Victorious in the Face of Death

“Yet surprisingly, for the Nazis, [the Witnesses] also could not be eliminated. The harder they were pressed the more they compressed, becoming diamond hard in their resistance. Hitler catapulted them into an eschatological battle, and they kept the faith. . . . Their experience is valuable material for all who study survival under extreme stress. For survive they did.”​—Attributed to Dr. Christine King, historian, in the journal Together.

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES should figure in the history of the 20th century as the most universally maligned and persecuted religious group on earth. They have been misunderstood and often mistreated simply because of their stand of Christian neutrality and refusal to learn or practice warfare. Their separation from all political ties has brought upon them the ire of totalitarian rulers in many lands. Yet, one of their contributions to modern history has been their record of strict neutrality and unbending integrity.a

British historian Arnold Toynbee wrote in 1966: “In our time in Germany there have been Christian martyrs who did give their lives rather than pay homage to the rampant Nationalism represented there by the human god Adolf Hitler.” The facts show that Jehovah’s Witnesses were prominent among those martyrs. Some experiences should serve to illustrate how they faced persecution and even death because of their integrity​—and this not just during the period of Nazism. In many parts of the world, their record of victory in the face of death is consistent and unparalleled.

The Story of Ananii Grogul of Ukraine

“My parents became Jehovah’s Witnesses during World War II, in 1942, when I was 13 years old. Shortly thereafter, my father was arrested, put in jail, and later transferred to the Soviet camps in the Ural Mountains. When I was 15, in 1944, the military authorities called me to preparatory service in the armed forces. As I already had a solid faith in Jehovah, I refused to learn war. For this reason, at that tender age, I was sentenced to five years in prison.

“Then came the very hard year of 1950. I was again arrested and was sentenced to 25 years’ confinement on account of my activities as a Witness. I was 21 years old. I survived seven years and four months in the labor camps. I saw many people die, bloated by hunger and worn-out by hard labor.

“After the death of Stalin in 1953, conditions began to change, and in 1957 the authorities released me from prison. Again I stepped into ‘freedom.’ But this time they banished me to Siberia for ten years.”

Inhuman Torture of My Sister

“In Siberia, I was reunited with my fleshly sister, who had already become an invalid. She had been arrested precisely two weeks after I was in 1950. The investigation in her case was carried on in an absolutely unlawful manner. They locked her up in solitary confinement and then let rats loose in her cell with her. These gnawed at her feet and crept over her body. Finally, her tormentors made her stand in cold water up to her chest while they watched her agony. She was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment because of her preaching activity. Both her legs became paralyzed, but she could make use of her hands and arms. For five years they kept her in a camp hospital and finally wrote her off as though she were dead. Then they transferred her to our parents, who had been sent into lifetime exile in Siberia in 1951.”

Return to Ukraine and More Persecution

“In Siberia I met Nadia, who became my wife and bore our children. Even in Siberia we kept up our preaching work. I was entrusted with the production and duplication of Bible literature. Every night my brother Jacob and I were busy in a dugout in the basement, duplicating The Watchtower. We had two typewriters and a homemade duplicating machine. Our home was searched regularly by the police. Every time they left empty-handed.

“My exile came to an end. With all my family, I moved to Ukraine, but persecution followed us. I was assigned to serve as a traveling overseer. I had to take a job in order to support my family. Several times every month, members of the State Security came to my place of work and tried to persuade me to compromise my faith. Once I felt Jehovah’s help in a very special way. They arrested me and took me to the State Security offices in Kiev, where they kept me for six days. All that time they tried to confuse me with atheistic propaganda. In their godless manner, they commented on The Watchtower and other publications of the Watch Tower Society. The pressure became almost unbearable. In the bathroom, I would fall on my knees and burst into tears, crying out to Jehovah. No, not for liberation but for strength to endure and not betray my brothers.

“Then the police chief came to see me, and taking a seat in front of me, he asked me whether I was really convinced of what I was defending. I gave him a brief witness and declared my readiness to die for the truth. His answer was: ‘You are a happy person. If only I were convinced that this is the truth, I would be ready not only to stay in jail for 3 or 5 years but to stand on one leg in prison for 60 years.’ He sat thoughtful in silence for a short time and then continued: ‘It’s a matter of everlasting life. Can you imagine what everlasting life really means?’ After a brief pause, he said: ‘Go home!’ Those words gave me unexpected strength. I was not hungry any longer. I wanted only to leave. I felt certain that it was Jehovah who had strengthened me.

