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October 3, 2009 12:54 AM   Subscribe

Marek Edelman dies aged 90. A leader of the Jewish Fighting Organisation in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Dr. Edelman survived to later fight in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and in the post-war years was a key figure in preserving the memory of his fallen comrades-in-arms.
posted by Abiezer (24 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
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posted by DreamerFi at 1:06 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by motdiem2 at 1:26 AM on October 3, 2009


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(It surprises me how, anecdotally anyway, it seems many of these survivors live to old ages despite the all they've been through. Makes me wonder if the anti-aging effects of calorie restriction might be true.)
posted by orthogonality at 1:30 AM on October 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


Polish-language story and details here from Gazeta Wyborcza and here from Rzeczpospolita.

After the war, he went on to become a noted cardiologist, was interned during Poland's martial law period in 1981, worked with Solidarity, participated in the Round Table Talks that helped negotiate the end of communism in Poland in the 1980s, and served in the Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament, between 1989 and 1993.

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posted by mdonley at 1:57 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by Pseudology at 2:12 AM on October 3, 2009


A great man and a true lover of freedom.

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posted by athenian at 2:18 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by Dee Xtrovert at 5:10 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by PlusDistance at 7:09 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by Bron at 7:47 AM on October 3, 2009


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(It surprises me how, anecdotally anyway, it seems many of these survivors live to old ages despite the all they've been through. Makes me wonder if the anti-aging effects of calorie restriction might be true.)

As far as I know, statistics show that both holocaust survivors and the first generation of their descendants (at least, maybe data on the next generation isn't available yet), have a significantly higher rate of breast cancer mortality than would be expected from their genetic profiles. I don't know know about other diseases, specifically, but my impression is that it's similar. This is also what I've observed anecdotally among me and my friends.

In any case, I doubt the Holocaust would be a good test for the theory - it's really extreme calorie deprivation (often), and not really long term.
posted by Salamandrous at 8:10 AM on October 3, 2009


Perhaps its simply that those who have had to preserve their lives in extraordinary circumstances are more likely to take more care of themselves in ordinary ones.
posted by AdamCSnider at 8:38 AM on October 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


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posted by Joe Beese at 9:14 AM on October 3, 2009


Dear god, interned again forty years later.

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posted by imperium at 9:43 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by Pope Guilty at 11:34 AM on October 3, 2009


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posted by jokeefe at 12:51 PM on October 3, 2009


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posted by zarah at 2:10 PM on October 3, 2009


The same people who lionize Edelman for his resistance against the oppression demonize those who resist their oppression. Same as it ever was.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 2:37 PM on October 3, 2009


The same people who lionize Edelman for his resistance against the oppression demonize those who resist their oppression. Same as it ever was.

Oppression always makes an effort to dress differently than its earlier incarnations. Years have passed by, after all, and the tools of marketing and PR have been sharpened in the mean time. A certain amount of learning has gone on by those who are interested in how best to direct public opinion. The progression of technology has its downside. This is just a byproduct of that.

Offer the same old shit, don't increase the cost per unit, water it down and dress it up in a manner more likely to be palatable to the demographic it's being sold to, and you have yourself a successful marketing campaign. The fucking monkeys have found themselves a new stick with which to beat each other over the cranium.

But I'm an utter misanthrope, so take all that with a truckload of salt.
posted by metagnathous at 3:17 PM on October 3, 2009




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posted by By The Grace of God at 4:41 PM on October 3, 2009


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posted by wuwei at 5:09 PM on October 3, 2009


Given the modern political climate in Poland he's probably lucky they didn't spend his remaining years trying to prosecute him for crimes against non-Jewish Poles, as other Jewish resistance figures have been, albeit posthumously.
posted by rodgerd at 6:09 PM on October 3, 2009


The same people who lionize Edelman for his resistance against the oppression demonize those who resist their oppression.

Example, please.
posted by dchase at 9:13 PM on October 3, 2009


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posted by orrnyereg at 12:58 PM on October 4, 2009


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