Antoni Dobrowolski was interviewed many times. In each interview he gave us an example and taught us about dignity, solidarity and respect. He talked about what he did and how was the situation in his country. He spoke about fears, cowardice, and how to face and fight against intolerance and injustice.
The translation of the interview:
Reporter: Antoni, what was the most difficult for you in the period of your clandestine teaching?
Mr. Dobrowolski: Dear sir, that I found the courage to teach at a time when I knew that at any moment they could liquidate me. But on the other hand, I realized that they wouldn’t need to catch me as a secret teacher since I was already a officer in the reserve corps, I was already in many organizations, I worked with the youth and that meant that I was an enemy of the Germans and at every moment they could finish me off for this, that or any other reason.
Question: Did the youth of those years 1939-1942 distinguish themselves in any particular way?
Answer: Which years?
Question: The students whom you taught in those years, were they different in any special way?
Answer: It’s very difficult for me to say because they lived through the same things as we did. They could have sat home with their mothers and fathers with the hope of just living out the war, but they were also threatened with liquidation the same as we were.
Question: The instruction of those students carried with it a great risk. Were you often afraid?
Answer: Dear sir [cough], it was enough to go out onto the street and have the risk of being arrested.
Question: And my final question, not related to the clandestine teaching, how do you at such an age maintain such a wonderful condition? Some recipe for that?
Answer: No recipe. Just a mix of different things. Don’t be cowardice and don’t pay attention to dangers because at any time there are threats.
Reporter: Thank you very much and happy birthday!