Righteous Among the Nations, Poland

Therefore one human being was created … to teach you that he who kills one soul, it is as if he had killed an entire world, for he destroys all future generations that would have come from that one person. And he who saves the life of one person, it is as if he had saved an entire world.

Presentations prepared by Batia & Yehuda Oren, following their visit at Sugihara Center in his hometown Yoatsu, Japan

תמיכה במועמדותה של הגב' אירנה סנדלר לפרס נובל לשלום

אנו, נציגי הארגונים החתומים מטה, מבקשים להביע את תמיכתנו הבלתי מסוייגת במועמדותה של הגב' סנדלר לקבלת פרס נובל לשלום לשנת 2007. תמיכתנו זו מצטרפת לתמיכתם של ארגונים ופרטים רבים, בישראל, בפולין, בארה"ב ושאר מדינות העולם אשר בימים אלה חותמים על עצומה התומכת ביוזמתו של נשיא פולין, מר לך קצינסקי, להעניק לאשה היקרה הזו את הפרס.

גב' סנדלר, ילידת 1910 פולין, הצטרפה כבר בראשית מלחמת העולם השנייה לפעולות הסיוע ליהודים, בחלוקת מזון, דאגה ליתומים וסיוע כספי לאנשים, שהנאצים החרימו את רכושם. כראש מחלקת הילדים בארגון המחתרתי "ז'גוטה", שפעל מטעם הממשלה הפולנית הגולה בלונדון בסיוע ליהודים, היה עיסוקה העיקרי הצלת ילדים יהודים. גב' סנדלר הצליחה להבריח מדי יום ילדים יהודים רבים מגטו ורשה אל הצד הארי, ודאגה למצוא להם מקלט במנזרים ואצל משפחות נוצריות, וזאת באמצעות ניירות מזויפים שהסדירו להם במחתרת. אירנה סנדלר הקפידה על רישום מדויק של הילדים שהבריחה מן הגטו, כדי שאפשר יהיה לאתרם בסוף המלחמה ולהשיבם למשפחותיהם. את הרשימות הטמינה בכדי זכוכית באדמה בגן ביתה. בסך הכול הצילה בדרך זו 2,500 ילדים יהודים. באוקטובר 1943 אסר אותה הגסטפו ועינה אותה כדי שתמסור את שמות הילדים שהצילה, אך היא לא נשברה. נגזר עליה עונש מוות, אך היא נחלצה הודות להכנסתה לרשימת אסירים שהוצאו כבר להורג, בידי שומר שקיבל שוחד מחבריה למחתרת. גם לאחר סיום המלחמה היא המשיכה לסייע לילדים שהצילה.

בשנת 1965 העניק לה מוסד יד ושם את תואר חסידת אומות העולם ומשנת 1991 היא אזרחית כבוד של ישראל. בשנת 2003 זכתה סנדלר לפרס, מטעם המרכז האמריקני לתרבות פולין, על "האומץ והחמלה" שהפגינה.

למעלה מ-60 שנה חלפו מאז שואת העם היהודי, ודווקא עכשיו, על רקע דברי השטנה והכחשת השואה המגיעים מכיוונה של איראן, אנו רואים חשיבות מיוחדת בציון לשבח לאלו שעשו כל שביכולתם תוך סיכון חייהם, להצלת יהודים באותה תקופה חשוכה באירופה. זהו אולי הרגע האחרון שבו אפשר יוכלו חברי ועדת הפרס לסייע לעולם כולו לכבד את נדיבות הלב של המעטים אשר עשו להצלת האומללים והנרדפים.

The Encyclopedia of the Righteous Among the Nations, Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust, Poland

In the summer of 1941, Eliyahu and Rachel Jedwab lived with their young daughter, Bela, in the village of Sobotniki in the Nowogródek district, where they enjoyed good neighbourly relations with Franciszek Paszkowski. After the members of the Jedwab family were imprisoned in the Iwje ghetto, Paszkowski brought them food and promised to hide them in his home if they found their lives in danger. The Jedwab family fled during the liquidation of the ghetto to Paszkowski's home, where Franciszek lived with Jadwiga Paszkowska, his ailing sister. When the Jedwabs learned that there were rumours in the village that the Paszkowski family hid Jews, they decided to leave in order not to endanger their benefactors' lives. Paszkowski refused to let them go and hid them in his barn. When young Bela became ill, he gave her his own bed. Jadwiga cared for the child until she recovered and Paszkowski did not allow any neighbours into the house on the pretext that Jadwiga was ill in bed.

