got satisfying information on two subjects that had been of concern to him for a long time: Christ’s return and the end of the world.

Later, after moving back to the part of Poland then controlled by Prussia, he contacted a group in Poznań who were reading the books written by C. T. Russell. Though not yet baptized, he took the lead in the study sessions there and continued to make progress. In 1918, during a visit by Brother Kujat from Berlin, Teofil Szmidt got baptized and also became a servant in Poznań’s first congregation. During the next few years, he was zealous about organizing public meetings. By the time he left Poznań in 1922, the congregation had grown to some 20 regular members.

Then Brother Kącki moved from Warsaw in order to care for the congregation in Poznań. He had learned the truth before 1914, at a time when, as a gifted sculptor, he was about to go to Paris for university training. Instead, he devoted himself to Jehovah’s service. Zealously he rented halls in Poznań at his own expense and gave encouraging Bible discourses. As a result, by 1924 attendance at the Memorial celebration in Poznań had risen to 91. That same year, there were 281 in Warsaw, as well as 625 who attended in 13 other Polish cities and towns if we count only groups where at least 20 persons were present. Future growth seemed assured. But serious trials of faith lay ahead.

The Year 1925​—A Time of Division

Although Brother Kasprzykowski had performed valuable service in behalf of the brothers after World War I, pride later became a stumbling block for him. His resenting counsel was an early evidence of this pride; later, he became an outright opposer of his former brothers. When The Watch Tower began to emphasize ever more pointedly the responsibility of each one to share in preaching the good news, he  found willing ears among those who wanted to do no more than listen.

For a while the Warsaw Congregation continued to make a pretense of unity by meeting together, but they were sharply divided. The situation came to a head at the time of the Memorial in 1925. Out of about 300 brothers, only 30 continued loyal to the Society.

Soon other congregations were engulfed. Of some 150 persons in Łódź, only 3 brothers and 6 sisters loyally continued to meet together for study of God’s Word with the help of the Watch Tower publications. They also shared in the field service, making good use of the Golden Age magazine (now Awake!), which began publication in Polish in 1925.

Many indecisive or confused ones, upon seeing the spirituality and zeal of this small group in Łódź, returned to the organization. That summer the congregation in Łódź took the lead in following the Society’s instructions to arrange for “missionary” groups to witness in distant territories. Some of the places where they arranged for public talks were as far as 90 miles [150 km] away.

Nevertheless, the problems were not over. Throughout the country, there were some whose motivation for serving God was considerably influenced by the belief that they would receive their heavenly reward by 1925 at the latest. Many of these became spiritually weak or fell away after that year passed. During that period, various opposition groups were actively trying to gain control of the congregations or at least to weaken them. Three of these opposition groups exist till this day. Nevertheless, as the years passed, it became obvious who had God’s blessing and were ‘preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom,’ as outlined in the Scriptures.​—Matt. 24:14.

 Following these crises, the work being done under the direction of “the faithful and discreet slave” had to start almost anew. There were more obstacles; yet there were positive results too.​—Matt. 24:45-47.

The Work Gains Greater Stability

The situation in Warsaw did not offer promise of being quickly normalized. Brother Wnorowski was sent to Poland, but after a year or so, he tired of the situation and returned to America. Then Brother Szwed was put in charge of the office in Warsaw; but after a year he was replaced by Wacław Narodowicz, who, though he was a fine speaker, did not like office work and, after a year, preferred to return to the field.

During this difficult time, the brothers loyal to the Society had no legal agency through which they could arrange public lectures, much less assemblies. The original corporation was in the hands of opposers, and now even Bible Students Association Group II was under the control of apostates, Kasprzykowski and his followers. The authorities refused to consider the idea of a third group, so the situation was deadlocked.

But Jehovah listened to the prayers of his loyal servants and provided a solution. A modest man named Całka, who had learned the truth before World War I, had been registered in Warsaw as a member of the original corporation of Bible Students. At one time he had stumbled spiritually, but at this critical moment, he took the initiative to renew his association with the congregation. He also consented to hand over his plenipotentiary authority to Wilhelm Scheider. This was of great help to the brothers “in the defending and legally establishing of the good news.”​—Phil. 1:7.

In 1927 the Society sent to Poland a pleasant and capable brother who had visited congregations in the United States  and France as a pilgrim. This brother, Ludwik Kuźma, encouraged many to zealous activity. But by the time he returned to America, he well realized that closer contact with the Society’s headquarters was needed. Consequently, Brother Rutherford decided to make certain organizational adjustments.

Since Brother Narodowicz had left the Warsaw office, Paul Balzereit was dispatched from the Society’s office in Germany to find someone in Poland who would work along with the office in Germany in caring for Jehovah’s servants in Poland. At that time, the Łódź Congregation was taking a fine lead in the field ministry, so Brother Balzereit asked Wilhelm Scheider, in Łódź, if he would accept the assignment. However, Brother Scheider humbly suggested Edward Rüdiger, who was then a translator of the Golden Age magazine, and Brother Rüdiger did care for the responsibility for almost a year.

When travel restrictions made it impossible for the brothers in Germany to give further help in Poland, general supervision of theocratic activities in Poland was put under the Society’s Central European Office, in Bern, Switzerland. From there, in 1928, Martin Harbeck went to Poland, once again to locate someone qualified to serve as overseer for the Polish field. Again, Brother Scheider was asked to accept the assignment, and this time he did.

Steady growth was now evident. In 1927, Memorial attendance had been 1,101 persons, but only 76 of these had reported any share in preaching the good news. By the end of 1928, there had been 24 congregations organized for service, and 256 publishers had been regularly reporting activity. In 1929 the number of congregations organized to preach the Kingdom message reached 40, and in 1930 there were 55.

 From time to time, in accordance with Society instructions, these congregations organized weeks of increased activity. In 1929, for the first time, some of the colporteurs were transferred to southeastern parts of Poland to share Kingdom truths with the Ukrainians there. Said the 1930 Yearbook: “More and more the brethren recognize that they are called, not to sit down with the Lord in the vineyard, but to work with him.”

A Time for Sifting

Meanwhile, the space that was being rented for the office in Warsaw was no longer adequate. The search for something else in that city brought no results; everything was too expensive. So it was decided to move the office to Łódź.

A temporary office was set up there in the congregation’s meeting place. Finally, in 1932, a suitable building was found at 24 Rzgowska Street. The congregations were told  what funds would be needed in order to obtain it, but the brothers, previously so willing to sacrifice, failed to respond. The owner agreed to postpone payment, even though he had other buyers. Once again the brothers were informed of the situation. Again there was no response. Why?

Before the answer came to light, Jehovah provided help from another source. Three days before the payment deadline, Sister Scheider was able to borrow the needed money from her comparatively wealthy stepsister, even though the stepsister had not been favorably disposed toward the truth.

Soon it became apparent, however, why the congregations had been hesitant about providing funds to buy a building in Łódź. Wacław Narodowicz, who was serving as a pilgrim, had been traveling throughout Poland arguing that the office should be left in Warsaw and should again be under his management. He solicited money to obtain an office location in Warsaw and asked that the money be given to him. Although failing in his objective, Narodowicz did cause many brothers to become disturbed. He later turned apostate.

It was a time when “unsteady souls” who followed men, instead of clinging to Jehovah and his organization, were sifted out. (2 Pet. 2:14, 15) A big factor in this involved the activity associated with adoption of the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. Not everyone wanted to witness. But those who remained with the organization gave evidence of the genuineness of their love for Jehovah. This was important, because the 1930’s​—and the years thereafter—​proved to be years during which Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland had to fight for survival. This was a time when the truthfulness of Isaiah 54:17 was repeatedly demonstrated​—yes, many ‘weapons were formed’ against Jehovah’s servants, but none of these succeeded in stamping out true worship.

 Attacks and Counterattacks

The Roman Catholic clergy resorted with increasing frequency to slander against Jehovah’s servants, especially in the press. They also demanded that the people turn in any literature received from the Bible Students so that it could be publicly burned. An instance of this that received much publicity took place in Chojnice. The public prosecutor’s office there charged Brother Śmieszko, a local pioneer, with blasphemy by means of printed material. The trial, in 1933, was attended by a large crowd. A Catholic priest named Janke was called to testify. He had a Ph.D. and was a teacher of religion in the local high school. Brother Scheider represented the Society. Immortality of the soul, eternal torment, and purgatory were among the subjects discussed. Afterward, Mr. Janke, acknowledging defeat, approached Brother Scheider, shook his hand, and said that never again would he allow himself to get involved in such a case.

 The Kraków newspaper Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny (Illustrated Daily Courier) joined in the attack upon the Witnesses, falsely accusing them of being covert Communists who sang Bolshevik songs, were trained in the Soviet Union, and received payment from there. In this instance, the brothers took the newspaper’s responsible ones to court, and the editor was punished.

Mieczysław Skrudlik, a Jesuit, personally published booklets that slandered the Witnesses. But when he was taken to court, he claimed that he was ill. Three times he asked that the case be postponed. In the meantime, he moved several times and could no longer be located.

Attacks by the clergy were not all verbal, however. They and their henchmen also resorted to violence, repeatedly so. When the Witnesses engaged in their house-to-house ministry, opposers attacked them. The opposers used fists, feet, sticks, and stones, destroying Bible literature and leaving the Witnesses bloody or unconscious on the ground. Witnesses traveling to distant territories to preach were intercepted, beaten, and ducked in water; their bicycles and motorcycles were smashed; their literature was confiscated and destroyed.

A longtime pioneer, Bolesław Zawadzki, wrote in his memoirs that when a meeting was being held at his parents’ home in Kielce, a mob of 2,000 angry, shouting people surrounded the house and hurled stones. Wheelbarrows were used to bring up fresh supplies. Not until long after midnight did the “game” end. The stones that had come through the roof filled six carts when gathered up! In an attempt to ward off this wave of persecution, the brothers sometimes succeeded in having the actual perpetrators punished. Less often they were able to bring to justice the real instigators, the clergy.

 Blessings of Proper Organization

Especially from the late 1920’s onward, greater help was given to the congregations in connection with the field ministry. Congregations were assigned specific field service territories. Regional service directors, sent to visit each congregation, not only gave talks but also trained the brothers in the field ministry. This arrangement was helpful and refreshing. One of these zealous and self-sacrificing brothers, Ludwik Kinicki, is still remembered by many old-timers.

The pioneers​—some 30 to 50 at the time—​also displayed a spirit of self-sacrifice. Gladly they preached even in remote territories where there were no congregations, and they walked many miles because only a few had bicycles. They were permitted to keep some of the contributions received for literature, and in some instances they had very little additional income. In wintertime, they often slept in a haystack or on straw spread over the floor in a barn, with their coat as a covering.

