Jerzy Kluger was a Polish Jewish businessman who lived in Rome.
Background
He was born in 1921 in Krakow and raised in Wadowice where, as a small boy, he met and became a personal friend of Karol Wojtyła, later Archbishop of Krakow and eventually Pope John Paul World War II Jerzy Kluger was born in Krakow, Poland on 4 April 1921 and was raised in Wadowice. His father, Wilhelm, was a lawyer
Education
Hence, the family spoke Polish as opposed to Yiddish, and Jerzy and his siblings attended public schools as opposed to religious ones.
Career
The Jewish community of Wadowice had good relations with their Catholic neighbors, though anti-Semitism was not uncommon. Kluger, who was called Jurek as a boy, met John Paul, then Karol Wojtyła and nicknamed Lolek, before they were 5. They skied, hiked and played sports together.
Young Karol played goalie on Wadowice’s Jewish soccer team
They helped each other with homework, made devilish fun of teachers and visited each other’s homes almost daily. Karol Wojtyla enjoyed listening to Wilhelm’s string quartet, composed of two Catholics and two Jews.
After learning that both boys had passed their high school exams, he ran to the church, where he knew he would find his friend, to share the news. Another parishioner recognized Kluger as a Jew and asked why he had come.
When Wojtyla heard about the exchange, he responded, “Aren’t we all God’s children?” After the Germans invaded, Jerzy and his father sought to join the retreating Polish Army, finally catching up with the Polish troops and enlisting in Russia.
His father was sent to Palestine. Jerzy was sent to Cairo, then Iraq and finally the front in Italy to fight. After the war, Kluger received an engineering degree from the University of Nottingham and worked in that field before moving to Rome in the 1950s.
Kluger died on 31 December 2011 in Rome of Alzheimer"s disease, aged 90.
Kluger was the inspiration for the character of "Roman" in 2005"s television miniseries based on the life of Pope John Paul World War II He was portrayed by Italian actor Daniele Pecci.
Membership
The Klugers were members of the Jewish community of Wadowice, of which Wilhelm was president, but he nonetheless insisted that his family mix Jewish and secular identites.