About the people who saved me.

I ask and ask "Oh, my dear God,

Could I have done the same thing?"

In a sea of hate stood my home,

Could I shelter a foreign son in my home?

Would I be willing along with my family

Constantly be threatened by certain evil?

Sleepless dark nights watching out for noise

Hearing footsteps of certain evil.

Would I be able to understand every sign,

Would I be ready for this, could I walk like this

Among those who would betray

Not one day, not one week, but so many years!

there a suspicious neighbor, there a look , and here a sound -

For that one - warm - brotherly clasping of my hand...

Not having any pension - not having anything for this.

Because a person to person must be a people.

Because a people comes at this time through -

So I ask you and ask you once more -

Could I have done the same if I was in their place?

It was they who went to war every day.

It was they who made the world a place for me.

It was they, the pillars, the Righteous brother,

Who this day this world is founded by.

For your courage, and for your warm extended hand

In front of you the Righteous I bow.

The Polish underground resistance was keeping records, but they were destroyed in the Warsaw Uprising. The institute that was the repository for information about the crimes against the Polish nation in Warsaw collected this particular information that was published in 1996 in a book, Those That Helped.

With very special thanks to: The Main Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against the Polish Nation and The Polish Society for the Righteous Among the Nations in Warsaw, Poland. E-mail: ak@citinet.net

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Registry of over 700 Polish citizens killed while helping Jews During the Holocaust:

1. ABRAMEK, W³adys³aw, 20, living in Wola Przybys³awska, near Garbów, Lublin prov.

killed by Germans on Dec. 10, 1942, while staying at his cousin, Józef Aftyka, who sheltered Jews. (see 3-6)

in Spring of 1943; he was beaten to death by W³adys³aw Gleb, the German town mayor of Mszana Dolna, for sheltering a Jew.

4. AFTYKA, Aniela, 52, Józef's wife

5. AFTYKA, Marianna, 14, daughter

6. AFTYKA, Zofia, 17, daughter

murdered by Germans on Dec. 10, 1942 together with a group of Jews sheltered by them and with W³adys³aw Abramek. On the same day Czes³aw and Leonard Gawron from the same village were also killed together with Aniela and Stanis³aw Kamiñski, 5 members of the Nalewjka family and 5 others of the Ochmiñski family - a total of 19 people (see: 1, 137-138, 209- 210, 390-391, 411)

died on July 11, 1943, together with the Kowalczyk family, shot on the charge of helping Jews (see: 264-266)

arrested on Oct. 16, 1941 for aiding Jews; died the same year at Auschwitz

A sizable group of Jews from Ceg³ów took refuge in the village of Cisie,

(incl. Esther, Yoyne Mendel and the baby Jab³onka Goldstein) as well as Jews who escaped from the "death trains" to Treblinka via aCeg³ów. On June 28, 1943 raids were carried out on the village by the military police

from Miñsk Mazowiecki, during which 25 Poles, incl. railwaymen, were snatched from their homes, together with numerous Jews they sheltered and

murdered: Marcin D¹browski, Franciszek Fiutkowski, Aleksander G¹sior,

Henryk Gergera, Rozalia Jaworska with her 2 years old daughter, Tadeusz

Lipiñski, Zygmunt Ma³us, Stanis³aw Pe¿yk, Tomasz and Sylweriusz P³atek,

Edward R¿ysko, W³adys³aw Saski, Eugeniusz Skwieciñski, Marian and Piotr Smater, Jan Szczêsny, Józefa Szyperska, Aleksandra W¹sowska, Jan and ,

Mieczys³aw W¹sowski, W³adys³aw Wójcicki, Jan Zagañczyk and Ludwik Zaj¹c. Wies³aw Walczewski was arrested the same day, but shot in January 1944. The VILLAGE WAS BURNT DOWN. (see: 92, 124, 141-142, 186- 187, 332, 361. 456, 470-471, 536, 539, 560, 564-565, 597, 604, 630, 635-637, 677, 693, 696)

sent to Majdanek for aiding Jews; died after torture in Oct. 1943

11. ARCISZEWSKI, Albin, 45, living at Orlicz, near Garbów, Lublin prov.

executed in September 1943 for helping Jews from the camp at Antopol; he tried to save Dr. Czerniak, his wife and 2 daughters, Isaac Elfenstein, Lena Mazurska and Itka Wo³yniec