The people they met, although good-hearted, frequently had little knowledge of the Bible or of secular history. During a conversation with a group of villagers, Stefan Milewski recalls mentioning that by birth Jesus was a Jew. The people were indignant, and he barely escaped a beating. Angrily they shouted: “The Lord Jesus was a Pole and a Catholic!”

Still, the Witnesses continued to show zeal in searching for sheeplike ones. In 1932 they spent 103,323 hours in the ministry, placed 177,505 books and booklets, 2,101 Bibles, and 87,455 copies of The Golden Age. This led a Warsaw newspaper to comment: “The Bible Students in Poland could hardly number more than 600,000, and of this small number there appears to be so much agitation as is not  observed in any other religion.” Actually, at that time the number of active Witnesses numbered only about 600! But in the eyes of some onlookers, the little one had already become a thousand.​—Compare Isaiah 60:22.

The Struggle Intensifies

The Catholic clergy continued to exert pressure on the authorities to stop the Witnesses. The charges they leveled against the Witnesses were always the same: spreading Communist propaganda, soliciting without a license, violating the Sunday sabbath, and blaspheming the church and its teachings. In 1933 about 100 cases of police stopping publishers were reported. There were also 41 instances of severe beatings at the hands of fanatical mobs. Two years later, there were 3,000 cases in which the clergy denounced the Witnesses to the police. When charges based on one ordinance did not bring results, the clergy resorted to another, and another, and another. But even before the cases came to trial, most of them were dropped as being without substance; others resulted in acquittal.

The brothers could not afford to hire lawyers every time they were arrested. But the Society’s office provided them with legal counsel. It sent them hundreds of documents with information about appeals, favorable decisions, and cases that set valuable precedents. In accord with the instructions provided, when the brothers were in court, they emphasized the preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom instead of stressing legal technicalities. For a few serious cases, however, there were lawyers who made themselves available to defend the brothers.

To counteract charges of peddling, the Society issued cards stating the individual’s authorization to preach on the basis of freedom of conscience and religion. For Witness children who attended public schools and who were often  not promoted from one class to the next because of their refusal to attend obligatory religion classes, the Society issued special certificates. These verified that the child had taken a religious course in his own religious community and had received such and such grades. Consequently, many congregations operated “Sunday schools” for several years. After much effort by the brothers, the Ministry of Education and Religious Denominations enacted a decree obliging school authorities to accept these certificates. Once the grades were entered on school records, the child could be promoted.

Some public officials clearly discerned the religious intolerance that motivated charges against Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thus, the state attorney of the court of appeal in Toruń, in a case involving a Witness, rejected the charge of blasphemy, demanded acquittal, and declared that Jehovah’s Witnesses were taking the same stand as did the early Christians. In another case, the state attorney of the court of appeal of Poznań refused to prosecute a Witness who was  charged with referring to the clergy as part of “Satan’s organization.” (Compare John 8:44.) He himself pointed to the papal court of Alexander VI, from which it was well-known that a grossly immoral spirit had spread out. He then contrasted this with the fine conduct of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their zeal in serving Jehovah.

Trying to Stop the Flow of Literature

Again and again, the clergy endeavored to cut off the flow of literature that Jehovah’s Witnesses were using in their activity. When possible, the clergy manipulated government officials to do their bidding. For example, in 1930 they persuaded the minister of the interior to cancel our postal rights for the Golden Age magazine, which fearlessly exposed religious hypocrisy. But only a few weeks later, the minister was forced from office, and his successor once again permitted The Golden Age to be imported and to be circulated by mail.

Those who opposed the Witnesses finally succeeded in blocking all importation of The Golden Age from Switzerland. So, in 1933, the brothers undertook printing it in Łódź. Each time the clergy brought pressure to bear on a printer so that he would no longer work for the brothers, they found someone else who was glad to do it. This happened repeatedly, until, following many confiscations ordered by the censorship office, a ban was imposed on the magazine itself. After appealing this decision, the brothers kept right on publishing The Golden Age until the ban was upheld and Augustyn Raczek, the magazine’s editor, was sentenced to a year in prison.

It might have seemed to the opposers that they had achieved their aim. However, the brothers did not give up. The last issue of The Golden Age was dated September 1,  1936. On October 1 of that same year, it was replaced by a new magazine printed in Warsaw. Entitled Nowy Dzień (New Day), it continued to publish articles that exposed corruption and religious hypocrisy and that upheld Bible truth. It was printed in Warsaw until the outbreak of World War II.

In the meantime, in 1937, the minister of the interior imposed a ban on The Watchtower, which was used by Jehovah’s Witnesses along with the Bible in their congregation meetings. There was nothing in The Watchtower that was subversive, but the Catholic clergy did not want it to be circulated in what they viewed as their domain. Our brothers, however, determined to “obey God as ruler rather than men,” began reproducing it in mimeographed form.​—Acts 5:29.

At this time, Bishop Jasiński from Łódź, backed by Catholic Action, * set up “An Office Against Religious Minorities.” This agency, in turn, systematically worked its own people into the highest governmental offices. One of their objectives was to confiscate all Watch Tower literature. Despite the risk of being caught, the Witnesses went ahead  and published two new brochures. Penalties were imposed by the authorities. But who was behind the action? Rather than secular laws, canonical laws of the Catholic Church were often used to press charges. It would be hard to find better proof that the whole campaign was carried out under the direction of the Catholic hierarchy.

During 1937, Catholic Action was responsible for violence against the Witnesses in 75 instances; in 2 of these, brothers were murdered. Of 263 court cases, 99 ended in acquittal and 71 in sentencing. The rest were postponed. Literature was confiscated in 129 instances, but the brothers fought successfully to have it returned in 99 cases. The 1938 Yearbook report noted: “All the Lord’s people in this land are determined to carry on the witness work regardless of whether it pleases men or not, remembering . . . that ‘we must obey God rather than man.’”

That is certainly how the publishers in the 121 service-oriented congregations felt about it. On a monthly average, some 800 publishers were reporting, and during Memorial month there were 1,040! But the opposers were determined to strike a lethal blow. Undoubtedly they thought they had done it when on March 22, 1938, the authorities sealed shut the doors of our Łódź office. Publications could no longer be sent by post or by railway courier; both senders and recipients were liable to punishment. The Witnesses wanted to appeal to a higher court, but a favorably disposed high official confidentially told them that it would be in vain. The “spirit of the times” had changed, he said, and even if the Witnesses won the case, the minister of the interior would make sure that their activities throughout the country were strongly restricted. So it was decided not to pursue the matter further in the courts but to trust in Jehovah and to press forward in other ways.

 As it happened, when sealing our office, the police had overlooked an emergency exit in the literature storage room. So day by day, Bethel workers removed Bible literature, eventually tons of it, and distributed it to the congregations. In addition to the literature in Polish, there were also publications in Ukrainian, Russian, German, and Yiddish.

The brothers in the field wholeheartedly cooperated in storing up large quantities of the literature for use in the troublesome times ahead. For example, Józef Włodarczyk from the Lublin area accepted 12,000 booklets, many books, 500 Bibles, 500 “New Testaments,” 500 songbooks, and 250 phonograph records, which he then carefully concealed. Other brothers did the same, and this proved most useful during the war, when there were no new deliveries.

The 1938 ban gave the brothers more than a year to prepare for carrying on the work underground during the difficult years of World War II. They divided the country into zones, each with a number of congregations. Each zone was supervised by the most zealous local brothers and was responsible for mimeographing literature, especially The Watchtower, for its congregations. This was the only “fresh food” that the congregations received. This organizational system successfully met the challenge later presented by the chaos of war.

War Strikes!

World War II erupted on September 1, 1939. The last report dispatched from Poland indicated that there were 1,039 publishers. How would they fare?

During the occupation, Poland was divided into three regions. The western section was annexed by the German Reich. The middle part, including the cities of Warsaw, Kraków, Lublin, and later Lviv, was called the General Gouvernement and was put under German administration.  The eastern part was annexed by the Soviet Union. Conditions differed from one region to another.

In the western section, the German Gestapo arrested anyone known to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The totalitarian Nazi system dealt cruelly with anyone not totally submissive to it. The Witnesses as advocates of God’s Kingdom were viewed as foes. To be found with a single issue of The Watchtower or to be found in the same photograph with a Witness was taken as proof that a person was a criminal. Brutal means were used to force Witnesses to divulge the names and addresses of their spiritual brothers and sisters. Those who refused to betray their brothers or to sign a declaration renouncing their faith were sent to concentration camps. Very few compromised. Even the  persecutors marveled at the loyalty of these servants of Jehovah.

In Łódź the Gestapo arrested Brother Scheider and many others and put them into camps. From Poznań 69 brothers and sisters were sent to German camps; 22 were killed. Despite this, so many people in Poznań learned the truth during the war that afterward a strong congregation emerged. Its zeal spread to neighboring territories and helped to rebuild the organization in western Poland.

Of course, the brothers suffered in many other cities and smaller towns also. For example, from Wisła, a mountain resort of about 6,000 inhabitants at that time, 51 brothers and sisters were taken to concentration camps. Only 13 returned.

Jehovah Did Not Forsake His People

That the Creator protected his people during this time of severe persecution is evident. For them, victory depended not on survival but on faithfulness​—until death if necessary. (Rev. 2:10) One brother relates that he was relentlessly beaten for many hours, especially on the back and in the kidney region. But he endured despite attempts to force him to denounce other brothers and to betray organizational matters. The ill-treatment was repeated the next day, only this time it was much worse. On the third day, his swollen and battered body reacted to the blows with excruciating pain. The brother prayed to Jehovah for relief, even for death. Suddenly the Gestapo agent who was flogging him broke out in a fit of swearing, dropped his whip, and departed. What had happened?

Several days later the brother spotted this man in the corridor with a bandaged hand. Fellow prisoners told the brother that the agent had broken his forefinger​—evidently while flogging.

 The Witnesses who managed to avoid arrest did not let themselves be scattered. They met together in small groups to study the Bible and The Watchtower. The magazines that they received usually came from brothers in Germany; then they mimeographed or copied these by hand. Fritz Otto took an active part in the underground work in Łódź throughout this period of occupation, maintaining contacts with Poznań, Bydgoszcz, and Gdańsk. Although the line of communication was occasionally cut by adversaries, communication was never shut down for very long.

In the General Gouvernement

The situation in the central and southern parts of Poland was different. There the officials did not hunt down and persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses quite as furiously, so while always taking precautionary measures, the brothers worked vigorously. They prepared stencils for The Watchtower in Warsaw; then the responsible ones in each zone did the mimeographing, using the primitive duplicating devices that were available. Various methods were used to smuggle master copies of the literature. Sometimes even German soldiers whose families were in the truth unknowingly served as couriers when they returned to the eastern front after being home on leave.

