Poland 2019 Henryk Slawik stamp in demand

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

Antisemitism is a disease that never seems to die, even in places where you might least expect it to thrive. On July 26, 2019, Poland issued a 4-zloty Henryk Slawik (1894-1944) commemorative stamp (Scott 4435).

Known as the Polish Wallenberg (a reference to Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat credited with saving the lives of at least 4,500 Jews during the Holocaust), Slawik was released from a prisoner of war camp in Hungary by Jozsef Antall, the Hungarian minister responsible for civilian refugees, and put in charge of the welfare of exiled Poles in Hungary.

In 1943 the Hungarian government acquiesced to Nazi demands to exterminate the Jews of Hungary. Slawik founded an orphanage ostensibly for the children of Polish officers, but it was actually a place where Jewish children were hidden from the authorities.

He issued documents for Jewish refugees stating that they were Roman Catholic and helped them escape to Yugoslavia or to other Allied territories. He is credited with saving the lives of at least 5,000 Polish Jews.

Slawik was arrested by the Nazis on March 19, 1944. Although brutally tortured, he did not divulge the names of any of the people who had helped him save Jews. On Aug. 23, 1944, he was hanged in the Gusen concentration camp. On Jan. 26, 1977, he was named Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem Commemorative Authority. Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

The 4zl Henryk Slawik stamp is in demand by topical collectors of Judaica, the Holocaust and World War II. The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue values the stamp at $3.75 in mint, never-hinged condition and $3.25 in used condition. It is a good buy at up to Scott catalog value.

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