The Paszkowski family lived under constant fear of being found out and when the situation became unbearable they paid to another family in the village so they hid and kept the Jedwabs alive. Later the Jedwabs were forced to hide in the forest. Paszkowski continued to care for them and provide them with food and clothing and when winter approached he brought them back to the barn. Local nationalists murdered Eliyahu Jedwab a short time before the liberation.

All the valuables and jewellery of the family were given by the Jedwabs to a Polish forest keeper. This was so he would hide and save the little baby brother of Bela. The forest keeper took the valuables but got rid of the baby, by throwing him somewhere in the frost where he probably fell prey to the forest beasts. The only thing Frank gave them back was one of Eliahu's suit. That was what remain.

After the war, Paszkowski and his sister moved to an area within the new Polish borders and Rachel and Bela Jedwab immigrated to Israel, from where they kept in touch with Paszkowski for many years.

On March 7, I978, Yad Vashem recognized Franciszek Paszkowski and his mother, Jadwiga Paszkowska, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Franciszek Paszkowski and his mother, Jadwiga Paszkowska, Righteous among the Nations, who saved Bela and her family.

In January 1943, Wojciech Maciejko, who was living in Warsaw, helped two sisters from the ghetto, Ada and Izabella Wolfowicz. At first, he sheltered them in his apartment, but later on he took Ada to his parents, who had been friends of the Wolfowiczes before the war. Ada stayed there until September 1944, while Wojciech's friends, Waclaw and Irena Szymonowicz, hid Izabella. After the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, the Szymonowiczes were expelled from the city and Izabella fortunately found them again in Bledow, near Grojec, Warsaw district. She stayed with them again until the liberation in January 1945. Wojciech also helped Ludwika Luks, who stayed for a short time in his apartment. After the war, the sisters Ada (later Rakocz) and Izabella (later Bates) moved to Israel.

On May 23, 1967, Yad Vashem recognized Wojciech Maciejko as Righteous Among the Nations.

On September 29, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Waclaw Szymonowicz and his wife, Irena Szymonowicz, as Righteous Among the Nations.

During the occupation, Jan and Jozefa Kowalczyk, a poor peasant couple who lived in the village of Rozlaki in the county of Lukow, Lublin district, sheltered nine Jewish acquaintances of theirs from the nearby town of Huta Dąbrowa. These were Abram and Sonia Hurman, Chaim and Pola Kobialkiewicz, Sara Motkowa and her children, Ciwja and Szulim, Chana Dub, and Israel Augman, Some of the refugees arrived at the Kowalczyks after the liquidation of the Lukow ghetto in 1943, while others arrived in January 1944 after escaping from the Deblin labor camp. Although the Kowalczyks themselves had eight children, they took in all nine refugees and prepared two underground hiding places for them under farm buildings. Despite their straitened circumstances, the Kowalczyks helped them and looked after them, without expecting anything in return. At the time, the German defeat was imminent and members of the Gestapo were in the habit of raiding farms searching for Jews. Despite the danger, the Kowalczyks, guided by true compassion, saw to the refugees' safety and made sure their little children kept their presence secret. In the spring of 1944, the refugees decided to move to the nearby forests. Even then, the Kowalczyks continued to supply them with food and clothing until July 1944, when the area was liberated. After the war, most of the nine refugees immigrated to Israel, where they later testified that the Kowalczyks had saved their lives during the occupation.

On March 4, 1987, Yad Vashem recognized Jozefa and Jan Kowalczyk as Righteous Among the Nations.

