Why Did a Non-Jew Willingly Go To Auschwitz?

Witold Pilecki didn’t try to escape Auschwitz. He broke in. For two and a half years he starved, froze, and nearly died. But he never gave in.

Sent in as a spy, he built a secret resistance and smuggled out one of the first eyewitness reports of the Final Solution. When he escaped to tell the world, no one believed him. He continued to resist—only to be executed by the Polish Communists. His heroism was erased from history. Until now.

Big Ideas

1. Witold Pilecki was a member of the Polish resistance who sought freedom for his country.
2. Pilecki and other Polish resistance fighters sent reports out of Auschwitz, attempting to bring down the Nazi regime from inside the camp.
3. When given a sense of purpose and hope, people can withstand even the worst conditions.

Essential Questions

1. How far will people go to help a cause they believe in?
2. Why didn’t world leaders believe Pilecki’s reports of the atrocities occurring in Auschwitz and attempt to help?
3. What are appropriate actions to take when your pleas for help are ignored or not acted upon?