“In recent years things have changed in the former Soviet Union. Now there is an abundance of Bible literature. We are able to attend circuit assemblies and district conventions, and we share in all kinds of preaching activities, including the house-to-house ministry. Truly, Jehovah has given us the victory in the face of many trials!”

Integrity Tested in Africa

During the late 1960’s, Nigeria was embroiled in a devastating civil war. Faced with growing losses, soldiers of the breakaway region, at that time renamed Biafra, forcibly conscripted young men into their army. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses are politically neutral and refuse involvement in warfare, many Witnesses in Biafra were hounded, brutalized, and murdered. Said one of Jehovah’s Witnesses: “We were like rats. We had to hide whenever we heard soldiers coming.” Often there was no time to hide.

One Friday morning in 1968, Philip, a 32-year-old full-time minister, was in Umuimo village preaching to an elderly man when Biafran soldiers stormed into the compound on a conscription drive.

“What are you doing?” demanded the unit leader. Philip said that he was talking about Jehovah’s coming Kingdom.

“It is not the time for preaching!” shouted another soldier. “This is wartime, and we do not want to see able-bodied men walking about doing nothing.” The soldiers then stripped Philip naked, tied his hands together, and led him away. Israel, a 43-year-old Christian elder, also had no time to hide. He was captured as he was preparing food for his children. By 2:00 p.m. the soldiers had rounded up over a hundred men. They forced their captives to run the 15 miles [25 km] to the military camp in Umuacha Mgbedeala. Any who lagged behind were whipped.

Israel was told he would carry a heavy machine gun; Philip was to be trained to use a light machine gun. When they explained that they could not join the military because Jehovah forbids it, the commandant ordered that they be locked up. At 4:00 p.m., all the conscripts, including those in the guardroom, were ordered to form a line. The soldiers then asked each man to sign a paper showing that he had consented to join the army. When it was his turn to sign, Philip referred to the words of 2 Timothy 2:3, 4 and said to the commandant: “I am already ‘a fine soldier of Christ.’ I cannot fight for Christ and also fight for another person. If I do, Christ will count me as a traitor.” The commandant struck him on the head, saying: “Your appointment as a soldier of Christ is terminated! You are now a Biafran soldier.”

Philip replied: “Jesus has not yet notified me that my appointment as his soldier is terminated, and my appointment stands until I receive such notification.” With that, soldiers lifted Philip and Israel into the air and flung them to the ground. Dazed and bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth, the two were dragged away.

Before a Firing Squad

Later that day, Israel and Philip found themselves facing a firing squad. But the soldiers did not shoot them. Instead, they beat them with their fists and rifle butts. Then the camp commandant decided to flog them to death. He assigned 24 soldiers to do this. Six were to flog Philip, and another six were to flog Israel. The other 12 soldiers were to supply replacement sticks and to stand in when the others became tired.

Philip and Israel were bound hand and foot. Israel relates: “I cannot tell how many strokes we got that night. When one soldier got tired, another would take over. They flogged us long after we became unconscious.” Says Philip: “Matthew 24:13, which speaks of enduring to the end, came to my mind during the torture, and that strengthened me. I felt the pain of the beating for only a few seconds. It seemed as if Jehovah sent one of the angels to help us, as he did during the time of Daniel. Otherwise we could not have survived that terrible night.”

When the soldiers had finished, Israel and Philip were left for dead. It was raining. It wasn’t until the next morning that the two Christians regained consciousness. When the soldiers saw that they were still alive, they dragged them back to the guardroom.

“You Smell Like Corpses Already”

The flogging had left their flesh red and raw, with wounds all over their bodies. Israel recalls: “We were not allowed to bathe our wounds. After some days flies feasted on us ceaselessly. Because of the torture, we were not able to eat. It was only after a week that anything apart from water was able to pass through our mouths.”