In March 1942, a short time before the liquidation of the Gąbin ghetto in the Warsaw district, Rosa Grynbaum and her brother Albert escaped from the ghetto. After considerable wandering throughout the countryside, they arrived in the village of Kocewo in Biezun county, Warsaw district. There they appealed for help to Jan Soldanski, a past acquaintance of their parents. Disregarding the danger to his life, Soldanski hid the two Jewish fugitives in his home and provided them with all their needs, out of a sense of moral obligation stemming from his religious faith. Grynbaum and her brother remained under Soldanski's protection until July 1943. However, because of the neighbors' suspicions, he was forced to move Rosa Grynbaum to the home of Witold and Boleslawa Ostrowski, good friends who owned a farm in the nearby village of Budy Piaseczne. She remained there until the Red Army liberated the area in January 1945. In the home of the Ostrowskis, she was treated with kindness and devotion in her time of terrible need and they neither asked for nor received anything in return. Albert Grynbaum hid in the home of Helena Grabarek, who lived in the village of Niedzieliska in nearby Lowicz county, where he remained until January 1945. After the war, Rosa and Albert Grynbaum immigrated to the United States and in 1987 Rosa visited Poland and met with her benefactors.

On March 9, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Boleslawa Ostrowska, her husband, Witold Ostrowski, and Jan Soldanski as Righteous Among the Nations.

On March 13, 2000, Yad Vashem recognized Helena Grabarek as Righteous Among the Nations.

During the war, Kazimierz Tobiasiewicz lived with his sister, Anna Brazowska, and his mother in the city of Lwow. In early 1943, Aharon Kac came to Anna with a request that they care for his 12-year-old niece, Felicia Weinreb (later Cipora Weiner). Anna agreed to help and took Felicia to her home.

On May 30, 1943, Felicia Kac, (later Cipora Tobiasiewicz) another niece of Aharon Kac's, escaped from the ghetto and then met Kazimierz's sister (she already knew Kazimierz through her cousin, the aforementioned Felicia Weinreb) and also requested shelter. Kazimierz promised to help her. Kazimierz tried to get a Kennkarte for Felicia, hut he did not have enough money. He managed, however, to obtain a relatively unimportant Ausweis under the name of Felicia Tobiasiewicz.

As far as the Germans were concerned, Felicia was supposed to be a relative of the Tobiasiewiczes. The situation with the neighbors was a bit more complicated because they had been familiar with the entire family and so Felicia had to avoid them as much as possible. Her cousin Felicia Weinreb was in a better position because of her distinctly Aryan appearance and because she had been staying with the Tobiasiewiczes ever since the ghetto was in existence and everyone was used to her presence. She also attended regularly school and church.

After a time, Aharon Kac appeared at the Tobiasiewiczes' home. His situation was desperate, and he was fortunate enough to find shelter with them as well. In January 1944, Anna's husband returned home. He was a Jew who had converted to Christianity before the war. During the occupation, he had left the family home but upon being recognized was forced to return and join the three Jews who were hiding there. After the liberation, Felicia married Kazimierz and they moved to Warsaw. They subsequently had two sons. Tragically, Kazimierz died in a car accident in 1957 and after that Felicia and her children immigrated to Israel. The other survivors, Aharon Kac and Felicia Weinreb, also left for Israel.

On March 19, 1985, Yad Vashem recognized Kazimierz Tobiasiewicz and his sister, Anna Brazowska as Righteous Among the Nations.

In late 1942, the representative of Zegota turned to Jerzy Koźmiński, an 18-year-old underground activist who lived in Wawer, a Warsaw suburb, with his stepmother, Teresa Koźmińska, and asked him to shelter a number of Jews who had escaped from the local ghetto. With his stepmother's consent, Koźmiński agreed, and in April 1943, after the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 14 Jews, most of them members of the Glazer family, turned up and hid in a well-concealed underground shelter which had been specially prepared for them. In the course of time, they were joined by other refugees, mostly for short periods. Jerzy and his stepmother Teresa cared for all the refugees devotedly and did everything to ensure their safety. In risking their lives for the Jewish refugees, Jerzy and his stepmother were guided by a feeling of obligation to fight against a common enemy and never expected anything in return.

In early 1944, the authorities, alerted by informers, arrested Koźmiński, who, despite being subjected to a brutal interrogation, refused to betray the refugees. After he was sent to a series of concentration camps, his stepmother, Teresa, continued to look after her Jewish charges.

