Ferdynand Arczyński

Who was Ferdynand Arczyński?

Ferdynand Marek Arczyński cryptonym "Marek," or "Lukowski", was one of the founding members of Żegota, an underground organization in German-occupied Poland from 1942 to 1945. Żegota's express purpose was to aid the country's Jews and find places of safety for them. Poland was the only country in occupied Europe with such an organization during World War II.

Arczyński, was a member of the Polish Democratic Party and a former editor of the Polish Daily in Kraków during Second Polish Republic. Born in 1900, he was also a veteran of the Silesian Uprisings. Arczyński was tireless in his work for Żegota, serving not only as treasurer but also as head of its legalization department, liaison with branches of Żegota in Kraków, Lwów and Lublin. He was an unofficial, but successful recruiting officer.

As treasurer and head of the Legalization Bureau, Ferdynand Arczyński produced daily hundreds of false IDs, work cards, Roman Catholic birth and marriage certificates which were given out free of charge to some 4,000 Jews hiding on the "Aryan" side of the ghetto. He arranged for places to live, medical help, and monthly cash disbursements. He helped with providing aid to Jews in concentration camps. Arczyński, "Marek", was also a founding member of Kraków and Lwów branches of Żegota.