Every morning the soldiers lashed them with a whip​—24 strokes each. The soldiers sadistically called that “breakfast” or “hot morning tea.” Every noontime, the soldiers brought them to the field to face the tropical sun until 1:00 p.m. After a few days of such treatment, the commandant summoned them and asked if they had renounced their stand. They said no.

“You will die in your cell,” said the commandant. “In fact, you smell like corpses already.”

Philip responded: “Even if we die, we know that Christ, for whom we are fighting, will resurrect us.”

How did they survive this terrible time? Israel says: “Philip and I encouraged each other throughout our trial. At the beginning, I said to him, ‘Do not be frightened. Whatever the case, Jehovah will help us. As for me, nothing will make me join the army. Even if I have to die, I will not handle a gun with these hands of mine.’” Philip said that he had made the same resolve. Together they recalled and discussed various scriptures.

A new commandant decided to transfer about a hundred of the conscripts to Ibema, a training camp in the Mbano area of what is now Imo State. Israel relates what then happened: “The big truck was ready, and all the recruits were inside. My wife, June, ran to the soldiers and courageously pleaded for us not to be taken away. When she was rebuffed, she knelt down near the truck, prayed, and concluded with an audible amen. Then the truck drove off.”

Encounter With a Sympathetic Mercenary

The army truck reached the camp at Ibema the following afternoon. The man who seemed to be in charge there was an Israeli mercenary. When he saw how battered and weak Philip and Israel were, he approached and asked them why they were in such a terrible state. They explained that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses and had refused military training. Angrily, he turned to the other military officers there. “Biafra is sure to lose this war,” he said. “Any country engaged in war that harasses Jehovah’s Witnesses is sure to lose. You shouldn’t conscript Jehovah’s Witnesses. If a Witness agrees to go to war, fine. But if he refuses, leave him alone.”

The camp doctor inquired if the two Witnesses had received inoculations and medical fitness certificates. Since they had not, the mercenary rejected all the conscripted ones and ordered that they be taken back to Umuacha.

“Go Your Way, Serve Your God”

Later, Israel’s wife and Philip’s mother decided to visit the Umuacha camp in hopes of news. As they approached, they heard commotion in the camp. At the gate, the guard said: “Jehovah’s Witness! Your prayer has been answered. The group taken away three days ago has been sent back.”

The same day, Philip and Israel were released from the camp. The commandant said to June: “Do you know it was the prayer you said that made our exercise unfruitful?” He then said to Israel and Philip: “Go your way, serve your God, and continue to maintain your integrity to your Jehovah.”

As for Israel and Philip, they recovered and continued in Christian activity. After the war, Israel took up full-time preaching for two years and has continued to serve as a Christian elder. Philip served as a traveling overseer for ten years and is still engaged in full-time preaching. He too is a congregation elder.

Refusal to Contribute for Arms

Zebulan Nxumalo and Polite Mogane are two young full-time ministers in South Africa. Zebulan explains: “One Sunday morning, a group of men came to our house and demanded R20 (about $7, U.S.) to buy weapons. Respectfully we asked them to come back that evening, since our Sunday schedule was too tight to discuss the matter right then. Surprisingly, they agreed. That evening, 15 men arrived. The expression on their faces made it obvious that they meant business. After introducing ourselves politely, we asked them what they wanted. They explained that they needed money to purchase bigger and better arms with which to take on the opposing political faction.

“I asked them: ‘Is it possible to extinguish fire with petrol?’

“‘No, that would be impossible,’ they responded.

“We explained that in a similar way, violence would only encourage violence and acts of revenge.

“This statement seemed to irk a number of the men present. Their demand now became a challenging threat. ‘This exchange of views is a waste of time,’ they snarled. ‘The compulsory contribution is nonnegotiable. Either you pay up or you face the consequences!’

“At that stage,” recalls Zebulan, “just as things were starting to get out of control, their leader walked in. He wanted to know what the problem was. We explained our stand, and he listened carefully. We used their devotion to their own political persuasion as an illustration. We asked them how they would expect a trained soldier from their organization to react if he was captured and forced to compromise his position. They said that such a person should be prepared to die for his convictions. They smiled as we commended them for their answer; they did not realize that they had given us a golden opportunity to illustrate our case. We explained that we are different from the churches of Christendom. As supporters of God’s Kingdom, our ‘constitution’ is based on the Bible, which condemns all forms of murder. For this reason, we were not prepared to contribute even one cent toward the buying of weapons.

