Marian Hemar was a Jew who became a Pole by choice and fought for his homeland. Created and performed a satirical song about Hitler, he became an enemy of the Third Reich. His works after WW2 were light and playful but at the same time full of longing for Poland.
Marian Hemar (born Jan Marian Hescheles) was born to a Jewish family in Lwów in 1901. Gained some acting skills at the beginning of his education, he started medical studies at the University of Lwów. In 1918, Poland regained its independence and soon fights for its borders broke out. He conscripted in the ranks of the Polish army and fought in the Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Bolshevik wars.
Instead of medicine – satire and comedy
After returning from the army, Hemar tried to persevere in medical studies, but he was attracted by the artist’s life. So, he abandoned his studies and moved to Warsaw, where he began to work with famous Polish poets, including Julian Tuwim. He created poetry, satires, songs, sketches, becoming an important author in the pre-war stage comedy. In 1935 he was baptized.
Jokes about Hitler and Hemar’s fight at the front
In 1939 Hemar decided to write a song “This mustache, ah, this mustache” mocking Adolf Hitler. Its performance in May 1939 sparked protests from Hans Adolf von Moltke, the last ambassador of the Third Reich in Poland, practically on the eve of Germany’s aggression against Poland, which gave rise to World War II.
After the war broke out, Hemar managed to get from Poland to Romania, then a neighboring country with Poland. Leaving his homeland, he took a leaf with him, framed it and treated it as a relic. He expressed his wish to be buried with him. In Romania, he came across a German publication presenting him as an enemy of the Third Reich for creating a satirical song about Hitler. Then he joined the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade – a Polish military formation that fought against the Germans in North Africa.
Soon he was transferred to London to the headquarters of the Polish government-in-exile. There, he dealt with German propaganda.
Pole by choice
After the end of World War II, he did not return to Poland, which was under the occupation of the Red Army. He stayed in Great Britain and continued to perform satire there. He also hosted Polish programs on Radio Free Europe, opposing the communist dictatorship in Poland. His works were censored by the communist regime.
Apart from jokes, Hemar’s works included a lot of longing for his native Lwów and a lot of reflections on the past. He loved Poland with all his heart and called himself a “volunteer Pole”.
He died on February 11, 1972 in Dorking (Great Britain).