There were many heartrending experiences too. In December 1942, German police in Warsaw caught Stefan Milewski and Jan Gontkiewicz when they were mimeographing. They were promptly sent to the concentration camp at Majdanek and then to Buchenwald. At that, Ludwik Kinicki, who was supervising the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the entire area known as the General Gouvernement, took over their duties. Two years later, in 1944, he was arrested, and by the end of the year, he had died in the concentration camp at Gusen, Austria. Had the enemy won? By no means! Those  brothers, all of them, had remained unwaveringly loyal to Jehovah. And as for their opposers, these had been given opportunity to demonstrate before the heavenly Judge their attitude toward rulership by God.​—Job 31:14; Rom. 14:12.

During this time of terror, people were easily intimidated. Everyone was suspicious of everyone else. To prevent needless problems, the brothers exercised great caution in inviting people to meetings or in introducing them to other interested ones. But the Witnesses were zealous, Jehovah blessed them, and new groups sprouted like mushrooms.

Sometimes the opportunities to witness were unexpected. In the late fall of 1940, an interested person in Wojkowice Komorne, Katowice district, died. He had previously expressed his desire to be buried by Jehovah’s Witnesses, so a brother prepared to express a few words of consolation at the home of the deceased. But a large crowd gathered in the cemetery. Upon seeing them, our brother simply could not hold back; for more than an hour, he spoke about the Scriptural hope for the dead. From then on, the Witnesses always held their funerals on Sundays so that as many people as possible might hear the Bible’s message.

Preaching in cities was usually done informally, but in rural areas, especially around Lublin, the publishers began to engage in house-to-house work again even before the war ended. However, in order to avoid attracting undue attention, they would start their conversation by asking, for example, about the possibility of buying something. The reply often opened the way to discuss spiritual matters.

Some congregations organized witnessing excursions to remote villages, where they discovered that wartime experiences had changed former attitudes. Many people, including youths, were now eager to listen. The literature that the  brothers still had was put to good use, and new congregations were formed.

Of course, Satan endeavored to stop this expansion of pure worship. One way that he did so was by making use of guerrilla groups. Some of them, at the instigation of Catholic priests, began fighting not only the German occupation forces but also the Witnesses, bringing a new trial of faith. The brothers’ homes were raided at night. Men, women, and children were beaten and ordered to cross themselves, to kiss the cross, and to hang “holy” images on their walls. The intruders plundered and destroyed. Some families experienced such attacks repeatedly. A number of brothers were forced to go into hiding in order to stay alive.

A “New Deal” in the Soviet Sector

A large section of eastern Poland had been annexed by the Soviet Union in September 1939. This meant that about half of our publishers, including Polish and Ukrainian as well as a few Russian and Jewish Witnesses, were cut off from the rest of the organization. Although they were zealous, their spirituality was threatened by a lack of fresh spiritual food. They tried to establish contact with the organization through Slovakia, but this proved to be extremely difficult.

Thus it was that a number of congregations became involved in a “new deal.” Initially, its goal was to help the brothers adapt to their new situation. It stressed the need of being separate from the world and of leading a life in “splendors of holiness.” (Ps. 110:3) This “new deal” spread from Lviv by way of Lublin as far as Warsaw. However, instead of being counseled simply to apply carefully what is stated in God’s Word, they were soon being urged to engage in activities that were merely the idea of an individual.

Under this influence, for example, a group of disoriented publishers swept down on the military headquarters in  German-occupied Białystok, removed the swastika from its roof, and replaced it with a white flag. They were arrested and executed that very same day. These events were a painful reminder of what can occur when an individual takes too much on himself, going beyond what is written in the Scriptures and beyond the example set by Christ and his apostles, not looking to “the faithful and discreet slave” for direction.​—Matt. 24:45.

A Final Test Before the Postwar Era

Just before the end of the war, a new challenge faced the brothers. As the eastern front drew ever closer, people were ordered to dig antitank trenches. As Christian neutrals,  Jehovah’s Witnesses could not conscientiously participate, and they refused to do so even under threat of death. Dozens of them, some new in the truth, were shot to death, and this publicly. Yet, this too served as a witness because others became aware that Jehovah’s Witnesses had a faith so strong that they would rather die than abandon their God.

Finally the years of occupation ended. Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland had successfully met severe tests. Now, in numbers even greater than before the war, they took up the tasks that lay ahead.

Moving Ahead With the Lord’s Work

Those of Jehovah’s Witnesses who survived the concentration camps returned in the spring of 1945, ready to press ahead with public proclamation of God’s Kingdom. Among them was Wilhelm Scheider.

In time he was able to arrange to use the property at 24 Rzgowska Street in Łódź once again. Unfortunately, new literature could be received only when someone was able personally to bring it from abroad, because the public postal system was not yet functioning. But whenever literature did arrive, it was translated as soon as possible, and stencils were dispatched to each zone. Soon additional volunteers offered to help with the work. And Jehovah moved the hearts of others to support the work with material contributions.

The contrast between Jehovah’s servants and others of the populace was evident. (John 13:35) Most Ukrainians, including hundreds of our brothers, were relocated to the east, within the new Soviet borders. Before this took place, however, there were numerous outbursts of hatred between the Poles and the Ukrainians living in the eastern and southern parts of the General Gouvernement. The Polish and Ukrainian Witnesses, on the other hand, were at peace. On one occasion, a Polish brother was returning home from a  meeting, walking with three Ukrainian sisters, when they encountered Ukrainian guerrillas. The guerrillas tried to seize the brother, intent on shooting him, but the sisters protested, physically intervening on his behalf. The struggle went on for two hours. Finally the guerrillas relented, but first they tore off the brother’s clothes and burned them. Clad only in his underwear, he ran over a mile [2 km] barefoot through the snow to the home of a Ukrainian brother.

With wartime restrictions gone, the Witnesses engaged in field service with enthusiasm. The first postwar report revealed about 2,500 publishers. In 1939 there had been just 1,039. About half of these, however, were now living in areas annexed by the Soviet Union. So during six years of war and occupation, there had actually been a 400-percent increase in the remainder of the country! How true the inspired words of the prophet Daniel had proved to be: “As regards the people who are knowing their God, they will prevail and act effectively. And as regards those having insight among the people, they will impart understanding to the many”!​—Dan. 11:32, 33.

The increased interest in the Kingdom message was very apparent in some places. Of Poznań, Jan Wąsikowski reports: “What a joy for the brothers returning from the camps in 1945 to see that a small body of Witnesses had grown to the encouraging total of about 600 Kingdom publishers! Out of one active city congregation, three were formed.”

The most amazing developments, though, were seen in the eastern part of the country. Living conditions were extremely difficult. A circuit overseer relates that, after arriving there in 1947, he saw not only burned-down houses but entire settlements that had been destroyed. Brothers lived in dugouts and cellars. Nevertheless, the congregations were growing at an astounding rate. During 1945 and 1946, the Teresin Congregation often increased by 15 to 20 new  publishers each month, and even by 42 one month! By 1947 it already had 240 publishers. The congregation in Alojzów had 190.

Satisfying Their Spiritual Hunger

Although the brothers had few material possessions, they felt that their principal need was for Bibles and Bible study aids. Anyone with a personal copy of the Christian Greek Scriptures was fortunate. Some publishers had only one Gospel account to use in the field service. But help came quickly.

In 1946 the Watch Tower Society invited Witnesses in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and Sweden to donate clothing for fellow believers in war-torn countries. They seized the opportunity to send not only clothing but also cartons of Bibles! Shortly thereafter thousands of copies of the book “The Truth Shall Make You Free” arrived, as well as 250,000 copies of the booklet Religion Reaps the Whirlwind. Imagine how grateful the brothers were!

Hunger for God’s Word on the part of people in postwar Poland was great. By 1946, over 6,000 Kingdom publishers stood ready to help fill that need. To the best of its ability, the branch office tried to supply literature. But since the branch had no central printing facilities, The Watchtower as well as booklets and other printed material continued to be reproduced in the zones into which the country had been divided. Even though the equipment was limited, the brothers were soon being well supplied with basic spiritual food.

New Fields of Activity

A number of the Witnesses​—both individuals and entire families—​decided to move to an area that for years had been inhabited by Germans but that after the war was made western Poland. Many Poles who had lived in the eastern part of prewar Poland, which had now been annexed by the  Soviet Union, also moved into this western area. The people in these newly settled territories responded well to the truth.

One of the zealous volunteers serving in this area was Stanisław Kocieniewski, who later became a traveling overseer. When he returned from wartime incarceration in a German labor camp, he was totally exhausted. But after a period of recuperation, he was eager to get busy again. He moved his family to Jelenia Góra. Theirs was the first family of Witnesses to settle there. Later others joined them, and soon a congregation was formed. At present, there are nine congregations in that city.

Similarly, Jan Pieniewski and his wife moved to Gorzów Wielkopolski to serve. Brother Pieniewski recalls: “In February 1946 we started our house-to-house ministry, visiting our neighbors first. We did the first three houses together, but afterward each of us preached separately. My wife asked: ‘When will we ever be able to cover the whole city?’ . . . We met a man who was willing to exchange a cow for a single copy of the Bible! We brought him the Bible but, of course, refrained from accepting the cow.”

Not all Witnesses of German origin who were living in Poland decided to return to Germany after the war. For some of them, learning Polish was quite a task. But the Society helped them with their field ministry by preparing leaflets that presented the Kingdom message in both Polish and German. On the other hand, when a Polish sister and her family returned from France and settled near Wałbrzych, they were the ones who felt like foreigners, since there were so many German-speaking people in the area. But by taking the initiative to witness, the sister soon made contact with the German brothers. “What a joy!” she said. “We went with them in the house-to-house ministry, visiting interested ones regularly and conducting Bible studies.”

Seeing the need for preachers of the good news in their  area, many publishers started pioneering. Zofia Kuśmierz writes: “There were no Witnesses in the area, so I started full-time service. I spent five days a week in the territory . . . People manifested keen interest. Sometimes I was able to help 20 persons a year to accept the truth.”

The territory was vast. No transportation was yet available. But Jan Skiba recalls: “We used to go to many towns on foot, walking 30 to 40 kilometers [20-25 mi.] one way. We would leave home at five in the morning, work till sundown, and often return late at night. Or at times we would sleep somewhere in the straw.” They were reaching places where nobody had ever preached the good news before. Within about a year after the end of the war, the Witnesses were preaching in every part of the country. In March 1946, Poland reported 6,783 Kingdom publishers!

