Gola Mire: Difference between revisions

| death_place = [[Montelupich Prison]], [[Kraków]], Poland

'''Gola Mire/Mira''' (1911–1943) was a member of the [[Jewish resistance in German-occupied Europe|Jewish resistance]] underground in [[Poland in World War II|Poland]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Mire Gola |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gola-mire |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref>

Mire was active in the Socialist-[[Zionism|Zionist]] youth organization, [[Hashomer Hatzair|Ha-Shomer ha-Za’ir]], butand leftjoined the group[[Communist toParty join theof Poland|Communist party.Party]] Afterin the1936. GermanShe invasion of Poland, she joined theorganized [[PolishStrike Workers' Partyaction|Polishlabor Worker’s Partystrikes]] (PPR)in andPoland collaboratedfor withwhich Jewishshe resistancewas groupsarrested.<ref name=":0" /> She co-facilitied attacks against the Germans and was ultimately killed during an escape attempt.

=== Early life =and education ==

Mire was born to a Jewish family in [[Rzeszów|Rzeszow]], a town in the [[Galicia (Poland and Ukraine)|Galicia]] region of [[Poland]]. She attended Polish schools.<ref name=":0" />

Prior to her imprisonment, Mire had begun a relationship with fellow Communist Olek Hausman. After escaping, Mire traveled to [[Warsaw]] looking for Olek, but discovered that he was in [[Białystok|Bialystok]]. She located him there and together they went to Soviet-controlled Lvov where they were married.<ref name=":0" /> The Soviets appointed Mire as a member of city council and commissar. Olek left to join the [[Red Army]] when the Germans to Lvov in June of 1941 and was not heard from again. Mire, who was pregnant, stayed behind and gave birth unassisted in a basement. She was able to contact the Spiner family, her cousins in the [[Kraków Ghetto|Krakow Ghetto]]. The Spiners sent a Polish friend to bring Mire to Krakow. Her baby died soon after her arrival.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gola Mira |url=https://www.yadvashem.org/es/education/educational-materials/lesson-plans/curriers/gola-mira.html |website=Yad Vashem}}</ref>

While living in the Krakow[[Kraków Ghetto]], Mire and her cousin, Vuschka Spiner, worked in a German factory that produced goods and supplies for the German[[Wehrmacht|Nazi army]]. They sabotaged canned food produced there but stopped when Mire thought it became too dangerous.<ref name=":0" /> Mire left the ghetto in January of 1942 and resumed contact with the Polish Worker's Party (PPR). She urged her comrades to assist the [[History of the Jews in Poland|Jews of Poland]] as she predicted [[The Holocaust|the Nazi's plans for the annihilation of the Jews]], but was disappointed by their inaction. Seeking more support, Mire connected with active members of the Akiva and Dror Zionist organizations including Spiner's husband, Dolek Liebeskind, Shimshon Draenger (1917–1943), and Adolf (Avraham) Leibovich (1917–1943). With limited help from the PPR, Mire and her contacts arranged forrest guides and hiding places for friends outside the ghetto. These friends mostly consisted of those who were active in Iskra, a Jewish underground group, led by Heshek (Zvi) Bauminger (1919–1943). Iskra ultimately merged with the PPR. Mire and members of Akiva continued to express disappointment with the lack of support from the PPR.<ref name=":0" />

Mire and the resistance group, Iskra, along with members ofand the Jewish resistance group , He-Haluz ha-Lohem, implemented a December 22, 1942 attack on German soldiers at the Cyganeria Cafe. Eleven Germans were killed and thirteen were injured during the attack. Roughly twenty resistance fighters died in the operation.<ref name=":1" />

In March of 1943, Mire was arrested and sent to [[Montelupich prisonPrison]]. She was [[Torture|tortured]] and kept in [[solitary confinement]], but did not provide her captors with information. She became close with imprisoned women from He-Haluz ha-Lohem including resistance fighter, Tova Draenger. The women, along with Genia Meltzer-Scheinberg, planned an escape attempt after learning they were to be sent to the 'Hill of Death' in Plaszow. The women were moved from their basement cells to waiting trucks. A signal was given and the women ran en masse. Most of the women, including Mire, were killed during the escape attempt. Draenger was able to get away.<ref name=":1" />

=== Poetry ===

Mire often wrote poems in [[Yiddish]] and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], the themes of which were her husband and dead baby as well as Communism and resistance.<ref name=":0" />