Victor Zorza
Encyclopedia
Victor Zorza was a Polish
born journalist
who contributed to the West's understanding of the Soviet Union
, and was later known for pioneering work promoting palliative care
in Russia.
, and confiscated their shop. As the Germans swept into Poland in 1941, the 15-year-old Zorza fled eastward as his family was rounded up and sent to the Kolomyja ghetto, and then to Belzec death camp. (His younger sister, Rut Wermuth
, escaped from the Nazi train to Belzec, survived the war working under false identity as a factory worker and maid inside Germany, and was reunited with Victor in 1994.)
Zorza fled east with the retreating Russians, and was forced to dig trenches with prisoners of war. During this time he narrowly escaped a German air strike, which killed many others in his group. An accident during this time left him with total amnesia, and he never completely recovered his memory. Caught up in the flow of refugees, Zorza was sent to a Soviet work camp in the east. He escaped but was captured and returned. His second escape was more successful, and with help from the author Ilja Ehrenburg, Zorza was able to join up with a Polish Air Force
unit that was being formed. He was evacuated to the UK via Iran and India.
After the war ended, Zorza joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC
) monitoring service in 1948. He monitored and reported on news from the Soviet bloc. Zorza met Rosemary Wilson, and they married in 1949. They had two children, Richard (born 1949) and Jane (born 1952)
in 1950 and joined their staff in 1956. He was soon discovered to be a canny analyst of the inner workings of the Soviet Union. He made a series of bold predictions that proved to be accurate and for which he gained considerable respect. In 1956, Zorza's first article was published in The Washington Post
. Victor was one of the first analysts to predict the Sino-Soviet split
. In 1968, he was awarded the prestigious IPC National Press Awards Journalist of the Year award for "for forecasting with astonishing accuracy and against the flow of informed opinion the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union
."
. The experience of losing their daughter led to Victor and Rosemary writing an article for The Guardian
called "Death of a Daughter". The article was read with much interest and in 1981, they published "A Way to Die", a book detailing their experiences. During a visit to India, Jane had challenged Victor to leave the world of international relations, and instead inform the world about the struggle to survive in the poverty of the developing world. Perhaps partly in tribute to Jane's concern for the poor, Victor went to India, and lived in a remote village in the north called Lakhamandal, accessible only by a precarious hand-pulled cable car across the fast flowing Jamuna River
. He wrote a regular column in The Guardian
called "Village Voice" in which he turned his keen analytical skills from the world stage to the equally complicated and intriguing interpersonal and inter-caste relationships in the village.
In India, and in his advocacy for the hospice movement, Zorza found new purpose in life and in 1992, a story called "The Four Missions of Victor Zorza" was published in Reader's Digest. Zorza established "The British Russian Hospice Society" whose advocacy in 1990 led to the building Russia's first hospice in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). In 1991 Rosemary decided to part ways with Victor; his demanding schedule and international travels had preventing him from supporting her in her battle with Parkinson's disease
. She married Peter Varney and lived with him until her death in 2000. In 1993, Victor met Eileen Lerche-Thomsen, and she became his life partner, supporting him until his death. Along with Eileen, Victor was energetic in raising funds and awareness for hospices and palliative care in Russia, including the construction of the first hospice in Moscow in 1996.
Zorza had heart problems for much of his later life beginning in the late 70s. He had multiple heart bypass surgeries beginning in 1979, and was restricted in his diet. In January 1996, he had a stent fitted to his heart, and on 20 March 1996, he died at Hammersmith Hospital after his third heart bypass operation.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
born journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who contributed to the West's understanding of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and was later known for pioneering work promoting palliative care
Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
in Russia.
Early life
Zorza was born on 19 October 1925, in the small town of Kołomyja, Stanislawowskie in eastern Poland. His name at birth was Israel Wermuth, and his parents were Polish Jews who owned a shop in the town. In 1939, after the Red Army invaded eastern Poland, the Soviets declared the family as bourgeoisBourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
, and confiscated their shop. As the Germans swept into Poland in 1941, the 15-year-old Zorza fled eastward as his family was rounded up and sent to the Kolomyja ghetto, and then to Belzec death camp. (His younger sister, Rut Wermuth
Rut Wermuth
Rut Wermuth-Burak is a Polish Holocaust survivor, whose life story was published in Polish as "spotkałam Ludzi", in 2002, and in English as "Leap for Life" in 2010.-Early life:...
, escaped from the Nazi train to Belzec, survived the war working under false identity as a factory worker and maid inside Germany, and was reunited with Victor in 1994.)
Zorza fled east with the retreating Russians, and was forced to dig trenches with prisoners of war. During this time he narrowly escaped a German air strike, which killed many others in his group. An accident during this time left him with total amnesia, and he never completely recovered his memory. Caught up in the flow of refugees, Zorza was sent to a Soviet work camp in the east. He escaped but was captured and returned. His second escape was more successful, and with help from the author Ilja Ehrenburg, Zorza was able to join up with a Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
unit that was being formed. He was evacuated to the UK via Iran and India.
After the war ended, Zorza joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) monitoring service in 1948. He monitored and reported on news from the Soviet bloc. Zorza met Rosemary Wilson, and they married in 1949. They had two children, Richard (born 1949) and Jane (born 1952)
Journalist
Zorza began writing freelance for The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in 1950 and joined their staff in 1956. He was soon discovered to be a canny analyst of the inner workings of the Soviet Union. He made a series of bold predictions that proved to be accurate and for which he gained considerable respect. In 1956, Zorza's first article was published in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. Victor was one of the first analysts to predict the Sino-Soviet split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
. In 1968, he was awarded the prestigious IPC National Press Awards Journalist of the Year award for "for forecasting with astonishing accuracy and against the flow of informed opinion the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
."
The Hospice movement
In 1977, Zorza's daughter, Jane, lost her battle with cancer and died in the "Sir Michael Sobell House" hospiceHospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
. The experience of losing their daughter led to Victor and Rosemary writing an article for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called "Death of a Daughter". The article was read with much interest and in 1981, they published "A Way to Die", a book detailing their experiences. During a visit to India, Jane had challenged Victor to leave the world of international relations, and instead inform the world about the struggle to survive in the poverty of the developing world. Perhaps partly in tribute to Jane's concern for the poor, Victor went to India, and lived in a remote village in the north called Lakhamandal, accessible only by a precarious hand-pulled cable car across the fast flowing Jamuna River
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
. He wrote a regular column in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called "Village Voice" in which he turned his keen analytical skills from the world stage to the equally complicated and intriguing interpersonal and inter-caste relationships in the village.
In India, and in his advocacy for the hospice movement, Zorza found new purpose in life and in 1992, a story called "The Four Missions of Victor Zorza" was published in Reader's Digest. Zorza established "The British Russian Hospice Society" whose advocacy in 1990 led to the building Russia's first hospice in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). In 1991 Rosemary decided to part ways with Victor; his demanding schedule and international travels had preventing him from supporting her in her battle with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. She married Peter Varney and lived with him until her death in 2000. In 1993, Victor met Eileen Lerche-Thomsen, and she became his life partner, supporting him until his death. Along with Eileen, Victor was energetic in raising funds and awareness for hospices and palliative care in Russia, including the construction of the first hospice in Moscow in 1996.
Zorza had heart problems for much of his later life beginning in the late 70s. He had multiple heart bypass surgeries beginning in 1979, and was restricted in his diet. In January 1996, he had a stent fitted to his heart, and on 20 March 1996, he died at Hammersmith Hospital after his third heart bypass operation.