The Żabiński couple, who ran the ZOO in Warsaw before the outbreak of World War II, hid Jews during the war. The entire family, including the children, did it under the death penalty, but Jan and Antonina found ways to deceive the Germans.

The Warsaw Zoo was led by director Jan Żabiński and his wife, Antonina, was helping him. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and the World War II began, German troops bombed the zoo. Many animals died and others escaped. Some of the predators were shot as they could threaten the city’s inhabitants. The remaining animals were taken by the Germans to other places. The Warsaw ZOO was deserted, but not for long …

A tragedy of people and animals

Żabiński and his family were allowed to stay in the villa next to the zoo. As a naturalist and animal lover, he raised pigs for which he collected waste from the restaurant. He also joined the Home Army – the largest underground army during World War II. Żabiński also managed to get a pass to the ghetto. He used it to help Jews. He provided them with false documents, secret messages, food, and helped them get to the “Aryan side” and find a hiding place.

She played the piano as an escape signal

With time, Żabiński started to hide Jews in the zoo and his villa. The director’s entire family was involved in the conspiracy. His wife, Antonina, as the Germans approached, sat at the piano playing the melody of “Go, go, go to Crete!” from the operetta “Beautiful Helena” by Offenbach. She did it for a reason as it was a warning sign for hiding Jews. When they heard the melody, they ran to the attic or locked them in lockers and in wardrobes. Some escaped through a secret tunnel leading from Żabiński’s villa to the pheasant house.

Poland was the only country occupied by Germany where the Nazis introduced the death penalty for helping and hiding Jews.

It is estimated that the Żabiński family helped about 300 Jews in this way. In 1965, the Yad Vashem Institute awarded them with the “Righteous Among the Nations” medal. In 2017, the movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife” was shot, telling the story of the heroic Żabiński family.