Provisions That Promoted Increase

During World War II, the brothers in Poland had no direct contact with the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Even the Swiss branch office, which had the oversight of many European lands, had received only limited information about Witnesses living in German-occupied territories. It is therefore understandable that the Polish Witnesses knew little about the organizational changes that had been introduced in other parts of the world.

However, despite postwar obstacles, as soon as the Łódź office could obtain the needed information, the changes were quickly implemented. Prior to this, major emphasis had been put on literature distribution. But the May 1946 Polish Informant (now Our Kingdom Ministry) explained how to make effective return visits, how to study Bible literature with interested people, and how to report correctly. Changes were made too in the congregation meetings. A Course in Theocratic Ministry, now called the Theocratic Ministry School,  was introduced. The arrangement for visits by servants to the brethren (now known as circuit overseers) was outlined.

These organizational changes led to increased activity. And as in the first century, so in modern times, when the congregations applied directions from the governing body, “the congregations continued to be made firm in the faith and to increase in number from day to day.”​—Acts 16:5.

Our First Kingdom Halls

Within a short time after the end of the war, the brothers began searching for buildings suitable to remodel for use as Kingdom Halls. In Poznań a hall seating 60 persons was already in use by late 1945. Building materials were hard to get, but the brothers were resourceful. Even wood from boxes used by the Society for shipping was reclaimed.

Where necessary, club rooms, movie theaters, or other public facilities were rented. When these were not available, meetings were held in private houses or apartments.

Our brothers loved music, and they took pleasure in using this gift to praise Jehovah. During the early postwar years, some of them organized amateur choirs and orchestras. When they performed before public lectures were given, entire villages sometimes turned out to hear the talks.

Conventions​—Official and Unofficial

The first two postwar conventions in Poland were unforgettable. One, held in June 1946, was in the village of Borówek, near Lublin. About 1,500 persons attended. That two-day convention, organized by the brothers according to what knowledge they had, was unofficial in nature. As had to be the case in years gone by, certain brothers gave discourses on subjects of their own choosing. Others related experiences. What a joy it was for those present to see 260 persons symbolize by water baptism their dedication to do Jehovah’s will!

 Later that year, in September, a national convention arranged by the Society was held in Katowice. Attendance was 5,300 persons. This program was especially designed to encourage the brothers to zealous and unified activity and to carry on their service to Jehovah in a way pleasing to him.

Gilead-Trained Missionaries Arrive

On March 19, 1947, Stefan Behunick and Paweł Muhaluk, two graduates of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, stepped ashore at Gdynia from the ship Jutlandia. Both spoke comparatively good Polish, and they quickly got to work on the assignment that had been especially entrusted to them.

One of the more important of their duties was to organize the circuit and district work. This required that they train traveling overseers​—brothers who would regularly visit the congregations, share with local Witnesses in the preaching work, and deliver helpful and encouraging discourses. District work was inaugurated, with arrangements for regular assemblies in each circuit. During the next few years, dozens of these assemblies were held throughout the country. In some instances public auditoriums were available, but when not, the assemblies were held on property belonging to the Witnesses.

The first district encompassed the entire country. Its overseer, Edward Kwiatosz, faithfully served Jehovah in the branch office in Poland until the end of his earthly course in 1992.

As part of the program to train brothers to fill various needs, pioneers were invited to Łódź in 1947 for special courses. One who attended wrote later: “The two weeks at the branch office were unforgettable. Daily I received what I needed the most.” Four from that group were invited to share in serving the congregations as traveling overseers.

 The missionaries did not merely give counsel on organizational matters but also kept busy in the field with the brothers. As far as possible, they visited the circuits and rendered practical assistance. Overseers and publishers alike treasured their help, and many remember it to this day.

Raid on the Office in Łódź

As the organization expanded, the Witnesses were devoting their efforts to helping people benefit from the Bible. But opposition to their activity did not cease even though they were now living under socialistic rule.

As early as February 1946, their office in Łódź was raided, and all the brothers working there were arrested. Only a few sisters were left. The building was put under 24-hour surveillance by guards from the UB, or Urząd Bezpieczeństwa (Office of Security). But one of the sisters was able to send a telegram to the branch office in Switzerland. Through that office an appeal was made to the Polish embassy in Bern. At  that time, the authorities were eager to be well thought of in other lands, so within a week the brothers in Łódź were released.

Meanwhile, the UB (Office of Security) tried to get the brothers to work with them in keeping the Catholic clergy under surveillance, as if they were the “common enemy.” How little they understood the principle of Christian neutrality!

Interestingly, the following year, when the Witnesses held a countrywide convention in Kraków, 7,000 delegates wore lapel badges similar in shape to the purple triangle that had identified Jehovah’s Witnesses in the concentration camps. They had not forgotten, nor did they let others forget, how severely they had been persecuted under Nazi rule.

 “The World Was Not Worthy of Them”

In 1946, reports began reaching the branch office telling of vicious acts of brutality against Jehovah’s Witnesses in various parts of the country. Particularly ruthless in their opposition were the guerrilla squads of the Narodowe Siły Zbrojne (National Armed Forces). Their activity was directed not only against the Communist government but also, as a result of the influence of the Roman Catholic clergy, against Jehovah’s Witnesses. What they demanded was remarkably similar to what Satan wanted from Jesus Christ. Satan urged: ‘Do just one act of worship to me.’ (Matt. 4:9, 10) These Catholic guerrilla squads demanded: ‘Do just one act of worship to show you are a Catholic.’

On March 1, for example, 15-year-old Henryka Żur from near Chełm accompanied a brother from her congregation to visit interested persons in a neighboring village. It was to be her last return visit. Both publishers fell into the hands of members of the Narodowe Siły Zbrojne who were staying overnight in the village. The brother was severely beaten but escaped with his life. The sister was horribly tortured for many hours. “Think inside whatever you want to,” suggested one of her tormentors, “just make the Catholic sign of the cross. Otherwise a bullet awaits you!” Finally, her integrity  unbroken, the young sister was dragged into a nearby forest and shot.

Less than three weeks later, on the evening of March 18, a mob of 30 people raided Jan Ziemcow’s home in eastern Poland. At first they tried to force the family to go to the local Catholic priest for confession and to obtain a certificate from him verifying that they had done so. When Bible truths were presented, the mob went mad. They mercilessly struck Brother Ziemcow with clubs and repeatedly ordered him to kiss a cross. In their efforts to force him to renounce the Bible and return to the Catholic Church, they beat him into unconsciousness. Then, after reviving him with cold water, they literally beat him to death. After committing this murder, they calmly sat down and ate supper before beating the rest of the family into unconsciousness.

On June 12 another murder occurred. Aleksander Kulesza, from the Podlasie area, had gone to care for Brother Kadziela and his family, who had been attacked the previous night. A terrifying sight awaited him. He found it difficult even to recognize the victims! After administering help, Brother Kulesza and his family returned home, little knowing that they had already been singled out as the next victims.

That evening a gang surrounded their house and, egged on by the local parish priest, mistreated the family for six hours. So determined was the mob to force Brother Kulesza into returning to the Catholic Church that they beat him to death. His son Jerzy, though severely beaten on that occasion, entered the full-time ministry two years later and continues in that service to this day.

In 1947 a review of acts perpetrated against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland to try to convert them to Catholicism revealed that 4,000 persons had been mistreated​—60 of them murdered. The Narodowe Siły Zbrojne had launched some 800 attacks against Jehovah’s Witnesses in their homes.  Of these modern-day Witnesses of Jehovah, it can truthfully be said, even as of Jehovah’s ancient witnesses: “The world was not worthy of them.”​—Heb. 11:38.

“A ‘Middle Ages’ Bloody September”

Catholic clergymen had inculcated in their flocks fanatic intolerance of anything that was not in line with the Catholic religion. Representing Poland’s dominant religion, they often took unfair advantage of school youths as well as of adults, using them to commit acts of mob violence.

When Jehovah’s Witnesses held a district convention in Lublin in 1948, the clergy inflamed their flocks by claiming that the Witnesses had come from all parts of Poland to destroy local Catholic sanctuaries. The faithful were called upon to defend their churches and their city. A crowd of religious fanatics attacked. On that occasion, armed policemen, assigned to care for convention security, pulled the more aggressive ringleaders into cars and drove them as much as 20 miles [30 km] out of the city before freeing them far from transportation routes.

The situation was somewhat different on September 5, 1948, when the Witnesses were attending a circuit assembly in Piotrków Trybunalski, a town about 70 miles [120 km] from Warsaw. The missionaries, Brothers Behunick and Muhaluk, were present. By five o’clock in the afternoon, a large menacing crowd had gathered nearby, waiting for the program to end so that they could get their hands on “the bishops,” as they called the missionaries. When the Witnesses left the hall, a mob of several hundred attacked, beating some, including the missionaries, into unconsciousness. The injured were taken to Holy Trinity Hospital, where their wounds were dressed. But hospital personnel, under the influence of the nuns there, refused to permit them to remain in the hospital.

 Initially the press made no mention of the incident. But shortly after the American embassy in Warsaw was supplied with details as to what had happened, news services in the United States reported the mob action.

Less than three weeks later​—almost like the second act in “a ‘Middle Ages’ Bloody September,” as one magazine called it—​something else happened in the same region, stirring up public opinion. A group of university students responded to a request made by the Ministry of Culture and Arts that the architectural relics, sculptures, and paintings located in the vicinity of Piotrków Trybunalski be cataloged. The ministry obtained permission from ecclesiastical authorities, and the students began work in a local church.

But in Kamiensk, a nearby town, a parish priest’s overly zealous housekeeper stormed into the church and began calling the students names. She claimed they were not students at all but were Jehovah’s Witnesses, who, she said, go about breaking crosses, profaning churches, and desecrating tombs. Although none of the students were Jehovah’s Witnesses, the priest ordered the students to leave the church immediately. Rumor spread throughout nearby villages like wildfire. Explanations were of no avail. A frenzied crowd, armed with clubs, pitchforks, and stones, brutally beat the youths, hospitalizing six of them.

This time the authorities were quick to react. The instigators, including the parish priest and his housekeeper, were arrested and sentenced to long prison terms. This episode at least slowed down the attempts of the clergy to employ mob violence as a tool against the Witnesses.

Official Harassment

Once again, however, a dramatic change in the political climate was under way in Poland. Those coming into power sought to make religion subservient to the State.

 As already noted, in February 1946 an official in the district security office in Łódź had endeavored to enlist the Witnesses as spies against the Catholic Church, but the Witnesses had refused. When a secret police agent revisited the branch office four months later, he again insisted that the brothers do the bidding of the police, promising the best halls for meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses if they cooperated but warning of grave consequences if they did not. “Nobody can stop us,” he threatened upon leaving.

