Paweł Charmuszko lived with his wife on a farm in the village of Łosośna near Grodno. He had contacts within left-wing circles and was an active member of the Polish Workers Party (PPR). During the occupation, he aided Jews, providing them with shelter and finding hiding places for them. He was an underground courier.
He first protected a Jewish family in a village near Grodno in July 1941, soon after the appearance of the German army. From that time, Charmuszko became actively involed in providing help. He often transported Jews from Grodno to Warsaw - at that time, the Warsaw ghetto was still considered to be relatively safe. He helped them to get to the ghetto, to find shelter on the "Aryan side" or to obtain false papers.
Between November 1941 and April 1942, he transported nineteen men, women and children, among them being the lawyer Berg and the engineer Fajersztajn. Only the wealthy paid him for his help, while those without any resources he transported for free. Charmuszko was immensely trusted both in Grodno and Warsaw. He helped the Jewish underground in the Warsaw ghetto make contact with the Polish partisan underground. In the ghetto, he met with Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum (1900-1944), author of the famous Warsaw Ghetto Archive, whom he offered to help. He also worked with Adolf Berman (1906-1978). With regard to Polish-Jewish relations during World War II, Ringelblum noted that Charmuszko "is one of the idealists who have distinguished themselves by saving Jews. (...) Mr. Gaweł (Charmuszko was also known as "Gaweł" – ed.) is very modest, motivated by humanitarianism and a feeling of civic duty".
In April 1942, Charmuszko provided passes to the family of Halina Lifszyc in order for them to move to Lublin. He also arranged papers for a trip from Lida to Warsaw, in February 1942, for the family of surgeon Dr. Sołowiejczyk, his sons, wife and child. In February 1943, he took Uri (1930-1944), the son of Dr.Ringelblum, from the Warsaw ghetto and placed the child with Mrs Kozłowska, at ul. Wileńska 19. He also took Emek Puterman and his nephew out of the ghetto and put them in contact with the PPR in Żoliborz.
In his barn in his home village of Nowosiołek, over many months, Charmuszko hid eight Jews - Anna Lubicz (nee Klempner), Borys Szyf, his sister Halina Szyf-Lifszyc, Dr Grzegorz Woroszylski, his wife Barbara, their daughter Wiktoria (Rita), Czesława (Cesia) and son Wiktor. As well as food and medicines, he also provided the Jews with books and newspapers, which they read despite the lack of adequate light.
Anna's husband, Efraim (1913-?), perished during the Holocaust. After the War, Anna married Borys Szyf. In 1946, in Łódż, she gave birth to a daughter, Irena. Upon leaving Poland for Sweden in 1947, the family took the surname "Podolski", still being concerned for their own safety.
After the War, Charmuszko lived in Warsaw, where he remained in contact with Prof. Bernard Mark. He also maintained contact with some of the Jews whom he had saved, among them being Borys Schiff who, together with his wife, had settled in the USA and worked as an engineer. In a letter to Yad Vashem, dated 25th September 1966, he expressed the belief that "if Dr Ringelblum had remained alive, this man (Charmuszko) would have been one of the first to be granted the title (Righteous Among the Nations)". Charmuszko was honoured with this title in 1968.
