Simon Gronowski (M / Belgium, 1931), Holocaust survivor
Simon Gronowski (M / Belgium, 1931), Holocaust survivor
Ita Gronowski (F / Belgium, 1929), Holocaust victim
- KEYWORDS : <Escaped> <Hidden Childen>
Biography
Simon Gronowski was born October 12, 1931 in Brussels, Belgium. His sister, Ita was born Sept 24, 1929 in Liege, Belgium. He survived the Holocaust by escaping deportation in Convoy No. 20 train, on 19 April 1943, which would have taken him to Auschwitz. 231 escaped: 23 killed 95 recaptured 113 survived.
Reunited with his father, Simon then lived through the rest of the war in hiding. His mother and sister did not survived. Father died of grief on July 9, 1945.
Book : Simon, l'enfant du 20e convoi (2002)
- Simon Gronowski, Simon, l'enfant du 20e convoi, éditions Luc Pire, 2002.
Ce récit, tiré de l'expérience de Simon Gronowski sous l'occupation allemande, raconte son histoire. L'arrestation de sa famille par la Gestapo. L'enfer qui commence. Mais le petit Simon réussit à s'échapper pendant leur transfert à bord du 20e convoi... Un roman fort, témoignage de l'horreur, mais surtout d'espoir et de fraternité.
Opera : Push (2017)
In 2014, Simon Gronowski met British composer Howard Moody at a performance of his opera Sinbad at La Monnaie Opera House in Brussels; Simon Gronowski told the composer the story of his escape and life and ended with the phrase "Ma Vie N'est Que Miraclesl". Moody was so moved he promised to write his next opera about Simon that night. His opera PUSH tells the story of Simon's escape from the 20th Convoy Train on April 19, 1943 and how his mother pushed Simon off the train. The opera PUSH was premiered in Bexhill, England at the De La Warr Pavillion after being commissioned by the Battle Festival; It was a co production with Glyndebourne Opera and was created as a community opera, involving local schools and amateaur singers as well as professional opera singers. Simon Gronowski attended the premiere. PUSH was later performed in Salisbury 2017 and Chichester 2018. After an invitation from The House of Commons, PUSH was performed on January 27 to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in 2018, where Simon Gronowski was a special guest. IN March 2019, PUSH premiered in Brussels at La Monnaie Opera House and was performed in the presence of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. During the lockdown 2020, singers from all four casts in Belgium and UK recorded their parts to create a virtual giant choir. The film was edited by Shogo Hino and featured over 150 opera singers.