Later on, permission to hold certain assemblies was canceled; in other instances the police tried to disperse those who came to attend. In May 1949, during a circuit assembly near Chełm, the police ordered that the program be stopped. When the brothers in charge continued, they were arrested. The Witnesses reassembled on the final day, and a baptism talk was delivered by a brother who had taken the place of one who had been arrested. That afternoon about a thousand persons came to the public talk. The police arrested one speaker after another. As soon as one was taken away, another would step in to take his place. Before the day was over, 27 different brothers had spoken!

Missionaries Expelled

On July 24, 1949, two years and four months after their arrival in Poland, Stefan Behunick and Paweł Muhaluk were forced to leave the country. In private notes about those years of service, Brother Behunick wrote: “Now, in 1949, work in the branch is already better organized. There is greater cooperation between the congregations. We already have three districts, and in June we had 13,699 publishers, twice as many as in 1947 when we [missionaries] arrived. There are 710 active congregations, and 45 persons are working in the branch office. Our activity is tolerated, and house-to-house preaching is continuing.”

 Actually, by 1949, the activity of the Witnesses had been tolerated longer than anticipated. A year earlier, in 1948, the minister of justice had spoken on the subject “Religious Freedom in the Soviet Union.” During his talk, delivered in the hall of the district court in Łódź, he stated that religious minorities in the Soviet Union had unilaterally and voluntarily dissolved themselves and joined the church that was officially recognized by the State. Jehovah’s Witnesses understood this ‘voluntary dissolving’ of religious minorities in the Soviet Union to mean that a similar process would soon take place in Poland. They began preparing to work underground.

At the same time, in accord with a new law on associations, the Witnesses submitted to the authorities a proposed charter that described the Watch Tower Society’s activity. They asked that it be legally registered in accordance with the new legal situation.

Meanwhile, more people were flocking into the organization. Ten consecutive publisher peaks were reached, with 18,116 publishers in 864 congregations reporting in March 1950. That year, the Memorial of Christ’s death was attended by 28,918 persons. What strong evidence that there were still many prospective worshipers of Jehovah in Poland!

No Thought of Giving Way to Fear

Then, during the night of April 21, 1950, a large group of UB agents, entering through a window, raided the Łódź branch office. It was claimed that Bethel workers were spying for the United States and were “trying to overturn by force the government of the Polish People’s Republic.” The UB agents exhaustively searched the premises for evidence. Of course, nothing was found. But documents dealing with the Witnesses’ religious activity were confiscated. The next day the Society’s directors were arrested.

 Those left behind at the branch decided to print as many magazines as possible and to distribute these to the congregations. They used up the entire supply of paper, about 20 tons, and sent out the literature. Then they hid the mimeograph and other machines, as well as the files. Continuing to work at the branch under these circumstances required a great deal of courage. During this time they received letters from supposedly interested persons asking the brothers to meet them at certain locations in the city. The real aim, however, was simply to lure the brothers out into the streets, where some Bethel brothers were in fact kidnapped. After that happened, the others left the premises only in larger groups.

On the evening of June 21, Bethel was again raided. This time almost everyone was arrested. The brothers were loaded into an open truck and driven through Łódź. The guards mocked that it was like taking a holiday excursion. “If so,” suggested a brother, “then let’s sing.” And suddenly, ignoring the protests of the guards, these courageous servants of Jehovah began singing: “He that is faithful, he that is loyal, never will give way to fear.”

 That same night the homes of hundreds of Witnesses throughout the country were searched. Many brothers were arrested. Foes of God’s Kingdom wanted to disband the organization and force Jehovah’s Witnesses into silence.

Not until after all of this, on July 2, 1950, did the Office for Religious Affairs announce to the media its rejection of the application for registration of the Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland. The arbitrary announcement stated that the organization was now dissolved and that its property was to be expropriated by the State.

UB Torture Chambers

For many Witnesses this wave of arrests and investigations was the start of a long period of torture and suffering. Investigators tried to force them to confess to crimes of which they were not guilty, especially to acting in behalf of foreign intelligence services. Attempts were also made to persuade the brothers to become UB informants. According to unpublished UB statistics, 90 percent of what that source referred to as “the sect’s members” came in for repressive treatment. As a result, the number who were able to report sharing in the field service temporarily dropped to half.

Wilhelm Scheider was interrogated for eight days and nights without interruption. By administering beastly beatings, interrogators tried to force him to plead guilty to the charges they had fabricated. When he lost consciousness, he was doused with cold water until he revived. He was given nothing to eat and nothing to drink and once was forced to kneel for 72 hours at a stretch. Later he was transferred from Łódź to Warsaw and then was thrown naked into a cramped dungeon for 24 days. There he could not sit, lie down, or stand erect. In a further attempt to force him to compromise, the UB arrested and mistreated his wife and daughter. But nothing broke his integrity.

The same treatment was meted out to Harald Abt, the  branch secretary. For six days nonstop, he was interrogated, all the while being beaten on the head and punched in the stomach. “Even though you spent five years in a camp because of being against Nazism, we will still be able to prove you to have been a Gestapo man,” he was told.

Edward Kwiatosz was brutally beaten and given no food for three days. Ruthless investigators threatened to hang him. They made him go without sleep for two weeks. He was beaten on the heels with rubber clubs. His ribs and nose were broken, his skull caved in, and an eardrum was perforated. Altogether, he suffered 32 days of ill-treatment. But he was not intimidated into falsely accusing his brothers in order to get relief for himself.​—Compare Job 2:4.

Other brothers were mistreated similarly. Some of them, when interrogated by their tormentors, were made to sit on a stool with a spike protruding from the center of the seat. This was called the “Roman treatment.” All of this they suffered simply for being Jehovah’s Witnesses, for refusing to sign statements that were filled with lies, and for refusing to bear false witness against their Christian brothers.

Some brothers were taken to prison in Zawiercie in 1950 because they refused to sign the political Stockholm Appeal. First to arrive there was Władysław Drabek from Poręba. He was locked in a dark dungeon with water reaching to his knees. He could rest a little by sitting with bent knees on top of some timber in a corner. Two days later the cell was packed with brothers. All had refused to sign the Appeal. From time to time, the guards gave the prisoners buckets in which to relieve themselves. If they did not use them when provided, they were not given a second chance. Understandably, after a few days, the water stank abominably.

A lifetime would be too short to relate every example of mistreatment that Jehovah’s Witnesses suffered after the mass arrests of 1950. The integrity of God’s servants was  severely tested, and not surprisingly, some died as a result of the inhuman treatment.

Faithful Even to Death

Brother J. Szlauer was only 20 years old when, in August 1950, he was summoned to UB quarters in Cieszyn for interrogation. He steadfastly refused to denounce fellow believers. Frustrated, the interrogator shot him twice during the inquiry, and after an hour this young servant of Jehovah died. But before his death he managed to tell the doctor: “I was shot by the UB officer because I was faithful to Jehovah.”

Other Witnesses suffered for years before death finally brought release. A traveling overseer, Alojzy Prostak from Kraków, was arrested in May 1952 in Szczecin. After two years of being held in custody in Warsaw and Łódź, he was so battered and exhausted that he had to be hospitalized. Acting at the suggestion of an attorney, his wife succeeded in having him released in 1954, but he died a week later. About 2,000 persons attended his funeral. The brother who courageously delivered his funeral talk at the cemetery used the occasion to protest the sadistic methods UB agents used when interrogating the Witnesses. Afterward he himself was forced to go into hiding in order to avoid arrest.

By 1956, reports revealed that 16 brothers, in all parts of Poland, had died because of UB torture or because of having been refused medical care. (Additional cases later came to light.) The corpses of these brothers were usually sent to the bereaved families in closed coffins, which they were not permitted to open. In other cases, they did not learn about the death of a loved one until many months had elapsed.

A Trial Behind Closed Doors

Survivors of this inhuman treatment described attempts that were made to force them to testify against the Society’s directors. Two brothers did break down under torture and  let themselves be forced to give false testimony. But the UB also fabricated “evidence” of its own.

Using this, they staged a trial in Warsaw behind closed doors from March 16 to 22, 1951. Despite the danger to themselves, other Witnesses of Jehovah gathered in front of the courthouse in large numbers, hoping by their presence to encourage their brothers to endure faithfully.

By using paramedic vans, which were driven into the inner courtyard, the officials tried to get the defendants into the courtroom without their being seen. However, when the prisoners emerged from the vans, children of our brothers who had been able to get close to the courtyard wall shouted words of encouragement, a reminder to the defendants that they were not alone.

 Seven brothers sat in the prisoners’ dock: four members of the board of directors of the Society’s legal corporation in Poland and three other brothers who for various reasons were viewed as important to the organization. The public prosecutor demanded capital punishment for Wilhelm Scheider. The Court sentenced him to life imprisonment. The other three directors were sentenced to 15 years apiece, the rest to shorter terms. All were placed in a maximum-security prison.

What Next?

With loving concern for all the congregations, two district servants who had managed to avoid detention, along with several other experienced brothers, began making plans to supply the brotherhood with spiritual food. They devised a communications system that proved effective for almost 40 years. Circuit overseers were appointed to carry on the work formerly done by those imprisoned, and by the end of 1952, despite constant harassment, the number preaching to others about God’s Kingdom had increased to 19,991!

This was not what the security forces had expected. Their plan had been to rid Poland of Jehovah’s Witnesses within two years. Angered by their failure, they plotted what they viewed as a final, knockout blow. A new wave of arrests ensued. Four members of the Country Committee, as well as other zealous brothers and sisters, were seized. Plans were made for holding a show trial in Łódź.

During the months before the trial, one of the brothers died, several suffered nervous breakdowns, and another, Zygfryd Adach, was released because of a serious illness he contracted while in prison. After more than two years of preparation, a five-day trial began on March 10, 1955. The result was the handing down of the severest verdicts since the Warsaw trial. Three members of the Country Committee,  Jan Lorek, Tadeusz Chodara, and Władysław Szklarzewicz, were sentenced to 12 years in prison each.

Did that frighten other Witnesses into silence?

Youths Demonstrate Faith and Courage

Even young Witnesses attending school held firm to their faith. True, at school they were bombarded with atheistic ideas. Those who resisted were mocked. Political matters were often included in the curriculum, and attendance at marches or demonstrations was compulsory. Some schools introduced military classes. Those who conscientiously objected to participation were usually expelled.