In September 1944, when the Germans retreated across the Vistula River, she bravely left her home amidst falling bombs and burning houses, in order to find food for her charges. All the Jews who hid in the Koźmińskis' apartment were liberated by the Red Army in September 1944 and, after the war, most of them immigrated to Israel. Teresa herself moved to Israel, converted to Judaism, and married a Jew.

On February 16, I965, Yad Vashem recognized Jerzy Koźmiński and Ruth Lindner (formerly Teresa Koźmińska) as Righteous Among the Nations.

In August 1942, during the liquidation of the Łosice ghetto in the Warsaw district (formerly the Lublin district), Chaya Gitla Zylbersztajn escaped with her daughter, Stella. After wandering for some months, the mother was caught, and despite possessing (forged) documents, murdered. Stella continued on her own, wandering from place to place. Despite the antisemitic environment, she miraculously met people who were ready to risk their lives for her. Among those who agreed to shelter Stella for various periods were: The Romaniuk and Zbucki couples and Wladyslawa Piotrowska from the town of Łosice*; Aniela Kalicka and the Radzikowski family from the village of Wyczolki; the Ulasiuk family from the village of Kornica; and the Mroz couple from the village of Blazejki. In May 1944, two months before the Red Army liberated the area, Stella converted to Christianity. After the war, she became a nun and entered the convent in Czestochowa. In 1968, she immigrated to Haifa, Israel, and changed her name to Zahava Tzur. In 1987, Tzur visited

Poland

and met her saviors. At various dates, she sent their names to Yad Vashem for inclusion in its Department of the Righteous Among the Nations.

On April 2, 1981, Yad Vashem recognized Aniela Kalicka and Waclaw Radzikowski as Righteous Among the Nations.

On June 27, 1985, Yad Vashem recognized Irena and Ezechiel Romaniuk as Righteous Among the Nations.

On May i8, 1989, Yad Vashem recognized Halina and Zygmunt Lugowski, Jozefa and Andrzej Zdanowski and their son, Stanislaw, Rozalia and Franciszek Wielgorski, and Jozefa and Jan Ulasiuk as Righteous Among the Nations.

On September 21, 1989, Yad Vashem recognized Janina and Stanislaw Mroz and Wladyslawa Piotrowska as Righteons Among the Nations.

On April 16 1991, Yad Vashem recognized Helena Kazmierczuk Gruszka and Lucyna and Marian Piechowicz as Righteous Among the Nations.

On June 25, 1991, Yad Vashem recognized Jozefa and Jozef Zbucki as Righteous Among the Nations.

On November 26, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Anna Radzikowska as Righteous Among the Nations.

On March 9, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Waclawa Jezierska (née Radzikowska) as Righteous Among the Nations.

Sara Riwner (née Weiman) was nine years old when her mother fled with her before the liquidation of the Łosice ghetto in the Warsaw district, where she was born. As a local citizen, Weinman had many acquaintances among the local residents and she hoped that one of them would agree to hide her. To her great disappointment, however, all those she turned to slammed the door in their faces. Because there were many Germans in the town and the hunt for Jews was unremitting, Weiman in her desperation, told her young daughter to escape on her own. Running with all her might, young Sara arrived at the grocery store owned by Roman and Maria Perycz, acquaintances of theirs who lived in the center of town. Roman Perycz was stunned to see the Jewish child in his shop, and immediately took her to his apartment where his wife Maria hid her behind their bed. The next day they told Sara that her mother had been murdered and they had decided to take her under their wing and hide her. From that day on, they cared for Sara as if she were their own daughter. Roman and Maria Perycz had three children of their own, Zbigniew, 13, Wieslaw, 10, and Zofia, 8. The Perycz children received Sara warmly and cared for her as if she were their own sister. Because the Peryczs were very busy with their work, they left it up to the children to watch over and guard Sara, which they did willingly and very naturally. Despite their young ages, they knew that they had to keep the presence of the Jewish girl in their home a secret and they made sure she never left the house. When there were Germans in the area, they would lock her up in the outhouse, and never left her alone at home. The children were told by their parents never to invite friends over, and saving Sara became a family mission. Everything they did was motivated by pure altruism, for which they never asked for nor received any remuneration. Sara stayed with the Perycz family for about two years. After the war, when no one came to claim her, they brought Sara to a Jewish children’s home. Sara eventually immigrated to

Israel

, from where she remained in touch with the members of the Perycz family.