“By this time, as the discussion reached a climax, more people had trickled into our house, so that we were eventually addressing a large audience. Little did they realize how fervently we were praying for a favorable outcome to the discussion.

“After we had made our stand clear, a long silence followed. Finally, their leader spoke to his group: ‘Gentlemen, I understand the position of these men. If we wanted money to build an old-age home, or if one of our neighbors needed money to go to the hospital, these men would dig deep into their pockets. But they are not prepared to give us money to kill. Personally, I am not against their beliefs.’

“With that, they all stood up. We shook hands and thanked them for their patience. What had started as a menacing situation that might have cost us our lives had ended in a grand victory.”

Priest-Led Mobs

As told by Polish Witness Jerzy Kulesza:

“So far as zeal and putting Kingdom interests first are concerned, my father, Aleksander Kulesza, was an example to follow. To him, field service, Christian meetings, and personal and family study were sacred things indeed. Neither snowstorm nor frost nor strong wind nor heat was an obstacle for him. In winter he put on his skis, took a rucksack with Bible literature, and left for some of Poland’s isolated territories for a couple of days. He used to encounter various dangers, including violent guerrilla groups.

“Sometimes priests stirred up opposition against the Witnesses, inciting mobs. They used to deride them, throw stones at them, or beat them. But they returned home, happy to have endured insults for Christ.

“During those first years after World War II, the authorities were not able to maintain law and order in the country. There was chaos and destruction. The police and security forces ruled by day, whereas guerrillas and various gangs operated by night. Theft and robbery became rampant, and there were frequent lynchings. Defenseless Witnesses of Jehovah were easy prey, especially as some of the groups led by priests concentrated on the Witnesses. They justified invasion of our homes with the pretext that they were defending the Catholic faith of their fathers. On such occasions they smashed windows, stole livestock, and destroyed clothes, food, and literature. Bibles they threw into the well.”

Unexpected Martyrdom

“One day in June 1946, before we met to go by bicycle to some isolated territory, a young brother, Kazimierz Kądziela, visited us and talked to my father in a low voice. My father sent us on our way, but he did not go with us, which surprised us. We were to hear the reason later. Upon returning home, we learned that the previous night the Kądziela family had been savagely beaten, so my father had gone to take care of severely wounded brothers and sisters.

“When I later entered the room where they were lying, the sight moved me to tears. The walls and ceiling were spattered with blood. People swathed in bandages were lying on the beds, beaten black and blue, swollen, with broken ribs and limbs. They were hardly recognizable. Sister Kądziela, the mother of the family, was terribly battered. My father was assisting them, and before he left he uttered significant words: ‘Oh, my God, I am such a healthy and capable man [he was then 45 years old and had never been ill], and I have not had the privilege of suffering for you. Why should it happen to this elderly sister?’ Little did he know what awaited him.

“As the sun set, we returned to our home two miles [3 km] away. A group of 50 armed men had surrounded our house. The Wincenciuk family was brought in too, so there were nine of us there. Each of us was asked the question: ‘Are you a Witness of Jehovah?’ When we answered yes, we were beaten. Then, taking turns, two of those butchers beat up my father while asking him if he would stop reading the Bible and preaching it. They wanted to know whether he would go to church and confess his sins. They taunted him, saying: ‘Today, we will ordain you bishop.’ My father did not say a single word, did not utter a single moan. He endured their tortures, quietly as a sheep. At daybreak, about 15 minutes after the religious bullies had gone, he died, beaten to a pulp. But before they left, they chose me as their next victim. I was then 17 years old. While being beaten, I lost consciousness a couple of times. My body was black from the waist up as a result of the blows. We were maltreated for six hours. All for being Jehovah’s Witnesses!”

The Support of a Faithful Wife

“I was among the group of 22 Witnesses who for two months were confined in a dark cell of less than a hundred square feet [10 square meters]. At the end of that period, our food rations were reduced. Daily, we were given a small portion of bread and a little mug of bitter coffee. It was only possible to lie down to sleep on the cold concrete floor when somebody was taken out for interrogation during the night.