But instead of becoming disheartened, many of these young Witnesses went into the pioneer service, thereby making a major contribution to the spread of the Kingdom message. In 1954, with due caution, a number of special meetings lasting several days were held with the pioneers. They were given information from some of the talks delivered in New York during the 1953 international New World Society Assembly. What a source of spiritual refreshment! How strengthening to be reminded in this way that they were part of the loving worldwide brotherhood of Jehovah’s people!

And what were the brothers in prison doing?

Prisons​—A Field for Evangelizing

Władysław Przybysz, imprisoned for the first time from 1952 to 1956 and released the fourth time in 1969, recalls: “A prison sentence was accepted as being a work assignment in territory not accessible to others.” As a result of the preaching done behind prison bars, many prisoners heard about Jehovah and his marvelous purposes. The imprisoned brothers also organized small groups and arranged to hold short meetings daily. Even behind prison bars, “the number of the disciples kept multiplying.”​—Acts 6:7.

 Thanks to the exemplary behavior of the Witnesses, there was also a gradual change in the attitude of some of the prison personnel. Romuald Stawski remembers that in one prison the menu was changed so that the Witnesses were no longer tested by being given food containing blood. One day two large food containers were brought into the cell, one full of blood sausage, the other containing vegetable soup. “This [soup] is just for the Witnesses,” the guard stressed.

Prison Doors Swing Open

However, by 1956 the official attitude toward Jehovah’s Witnesses began to change. In the spring a district overseer from Kraków was released from prison and was told that the authorities were ready to negotiate with the Witnesses. The matter was given consideration, and an official delegation of three brothers was chosen to approach the Office for Religious Affairs.

The three brothers emphasized that they were interested only in getting information, that the only ones authorized to negotiate were the Society’s imprisoned directors. But the Office for Religious Affairs manifested no willingness to deal with convicts. A second meeting also ended without apparent results when the three brothers stressed that as far as the Witnesses were concerned, the imprisoned directors were innocent.

Soon, however, many brothers and sisters, some imprisoned since 1950, were being released. Included were three members of the board of directors and the members of the Country Committee who had been sentenced later. Finally, in August 1956, Wilhelm Scheider was also freed. What had happened?

More was involved than political changes. The two brothers mentioned earlier who had given false testimony retracted it, and on this basis the charges against the directors  were formally dropped. But there was more to it. Officials could see that Jehovah’s Witnesses were growing in numbers, and at a rapid rate. Within three years the number of Kingdom publishers had reached 37,411, an increase of 87 percent! Later, in 1972, a well-informed agent of the security service acknowledged: “We see that making announcements about the court trials of Jehovah’s Witnesses and about their propaganda has not weakened the organization but has had just the opposite effect.” Loyalty to Jehovah had won the day!

Increased Activity in the Face of Legal Obstacles

Once released, the brothers promptly gave attention to the spiritual needs of the congregations and to the public preaching of the good news. Kingdom Ministry, which offered fine counsel on how to preach and how to make disciples, was provided for the brothers. Despite continuing difficulties, the congregations were being visited regularly by traveling overseers and were zealous in theocratic activity.

The Polish Constitution officially guaranteed the freedom to practice religion, and Jehovah’s Witnesses accepted that guarantee. Preaching from house to house was part of their worship, so they engaged in it. Still, when the brothers were in the field service, the police arrested them “for being a part of” what was described as “an association whose existence, makeup, and purpose is kept hidden from the State in a shroud of mystery.” A new phase of the legal fight for religious freedom was about to begin.

The brothers patiently repeated their position in court and in letters that they or their legal representatives wrote to the authorities. Finally, in May 1963, seven judges of the Supreme Court ruled: “Dissolving the religious association logically means the banning of every form of organizational activity but does not influence individual or private worship, which is not punishable.” The brothers understood that to  mean that individual preaching from house to house was not to be considered illegal.

Now the Witnesses proceeded with even greater vigor in the work of the spiritual harvest. (Matt. 9:37) The number of active publishers increased rapidly, especially in large cities. The situation in sparsely populated areas, on the other hand, was less positive. So the brothers in southern Poland began organizing auxiliary pioneer groups to be sent to territories where the need was greater. Later these became known as pioneer centers. Each group, usually consisting of a dozen or so persons, stayed in farm buildings belonging to the brothers or, often, in tents.

This activity gained momentum as many publishers served as auxiliary pioneers at least once a year from the pioneer centers. Newly started Bible studies were turned over to publishers from the nearest congregation. Even today this method is sometimes used. It is apparent that it has had Jehovah’s blessing.

Progress in Supplying Spiritual Food

Jehovah, as a loving Father, also provides his people with spiritual food, doing so even when they experience adversity. Despite persecution, literature was delivered to the congregations on a fairly regular basis.

At first only very primitive manual mimeographing devices were available for reproducing Bible literature. A brother recalls: “The quality of print was poor and the number of copies small. Mimeographing required much paper. It had to be brought to where the work was done, and then the finished magazines had to be distributed, all of this, of course, under the cover of darkness. If a location was discovered by the police, it meant several years of imprisonment for the landlord and the workers.”

 More was needed, however, than just the ability to reproduce some literature. There was a need to increase the quantity of what was printed and to improve the quality of the printing. So in the late 1950’s, a Rotaprint offset press, a small machine, was obtained; later, others were added. A kindly disposed manager of a small printery in Kraków showed our brothers how to use the machine and how to prepare aluminum stencils. These stencils were much more durable, so more copies could be made in less time.

Later a brother mastered the art of photochemical platemaking​—which he even learned at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Then the brothers themselves proceeded to manufacture the necessary equipment. It proved to be a success. Now the size of type could be photographically reduced, thus getting more text on the same amount of hard-to-get paper. Books were printed in addition to magazines, the first book being From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, published in Poland in 1960.

There were many problems. For example, more electric power was now required. To avoid arousing suspicion, the brothers arranged to bypass the electric meter. But for the sake of conscience, they made anonymous remittances to the power company. Security forces once discovered one of the Witnesses’ “bakeries,” as the printeries were called, near Gdańsk. The workers were taken to court and charged, among other things, with stealing electricity. But once the brothers proved that they had actually made anonymous payments for the power used, this charge was dropped. An excellent witness was given.

According to statistics of the security forces, between 1956 and 1969, they uncovered and put out of operation 34 of the Witnesses’ literature production and distribution centers. One of their officers from Bydgoszcz bragged: “The  Intelligence Service is so well organized that a secret printery of Jehovah’s Witnesses can be located within no more than six months.”

This was quite an overstatement. Nonetheless, every Rotaprint confiscated meant a real loss. These complicated machines were not manufactured anywhere in Poland, and because of State control it was very difficult to buy them. Therefore, a large proportion of those we had​—about 50 of them—​were produced by our own brothers, with Jehovah’s support.

Could the Organization Be Weakened From Within?

Because direct attack proved unsuccessful, the authorities made attempts to destroy the unity of the Witnesses from within. Enemies began publishing a counterfeit Watchtower containing information that slandered Jehovah’s loyal servants. An unidentified “committee of twelve” circulated letters​—using addresses taken from files of the security service—​that viciously attacked prominent brothers. But the sheep knew the voice of their Shepherd and could distinguish between truth and falsehood.​—John 10:27.

By the end of the 1950’s, it was evident that the 1956 thaw was about to end. It seemed appropriate to declare the good news on the greatest scale possible while it could still be done. There were outstanding increases, but an unhealthy spirit of competition developed among some. As a result, many new publishers failed to measure up to the Bible’s requirements. An interested person began to be viewed as a publisher if he merely nodded when asked whether he had spoken to someone about the Kingdom hope as Jehovah’s Witnesses do. Consequently, the slogan came into use: “Today interested, tomorrow a publisher.” Many of them were not even attending meetings. Thus, in March 1959, when 84,061 publishers reported, not even that many attended  the Memorial. Easily such a situation would weaken the spiritual strength of the organization.​—1 Cor. 3:5-7.

Corrective measures were taken. Slowly the number of publishers dropped, finally leveling off at about 50,000. It took almost 29 years​—until January 1988—​before a new peak of publishers was reached again. But this time they were real publishers, 84,559 of them!

Coordinated Legal Action

In view of the numerous court cases the Witnesses faced, the brothers took steps to coordinate the handling of their legal defense. There were a few gifted and courageous attorneys who were willing to represent them. Sound legal arguments were presented, but emphasis was placed on what the Witnesses believe and teach from God’s Word. As a  consequence, every trial resulted in a witness to judges and public alike. Romuald Stawski, who has looked after legal affairs for Jehovah’s Witnesses, remembers one month when there were 30 trials, not including those on matters of Christian neutrality. Attendance at Witness trials grew until it reached some 30,000 persons annually.​—Matt. 10:18.

At times, government officials openly expressed their hatred for the Witnesses. For example, in Poznań during the trial of six traveling overseers, a sister testified that the public prosecutor had told her that if Hitler were still alive, ‘he would quickly straighten out the matter of Jehovah’s Witnesses.’ This prosecutor later added that he would personally be willing to shoot thousands of Witnesses.

But for what reason? The religious activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses posed absolutely no threat to the authorities. This was clearly demonstrated at another trial in Poznań, when a defense attorney recalled that a crowd had stormed a penitentiary in 1956, releasing all its prisoners, including three Witnesses sentenced to long prison terms. But​—so read the minutes of the garrison military court—​all three Witnesses “immediately and voluntarily surrendered to the People’s Militia.”

More “Weapons”​—No Lasting Success

The authorities did not stop trying to find some “weapon” that would achieve their aim of bringing the organization of Jehovah’s servants under their control. In 1961 they perhaps felt that they were succeeding. By promising greater freedom of movement, they induced 15 spiritually weak brothers to apply for the registration of a denomination that would act independently of the international association of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But the brothers in general did not support it. Two years later the registration application itself was rejected.

So the opposers tried another device. They searched for  some “influential” persons who could be blackmailed. Again, they seemed to have success. They found a brother in a principal position of responsibility who was violating Christian standards of morality. Brothers assigned to check into the charges against this overseer were suddenly arrested. He destroyed documents incriminating himself. Then other brothers began to receive letters supposedly from friends who either discredited respected brothers and tried to clear the erring one or vice versa. Understandably, this caused confusion among the brothers, which is exactly what the authorities wanted.

But Jehovah knew what was happening. (Heb. 4:13) In time, indisputable proof was presented to show what had actually taken place, and the immoral one who had allowed himself to become a pawn of the opposers was disfellowshipped. The trap was broken. Thus another weapon against Jehovah’s servants had had no lasting success.​—Ps. 124:7.

In 1972, opposers thought they had found a new weapon. An officer in the security service had for many years collected slanderous material against the Witnesses. He was now using it to write a thesis in pursuit of his Doctor of Arts degree. Entitled “The Contents and Form of Propaganda Used by the Sect of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Polish People’s Republic,” it was designed to serve later as a manual for legal officials in their fight against the Witnesses.

