Franciszka Hanna Ansztajn (1865-1942?), a poetess and independence activist, was the most famous member of the family. Her mother, Malwina, was a novelist writing in Polish: her father, Bernard, belonged to the merchant elite, initiating and supporting the introduction of the Polish as a teaching language in the Jewish religious community in Lublin.

Franciszka in 1885 married a doctor, Marek Arnsztajn (1855-1930). As a poetess, she referred to Polish tradition in her works. Their home became a meeting place for the Poland’s independence elite. Belonged to the Polish Military Organization (POW), Franciszka was also keeping the archives of that organization in her apartment. Franciszka’s husband was also an active political and social activist (he treated the poor free of charge), together with his wife co-founded the Lublin Society for the Promotion of Education “Light” (1906). The Polish poet from Lublin – Józef Czechowicz (1903-1939) owed his patriotic formation to the influence of the Arnsztajns. At the end of Franciszka’s lifetime, she converted to Catholicism, but she still felt Jewish. Honored with numerous state decorations, she most probably died in 1942 in the Warsaw ghetto, where she had lived with her daughter.

Her son, Jan Karol (1897-1934) was a scout, he fought in the Polish Legions, then as a soldier of the Polish Army in the Polish-Bolshevik war. In the Second Polish Republic, he converted to Catholicism and worked in Lublin as a doctor. He was active in veterans’, sports and charity organizations.

With their patriotic activity, the Arnsztajns contributed to Polish-Jewish cooperation in the 20th century, working hard for the independence of Poland. Franciszka Arnsztajn’s great-grandson made a documentary about his family titled “Family Album” (2013).