“I was imprisoned for Christian activity five times, eight years altogether. I was treated as a special prisoner. There was a note in my personal record to this effect: ‘Annoy Kulesza so much that he will lose his desire ever to resume the activity.’ However, each time I was set free, I offered myself for Christian service. The authorities also made life difficult for my wife, Urszula, and our two little daughters. For instance, for ten years the bailiff seized some of my wife’s hard-earned wages. This was said to be a tax on me for editing underground Bible literature. Everything was confiscated except those things that were viewed as life’s necessities. I am grateful to Jehovah for my brave wife, who patiently endured with me all those torments and who was a real support to me all the time.

“We have seen a spiritual victory here in Poland; we now have a legal branch office of the Watch Tower Society at Nadarzyn, near Warsaw. After decades of persecution, there are now over 108,000 Witnesses, associated with 1,348 congregations.”

Why So Many Martyrs?

The record of integrity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in this 20th century would literally fill volumes​—thousands have died as martyrs or suffered imprisonment and indescribable torture, rape, and pillage in places such as Malawi and Mozambique, in Spain under Fascism, in Europe under Nazism, in Eastern Europe under Communism, and in the United States during World War II. The question arises, Why? Because inflexible political and religious leaders have been unwilling to respect the Bible-trained conscience of sincere Christians who refuse to learn to kill and who disassociate themselves from all political activity. It is just as Christ said it would be, as recorded at John 15:17-19: “These things I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.”

In spite of all this worldwide persecution, Jehovah’s Witnesses have increased​—from 126,000 in 54 lands in 1943 to nearly 4,500,000 in 229 lands in 1993. They have tasted victory even in the face of death. They are determined to continue their unique educational work of announcing the good news of the Kingdom until Jehovah decrees its finish.​—Isaiah 6:11, 12; Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10.

[Footnotes]

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Martyrdom in Germany

AUGUST DICKMANN was 23 years old when SS leader Heinrich Himmler ordered him shot in front of all the other Witnesses in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Gustav Auschner, an eyewitness, reported: “They shot Brother Dickmann and told us that we would all be shot if we didn’t sign the declaration renouncing our faith. We would be taken to the sandpit 30 or 40 at a time, and they would shoot us all. Next day, the SS brought each of us a note to sign or else be shot. You should have seen their long faces when they went away without a single signature. They had hoped to frighten us with the public execution. But we had more fear of displeasing Jehovah than of their bullets. They did not shoot any more of us publicly.”

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The Ultimate Price

SOMETIMES, victory in the face of death may involve paying the ultimate price. A letter received from the Nseleni Congregation, in the northern part of South Africa’s Natal Province, tells a tragic story: “We write you this letter to let you know about the loss of our lovely brother Moses Nyamussua. His job was to weld and repair cars. On one occasion he was asked by one political group to weld their homemade guns, which he refused to do. Then, on the 16th of February, 1992, they had their political rally, where they had a fight with those of the opposing group. On the evening of the same day on their way back from their battle, they found the brother making his way to the shopping center. There they killed him with their spears. What was their reason? ‘You refused to weld our guns, and now our comrades have died in the fight.’

“This has been a very great shock to the brothers,” says Brother Dumakude, the congregation secretary. “But,” he adds, “we will still carry on with our ministry.”

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Martyrdom in Poland

IN 1944, when German troops were quickly withdrawing and the battlefront was nearing a town in the eastern part of Poland, the occupation authorities forced civilians to dig antitank trenches. Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to participate. Stefan Kirył, a young Witness​—baptized only two months previously—​was forced into a working brigade but boldly took the same neutral stand. Various measures were taken to break his integrity.

They tied him naked to a tree in the marshland so that he would fall victim to gnats and other insects. He endured that and other tortures, so they let him alone. However, when a high-ranking officer inspected the brigade, somebody told him that there was a man who would by no means obey his command. Stefan was ordered three times to dig the trench. He even refused to take a spade in his hand. He was shot dead. Hundreds watching the scene knew him personally. His martyrdom became a witness to the great strength that Jehovah can supply.

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Ananii Grogul

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Jerzy Kulesza