Before the degree could be conferred, however, the thesis had to be defended in a public discussion. This was usually just a formality. But as soon as the brothers found out when and where this was to occur, they made it a matter of prayer. Despite having little time to prepare, they decided to use this as an opportunity to defend Jehovah’s name and his people.

Thus, on May 31, 1972, when Henryk Skibiński presented his venomous thesis at the University in Toruń, Jehovah’s  Witnesses were in the audience. Skibiński claimed that Jehovah’s Witnesses were hostile to the State and its allies, were spies of an unfriendly superpower, and were enemies, among other things, of science, blood transfusions, and evolution. But he did feel obliged to mention that they were known to be conscientious and honest citizens. The professor who would confer the degree as well as the reviewers then spoke. Afterward, those in attendance were asked to express themselves.

Brother Jan Waldemar Rynkiewicz from Bydgoszcz seized the opportunity to speak at length, thoroughly refuting the charge that Jehovah’s Witnesses were hostile to the State and were spies. He pointed out inconsistencies in Mr. Skibiński’s thesis and the partiality in his argumentation. (He had, for example, entirely omitted the fact that the courts had abandoned the accusation of espionage and had vindicated many of the Witnesses.) Furthermore, Brother Rynkiewicz  drew special attention to the contribution made by the Witnesses to nonblood surgery​—another point that Mr. Skibiński had omitted. The examining board accepted the documents that Brother Rynkiewicz submitted. Brothers Zygmunt Sawicki and Józef Rajchel, who were also in the audience, then courageously presented the Bible’s view of Christian involvement in politics and worldly conflicts. All in attendance listened with rapt attention. During his attempted refutation, Mr. Skibiński lost his temper, and the chairman was forced to cut him off. The Doctor of Arts degree was not conferred, much to the chagrin of Skibiński’s relatives and friends, who were left standing with flowers in their hands but with no one to congratulate.

Thus, exactly 50 years after the Witnesses had had a famous discussion with Jesuits in Kraków, another group of Witnesses had also fought a victorious battle​—this time with an equally desperate, atheistic adversary. From that time on, the authorities were somewhat less enthusiastic about trying to justify their persecution of the Witnesses. Also, the way in which officials dealt with Jehovah’s Witnesses began to change.

Forest Conventions

In the late 1960’s, besides holding regular congregation meetings in private homes, Witnesses from the Śląsk Cieszyński area began to meet in larger groups in the forest during the summers. Shortly thereafter arrangements were made to prepare a convention program centrally, and these meetings, called forest conventions, were held throughout the country.

At first the authorities prosecuted the organizers and those who attended. But was there really any harm in what the Witnesses were doing? They were simply discussing God’s Word. As time passed, the officials grew accustomed to these  assemblies of Jehovah’s people. They steadily grew in size. In the beginning, only a few dozen brothers came; by the 1970’s, there were usually hundreds.

In the late 1970’s, the program included a Bible drama and, oftentimes, arrangements for baptism. Microphones, loudspeakers, and tape recorders came into use. In some places these conventions took on a more normal character, being held at definite places prepared beforehand.

Members of the Governing Body Visit

At the end of November 1977, Frederick Franz, Theodore Jaracz, and Daniel Sydlik, from the international headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, were granted permission to visit Poland. This was the first official visit by members of the Governing Body. They spoke to overseers, pioneers, and longtime Witnesses in various cities, telling them of theocratic progress in other lands and answering numerous  questions. The congregations responded to the visit with increased Kingdom activity.

A year later Milton Henschel and Theodore Jaracz visited Poland. This time they made a courtesy call at the Office for Religious Affairs. During the ensuing years, the Governing Body was able to give more attention to the work in Poland and established closer ties with overseers throughout the country. With greater exposure to such welcome theocratic direction and influence, responsible brothers in Poland were now in a position to implement arrangements and make provisions for the local organization similar to those benefiting God’s people in many other lands. At the same time, a noteworthy change was observed as government representatives began showing a more tolerant attitude toward us and our activities.

Enjoying Austrian Hospitality

By the end of the 1970’s, some of the brothers were able to attend district conventions outside Poland, first in Lille, France, and later in Denmark. Then, in the summer of 1980, something unusual happened.

Even though the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses was still banned, about 2,000 Witnesses received official permission to attend the “Divine Love” District Convention in Vienna, Austria. The Austrian brothers welcomed their guests hospitably. In the large tent set up for the Polish sessions, everyone followed the program appreciatively.

To close the convention, the various language groups all assembled in the nearby stadium. Unitedly, each group in its own language sang “We Thank You, Jehovah.” Even after sharing together in the closing prayer, no one wanted to leave. Loving Austrian hosts had extended hospitality to guests not only from Poland but from Hungary, Yugoslavia, and other lands as well. Now, amid prolonged applause, eyes  filled with tears of joy. These were true Christians rejoicing in the unity that had removed the painful barriers so typical of the old, dying world!

The “Kingdom Loyalty” Convention held in Austria the following year was attended by more than 5,000 Polish Witnesses. This time the Austrian brothers met in a tent and gave their guests the stadium facilities. Moreover, the Polish guests were allowed to help organize the convention, thus gaining valuable experience that would later prove beneficial when they would prepare large conventions inside Poland.

A Decade of Historic Conventions at Home

The same year that those 5,000 Polish Witnesses held convention sessions in a stadium in Austria, local officials in Gdańsk allowed the Witnesses to hold a convention in the Olivia Hall. In attendance, on July 5, 1981, was an audience of 5,751. Witnesses in the Kraków area were also granted the use of a small sports hall that year. There, in Skawina, two “Kingdom Loyalty” Conventions were held.

Things were indeed looking up. But, alas, on December 13, 1981, Poland was put under martial law! Armed police and military patrols took up their stations throughout the country. All passing cars were checked. Public meetings were forbidden. What would this mean for us?

During the first few weeks, it became apparent that the Witnesses, known for their stand of Christian neutrality, could meet in private homes without difficulty. Despite travel restrictions, circuit overseers were still able to visit the congregations. Literature, although still published out of public view, continued to reach the brothers.

But the summer of 1982 was fast approaching. What about district conventions? The borders were closed, so no one would be able to travel to another country. Strict enforcement of martial law ruled out any possibility of forest  conventions. What could be done? The brothers approached the owners of sports halls to ask whether these could be rented for convention purposes. Permission was granted! The news was received with enthusiasm, and more than 80 spiritual feasts were held throughout the country.

In 1983, fewer but larger district conventions were held, mostly in rented halls. For the first time, Witnesses from countries of Western Europe were allowed to attend. Altogether, 114,166 were present, and 2,388 were baptized.

Would it be possible for Jehovah’s Witnesses to hold international conventions of major proportions in Poland? During the summer of 1984, the brothers asked the authorities for permission to rent four large stadiums for such conventions in 1985. Months went by without reply. Until the middle of February 1985, it was still uncertain whether permission would be granted. At last, approval was received! Time was limited. Intense work got under way to finalize the many details involved in order to hold four 3-day conventions, in Chorzów, Warsaw, Wrocław, and Poznań. More than 94,000 persons attended, including hundreds of guests from abroad. How they rejoiced to see 3,140 new servants of Jehovah get baptized! They listened with rapt attention and deep appreciation to the program, including talks delivered by four members of the Governing Body.

Polish television later made two documentaries about the life and activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland. These programs incorporated scenes from the conventions. Entitled “Good News About the Kingdom” and “Integrity Keepers,” both programs were shown on nationwide television.

Holding Firmly to Theocratic Order

It should not be concluded, however, that all pressure from official sources had ceased. Even though Witnesses at the congregation level were not being hindered as they  preached from house to house, brothers in responsible positions carried a heavy load. Remember, the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses still did not have legal recognition; the ban had never officially been lifted. Conventions had to be arranged by selected brothers who obtained permission for them as private individuals. Attempts were made to censor parts of the convention program. But these brothers were determined to do nothing without the approval of the Governing Body.

A situation involving the traveling overseers arose in 1984. A martial law decree still in effect required all men between 20 and 45 years of age to do secular work. On the basis of this law, traveling overseers were summoned to the government’s provincial religious departments. There the brothers were presented with prepared certificates containing their territory assignment. On the surface this looked like a legalization of their work, but the certificates had to be renewed periodically, and any change in territory or assignment had to be reported. The brothers firmly rejected the arrangement. Their assignments as shepherds of the flock were theocratic, not subject to approval or regulation by secular authorities.

Spiritual Food in Abundance

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland have beautiful literature for personal study and for use in their public ministry. But the road leading to this situation has not been strewn with roses. For years, their printing equipment had been confiscated whenever it could be found. Then efforts were made by the authorities to gain at least semiofficial control of what was being produced by the brothers in their “bakeries,” or printeries.

However, the brothers suggested that they be permitted to import books, brochures, and magazines from abroad.  Like other religious publications, these would, according to law, be exempt from censorship. At first, this seemed like an impossible goal, even though the brothers emphasized the socially educational value of their Bible-based literature. But their persistence finally paid off.

In 1984 permission was granted to import up to 60,000 copies of My Book of Bible Stories from the United States. Later, approval was received for them to get even larger numbers of the brochures “Look! I Am Making All Things New” and The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever. It took somewhat longer before the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth could be imported, but once it was, imagine the joy of having a quarter of a million copies! Thereafter, usually with less difficulty, books and brochures were supplied in most cases by the Society’s branch in Selters/​Taunus, Germany. In 1989 this included the book Life​—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation?, an appropriate, albeit controversial, subject in atheistic countries.

In mid-1988​—almost a year before the Watch Tower Society became the legal representative of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland—​four-color editions of the semimonthly Watchtower and the monthly Awake! began to arrive regularly. Presently, hundreds of thousands of copies are being received, and the number grows steadily. Throughout the country, people have become accustomed to seeing The Watchtower and Awake! in Polish offered to them by Jehovah’s Witnesses on the streets and at railway stations, as well as when publishers call at their homes. Since April 1, 1989, the Polish Watchtower has been published simultaneously with the English edition, as is true of scores of other languages.

This huge amount of literature, of high quality both in form and in content, has helped to spread the good news of  God’s Kingdom on an unprecedented scale. The number of Bible studies conducted with honesthearted persons has multiplied to over 80,000, helping more and more people onto the road that leads to everlasting life. Jesus Christ has clearly opened wide a door of opportunity in this land.​—Compare Revelation 3:7, 8.

