Name: Szymon Krynski 9/16/1892-12/11/1962

Family: Wife, Stephanie, son, John

Szymon, known as Simon in Durham, served in the Polish Calvary, held a degree from the University of Poznan, and had been a principal of a Jewish boys' school in Warsaw. With the German invasion of Poland, the Krynskis began a long journey, finally reaching Durham in1951. They first fled for Romania. In 1941, they hoped to reach Palestine but their ship was intercepted by the British and they were taken to Cyprus and interned there. They eventually reached Palestine but because they were unable to remain there permanently they left for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic

The couple finally received a U.S. visa, staying with Szymon's brother in New York. However, there was no future for them there (the brother had very limited income). Following a correspondence between the United Service for New Americans and Beth El, the Krynskis moved to Durham in 1951, where Szymon worked as a janitor. For the next few years, the synagogue struggled to help the couple. Szymon and Stephanie had medical problems and after a while Szymon could not work as a janitor. Minutes of the Beth El board frequently refer to the couple's plight and the board's attempts find a solution, given the synagogue's limited means. Finally, Szymon found another job at the Duke Library as curator of Russian and Polish literature.

Elizabeth remembers him as a sweet, gentle, very intelligent and loving man.