On March 19, 1987, Yad Vashem recognized Marian and Roman Perycz as Righteous Among the Nations.

In June 1943, Lina Koch, a young girl who had lost her parents in the Tarnopol ghetto in Eastern Galicia, managed to escape from the ghetto and somehow make her way to the city of Trembowla, where she had relatives. There she met her aunt, Helena Selzer, who just days before had lost her family. Terrified and desperate, Selzer hid near her empty house with her young daughter, Musia. Fearing that the police would discover their hiding place, Selzer, her daughter, and her niece left the city and after weeks of wandering in the area arrived in the village of Boryczowka, where they met Maria Mularczyk. Mularczyk's pity for the Jewish fugitives overcame her fear and she hid them in the haystack in her barn. Despite her own impoverished circumstances and the danger to her life, Mularczyk shared the little food she had with the Jewish fugitives and kept them safe without asking for or receiving anything in return, taking care of all their needs until their liberation in March 1944. After the war, Koch immigrated to Canada; Selzer and her daughter immigrated to Israel, and Mularczyk settled within Poland's postwar borders.

On November 21, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Maria Mularczyk as Righteous Among the Nations.

ערב ה-18 באפריל 1943 הופיע אצל משפחת גלזר בגיטו ווארשה פולני צעיר כבן 17, יז'י קוז'מינסקי, הביא להם מזון , קנה מהם כמה חפצים והתעתד לחזור למחרת היום העירה. באותו לילה התחיל המרד ויז'י נלכד בגיטו. מר גלזר יעץ לצעיר הפולני לקפוץ מעל לחומה, ואמר לו: "יתומים אנו ונגזר עלינו למות, ברם אתה לא צריך לסכן את חייך!" לפני צאתו מסר יז'י למשפחת גלזר את כתובת משפחתו ואמר: אם יקרה נס ותישאר בחיים תתקשרו אתנו. אנו נעשה כל אשר ביכולתינו".

ב- 30.4.43 נמלטה משפחת גלזר מהגיטו: הצטרפו אליה עוד שלוש משפחות של מכרים, בסה"כ, כ14- יהודים, שבתקופה מסויימת גדל מספרם ל-22. כולם מצאו מקלט במשך שנה וחצי בבית משפחת קוז'מינסקי. הם בנו בונקר מתחת לריצפת הבית, עם כניסה מוסווית היטב. הגב' תרזה קוז'מינסקה (Tereza Kozminska) היתה הרוח החיה בבית.היא טפלה במסירות בלתי- רגילה בכל הניצולים ובהתמסרות וכבוד לאב הזקן בן ה70- של משפחת גלזר ולילדה בת ה12-. "זכיתי לקבל ממנה יחס חם, אהבה ותשומת-לב מיוחדת", כותבת הלינה פרידמן. תרזה היתה נשואה למהנדס מבוגר ממנה בהרבה שנים, ויז'י, בנו היה כמעט בגילה. הם גרו בוואור (Wawer), פרבר של וארשה. כשאזל הכסף, מכרה תרזה חפצי-בית כדי לאזן את התקציב. תרזה היתה אם לתינוק. לבעלה היו שני בנים מנישואים קודמים, ביניהם יז'י. יחסו של הבעל אל המסתתרים היה פושר. הוא פחד מגילוי המקום על- ידי המלשינים.

יז'י נהיה פעיל במחתרת הפולנית וגם שימש כמקשר בין הניצולים לבין משפחות יהודיות אחרות בצד- הארי. הוא הביא להם שני אקדחים עם כדורים ואימן אותם להשתמש בהם במקרה ויתגלו. יז'י נתפס על-ידי הגרמנים תוך כדי פעילות במחתרת, נחבש בבית הסוהר פאוויאק, ועונה קשות. הוא עמד בכל העינויים ( כל שיניו הוצאו) ולא גילה דבר. לבסוף נשלח לאושוויץ ומשם למאוטהאוזן והצליח לשרוד.