Kingdom Halls Reappear

During the severe years of ban, there were, of course, no Kingdom Halls. But in the early 1980’s, they began to reappear. They were unofficial and were set up in buildings owned by Witnesses. In 1986 a seminar was held for representatives from congregations that had already built a hall or were in the process of doing so. Technical and legal matters were discussed in detail.

By May 1993, the brothers had 644 Kingdom Halls that belonged to them. Another 257 were being rented, and 130 more were under construction.

Legal Recognition​—At Last!

Back in 1949, the petition for legal recognition submitted by Jehovah’s Witnesses had been rejected by government authorities. In subsequent years the brothers tried repeatedly to get legal recognition so that they might better represent the interests of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland. Often there simply was no reply.

Then, in 1985, to facilitate the importing of literature, a court-approved company was registered under the name Strażnica​—Wydawnictwo Wyznania Świadków Jehowy w Polsce (Watchtower—​The Publishing House of the Religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland). It was an important step in the direction of legalizing our publishing activity.

In 1987 another proposed charter was submitted to the Office for Religious Affairs. It had been carefully prepared  under the direction of the Governing Body. Two years of correspondence and discussion followed. Among the members of the delegation that spoke with the officials were two brothers who had signed the first registration application in 1949. Imagine their joy when, 40 years later, on May 12, 1989, the director of the Office for Religious Affairs approved the charter of the Strażnica​—Towarzystwo Biblijne i Traktatowe, Zarejestrowany Związek Wyznania Świadków Jehowy w Polsce (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Registered Religious Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland)! All branches of the media reported this news, and Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide rejoiced.

Making up the Association’s original board of directors were Harald Abt, Zygfryd Adach, Stanisław Kardyga, Edward Kwiatosz, Franciszek Mielczarek, Antoni Tomaszewski, and Adam Wojtyniak. However, in the years since the charter was approved, death has taken away two of these brothers​—Harald Abt * and Edward Kwiatosz, both of whom served Jehovah faithfully until death. They were replaced by Wiesław Jaśko and Jan Klaudiusz Skowron.

Getting legal recognition from the secular authorities was important here in Poland, but it is, of course, secondary to having the recognition and approval of Jehovah God, whose sovereignty will soon be vindicated before all creation.​—Rev. 4:11.

On a Scale Grander Than Ever Before

Shortly after legal registration had been accomplished, international “Godly Devotion” Conventions convened in Warsaw, Chorzów, and Poznań during the summer of 1989. Delegates from almost every continent rejoiced to be present, including thousands from other Eastern European lands, as  well as five members of the Governing Body. The program for foreign delegates in Chorzów, Poznań, and Warsaw was simultaneously translated into many languages. Attendance totaling 166,000 and a baptism figure of 6,093 were causes for great joy.

Then, on August 9-12, 1990, at Warsaw’s Dziesięciolecia Stadium another historic event took place. The Polish capital’s largest stadium was filled. Delegates from the Soviet Union sat on one side and their Polish brothers and hosts on the other. It was an unforgettable experience as each group listened to the program in its own language.

Just a few days previously, the success of the convention had been thrown into jeopardy. Soviet officials had announced travel restrictions for its nationals traveling to Poland. Soviet travel agents warned the Witnesses that they would be turned back at the border. But trusting in Jehovah, the brothers continued to make convention plans. Just in time, the date for introducing the travel restrictions was postponed until after the convention. Immediately, more than 17,000 Soviet Witnesses flooded across the border. The rich program of spiritual delicacies they enjoyed was an abundant reward for the sacrifices they had made to be there.

This was by no means the end. The next year, 1991, more conventions were held, this time in more cities. Again, Jehovah’s blessing was evident. Six days before the convention was to begin in Chorzów, the crew of a famous rock group scheduled for an upcoming concert at the stadium hung up a large advertising placard on the stadium tower. It depicted satanic images and symbols. The Convention Committee protested several times, asking that it be removed, but to no avail. They turned to Jehovah in heartfelt prayer. During the night, a sudden burst of wind ripped the placard to pieces, thereby solving the problem!

 In that same year, more than 22,000 Polish delegates were among the conventioners attending conventions in Budapest, Hungary; in Lviv, Ukraine; and in Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic. How they rejoiced in these opportunities to share in spiritual fellowship with others of the global brotherhood!

What could be done to provide a suitable center in Poland from which to provide oversight for the congregations and their preaching of the good news?

A Branch Office for Poland

After the loss of the office in Łódź in 1950, the departments generally found in a branch office were located, not under one roof, but in a variety of places for almost 40 years. Once the Religious Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses was legalized, this arrangement could be changed. A house at 17 Prosta Street in Marki, near Warsaw, was chosen as a temporary office from which to direct the work. Then a search got under way to find a permanent site for constructing a branch office.

In October 1989 appropriate property, including a deserted motel, was purchased in the small town of Nadarzyn, about 12 miles [20 km] southwest of Warsaw. The Society’s Regional Engineering Office in Europe drew up building plans, and construction soon began. At times as many as 600 volunteers were working at the construction site. So within the surprisingly short time of one year and eight months, a building complex where the Bethel family could live and work was finished. On November 28, 1992, the new facilities were officially dedicated.

Seeing the efficiency of the brothers and the way in which they worked, onlookers were amazed. In the newspaper Gazeta Stołeczna (Metropolitan Paper), an article entitled “In God’s Way” commented: “The work is in full swing; no one is standing around doing nothing. Everyone wears a  protective helmet during work. When concrete for the floors is to be poured on the following day, the carpenters work as long as necessary to finish the outside framework. It is unthinkable that the volunteers coming to work the next day should encounter delays. . . . The Witnesses’ main goal is to take the good news to everyone desiring it. The Bethel Home builders do not forget their mission. After work some of them take a Bible and a few issues of The Watchtower and head out to preach God’s Word from house to house. They have regular Bible discussions with many people in Nadarzyn and nearby.”

The brothers in Poland are grateful to Jehovah that it has been possible for them to complete this project. They are confident that the new branch office will facilitate theocratic activity in Poland. They also wish to express their gratitude to the global brotherhood who by prayers and practical assistance helped them, in so many different ways, to endure to see this day.

Determined to Keep On Enduring

Efforts of opposers, both religious and secular, to blot out Jehovah’s Witnesses have failed. The Witnesses are today the third-largest religious group in Poland! A large proportion of the populace who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses have relatives or acquaintances who are. In recent years the media have said and written much about the Witnesses, usually in an objective, and often even a positive, way. Large conventions contributed to this the most. But the brothers have also become more efficient in providing worthwhile information to the media.

Similarly, at the beginning of 1991, Hospital Liaison Committees were formed. Members of these committees have carried on beneficial discussions with medical personnel in many large Polish cities. This has led to a positive change in attitudes in medical circles toward Jehovah’s  Witnesses and their stand on blood transfusions. Regarding the hospital in Skwierzyna, the newspaper Ziemia Gorzowska reported: “The medical staff got used to their principles; blood is forced on nobody anymore.”

Some years ago, hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses were in prison because of their stand of Christian neutrality. Now, however, as baptized preachers, ordained ministers of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Poland are exempt from military service. Their exemption is granted by the government on the basis of a certificate issued by the Society to those who qualify. While no Witnesses are presently imprisoned for reasons of neutrality, they have not forgotten those prisoners whom they met in years past and who showed a sincere  interest in God’s Word. They continue to visit these, assisting them to conform their lives to his will.

What a joy to see that in 1993 the number of publishers in Poland reached a peak of 113,551. What countless reasons these tens of thousands of Witnesses have for being grateful to Jehovah! They have seen the truth passed down from generation to generation so that some Polish families today can pride themselves in knowing that the fifth generation is taking up the banner of truth! They have personally experienced the loving-kindness of a close-knit international Christian brotherhood! They have been witnesses of how Jehovah stood by them during very difficult times, giving them the needed strength to stay on the side of God’s heavenly Kingdom under Jesus Christ! They have experienced a strengthening of their faith and a deepening of their trust in the Creator, refined by countless trials and persecution!​—Jas. 1:2-4.

Therefore, it is not with a spirit of proud boasting but with humble gratitude for Jehovah’s loving care that they affirm the truthfulness of the divine promise: “Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success.”​—Isa. 54:17.

[Footnotes]

[Chart on page 252]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Publishers

125,000

100,000

75,000

50,000

25,000

0

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1993

Hours (millions)

20

16

12

 8

 4

 0

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1993

 [Map on page 170]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Gdańsk

Chojnice

Gorzów Wielkopolski

Bydgoszcz

Białystok

Nadarzyn

Poznań

Warsaw

Łódź

Wrocław

Lublin

Kielce

Katowice

Kraków

[Pictures on page 183]

Here in Kraków, Franciszek Puchała offered a sizable reward to anyone who could prove from the Bible certain fundamental church teachings

[Pictures on page 191]

Wilhelm and Amelia Scheider soon after they began their Bethel service in Poland

[Pictures on page 193]

Jan Śmieszko, who was tried for blasphemy in this courthouse in Chojnice; the priest who testified against him admitted defeat

[Picture on page 197]

A group of Witnesses in southern Poland ready for activity, in 1933

[Picture on page 199]

When “Złoty Wiek” (The Golden Age) was banned, the brothers changed the name to “Nowy Dzień” (New Day)

[Pictures on page 202]

A few of those who proved their faith in prisons and concentration camps: (1) Paulina Woelfle, 5 years. (2) Jan Otre̗bski, 4 years. (3) Harald and Elsa Abt; he, 14 years; she, 7. (4) Franz Schipp, 3 years

[Pictures on page 207]

In 1940, Jan Sadowski (as seen then and now) seized the opportunity to witness at length to a large crowd in this cemetery

[Picture on page 215]

Enthusiastic Polish Witnesses, 5,300 of them, gathered at Katowice for postwar convention in 1946

[Pictures on page 216]

Branch office at Łódź, in 1948, and the Bethel family that served there

[Picture on page 217]

Henryka Żur, martyred three years after this photo because she would not make the Catholic sign of the cross

[Picture on page 223]

Paweł Muhaluk (left) and Stefan Behunick, missionaries expelled from Poland

[Pictures on page 227]

In this court in Warsaw, heavy sentences were imposed on Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1951. From right to left in front row: Wilhelm Scheider, Edward Kwiatosz, Harald Abt, Wladyslaw Sukiennik, and a guard

[Pictures on page 235]

Printing presses constructed and used by the Witnesses to print Bible literature when under ban, and a group of sisters who for many years risked their lives and freedom to print and deliver that literature

[Pictures on page 238]

Here at the University in Toruń, Jan W. Rynkiewicz and two others publicly refuted slanderous charges against the Witnesses

[Picture on page 240]

A “forest convention” in 1981

[Picture on page 251]

Poland Branch Committee in 1992