המעניין בסיפור זה הוא שהניצולים לא הכירו את המצילים מקודם. המצילים גם לא היו בעלי אמצעים. בין הניצולים היה שען ותרזה היתה משיגה עבורו עבודה כלשהי. היא טענה שיש בביתה דוד נכה שהוא שען. כשניסו פעם לתת לה דבר מה קטן במתנה, היא נעלבה קשות.

כשהחזית התקרבה לביתם פקדו הגרמנים על התושבים לפנות את האיזור. בעלה ואביה של תרזה נשמעו לצו; אולם היא גמרה אומר להישאר, היא ובנה בן השנתיים עם היהודים. אומר שמואל גלזר: "היא ידעה שיכולים להיווצר מצבים שבלעדיה נהיה אבודים. היא ירדה אלינו לבונקר. זה נמשך ארבעה שבועות" היא היתה יוצאת מהמחבוא, וזה תחת מטח יריות, כדי לאסוף דבר-מה לאכילה.

ב1964-הגיעה תרזה לארץ כאורחת של משפחת גלזר, והחליטה להישאר כאן. לפני כן נפרדה מבעלה. יז'י הוא מרצה בפיזיקה, ובנה עובד כמהנדס בפולין. היא החליטה להישאר בארץ לצמיתות והחלה לעבוד כאחות בבית חולים (היא היתה אחות במקצועה). ב1966- השלימה תהליך גיור ונקראת היום רות לינדנר.

ואני מנסה לחשוב על האנשים, שנתנו מסתור ומחסה.

אני מנסה לחשוב, ושומע ושואל: לו הייתי במקומם

האם אני, בתוך אוקיינוס של שנאה, מול עולם מתמוטט ובוער,

האם אני הייתי מוכן? האם בני משפחתי היו מוכנים

לחיות בפחד מתמיד כזה בתוך הרחוב, בין השכנים?

לחלום בלילות את צעדם הכבד והמאיים של התליינים?

מוכן להמשיך ולהלך בין מטחי היריות ולהבי הסכינים

בתוך לחשי הרכילות ומלמולי השמועות ותקוות המלשינים

וכל זאת -– בלי לבקש שכר מן הקורבנות, רק את לחיצת-ידם.

וכל זאת – רק מפני שאדם לאדם חייב להיות אדם.

בתוך המלחמה הנוראה -– הם-הם שעמדו יום-יום בקרב,

הם, בתולדותיו של עמי הרצוח, החנוק, הירוי והמת,

היו עמודי החסד והרחמים, שעליהם העולם עומד.

Odo questo titolo, e penso
alla gente che mi ha salvato.
E chiedo e chiedo ancora "Oh, Dio,
sarei io capace di fare lo stesso?
In un mare di odio, nella mia casa
sarei capace di dar ricovero ad un figlio straniero?
Sarei pronto, con la mia famiglia
ad essere in costante pericolo
minacciato di indubbia perfidia.
Notti insonni ascoltando rumori
udendo passi, presagi di disastro.
Sarei capace di individuare i segni
sarei pronto a questo, di camminare così

tra coloro che potrebbero tradire,
Non un giorno, non una settimana, ma per anni !
Qui un vicino sospetto, là uno sguardo, colà un rumore –
Per colui che, fratello, mi stringe la mano.
Senza un compenso – senza guadagnarci nulla.
Perché uno deve essere umano verso qualsiasi altro
Perché è in tempi simili che l’essere umano affiora –
E allora chiedo e chiedo ancora –
Avrei potuto fare lo stesso se fossi stato al loro posto?
Sono loro che si sono battuti ogni giorno,
Sono loro che hanno assicurato per me un posto nel mondo.
Sono loro le colonne, il fratello Giusto,
Sono loro le fondamenta del mondo di oggi.
Per il Vostro coraggio, per la Vostra calorosa mano estesa
Davanti a Voi, i Giusti, mi inchino.

George Gilbert: The Hidden Leica Story - part 2

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