12. AUGUSTYN, Józef. living in Szerzyny, Tarnów prov.

13. AUGUSTYN, Józefa, his wife

they sheltered 3 Jews form Szerzyny, the family of Elias and Hersh Haskel, shot together with them on Feb. 4, 1944 by German military police

14. AUGUSTYNIAK, Franciszek, 30, worker, living at Paulinów, near Soko³ów Podlaski, Siedlce prov.

shot by an SS unit on Feb. 24, 1943, together with a group of 14 people, victims of a provocation: several weeks earlier they rendered help to a Nazi agent, who pretended to be a Jewish fugitive. Died also Zygmunt Dryga, Franciszek Kirylski, Józef, Ewa and Stanis³aw Kotowski, Stanis³aw Piwko, Jan Oliwiñski, Aleksandra Wiktorzak (see: 111, 216, 259-261, 469, 609, 648) Stanis³aw Kusiak and Stanis³aw Mazurek died in the Treblinka camp (see 314, 374) Died also Czes³aw Borowy, Jan Brzozowski and Stanis³aw Henduszko (see: 43, 57, 166)

15. BACZEWSKA, Honorata, 30, teacher living in Lublin

underground liason officer and AK (Home Army) press carrier, murdered for sheltering Jews early in 1945 by Ukrainian nationalists.

16. BANASZEK, Marianna, 50, living in Pustelnik, near Marki, Warsaw prov.

17. BANASZEK Stanis³awa, daughter

18. BANASZEK, W³adys³aw, son

murdered in October 1943 for hiding a Jewish family of 3. This Jewish family, informed of the threat of a raid on the house, luckily escaped.

19. BARAN, Adam, 29, living in Hucisko, near G³ogów Ma³opolski, Rzeszów prov.

20. BARAN Szczepan, 36

On June 10, 1943 the German military police from Rzeszów surrounded the village of Hucisko and murdered 21 inhabitants of it and of the neighbouring village of Przewrotne, for sheltering Jews. Died also: Franciszek Beskur, Jadwiga Chezalik, Franciszek Dr¹g, Anna Dworak and 7 members of her family:Anna, Jan, Katarzyna, Maria, Micha³, Stefania and Zofia; Adam, Józef and Marcin Gut, Marcin Kolano, Jakub and Józef Rumak, Józef S³uja and Adam Susich. The Germans burnt down 17 homes and numerous service buildings (see: 31, 61, 110, 113-120, 161-163, 222, 521-522, 563, 589)

Similar measures were carried out twice in the village of Przewrotne (see: 49-51, 70-71)

21. BARAN, Rozalia, living in Modrych, near Hrubieszów, Zamooæ prov.

In December 1942 beaten up and then murderd for giving her own "Kennkarte" to a Jewess, who using it went to work in Germany, was recognized and captured

22. BARANEK, Wincenty, 46, farmer, from Siedliska, near Miechów, Kielce prov.

23 . BARANEK, £ucja, 35, his wife

24. BARANEK, Henryk, 12, son

25. BARANEK, Tadeusz, 10, son

26. BARANEK, Katarzyna, mother of Wincenty

murdered by military police on March 15, 1941 together with Katarzyna Kopeæ, mother of £ucja and the Jews they were sheltering: Piñczowski, Skowron, Sybirski and Weitzman (see: 228)

27. BARGLIK, Maria, 51, farmer, living in Tokarnia, Cracow prov.

killed on March 6, 1944, following sentence passed by a special court (Sondergericht) at Szaflary for sheltering the 6 members family of Samuel Steinberg

28. BARGLIK, Stefan, living in Tokarnia, Cracow prov.

shot on the strength of the special court verdict of the SS and police commander (Standgericht) in Cracow for "fostering Jews and sheltering them"; the execution of the verdict was pronounced on Feb. 21, 1944

29. BARSZCZ, Marianna, 16, living in Moszeñki, near Jastków, Lublin prov.

employed by farmers Marian and Zofia Wysmulski, who concealed in an underground shelter 4 Jews, while providing also others with food and medicines. On Sept. 25, 1943, Germans shot also Zofia Wysmulska and the Jews they protected (see: 689)

30. BERSKI, Jerzy, living in Warsaw

killed in combat against Germans in April 1943, during the offensive near the Warsaw ghetto walls, organized by the GL (People's Guard)

31. BESKUR, Franciszek, 35, from Przewrotne, near G³ogów, Rzeszów prov.

shot on June 10, 1943 in the village of Hucisko, in a mass execution for sheltering Jews (see: 19-20)

32. BIELNIAK, Franciszek, 32, shoemaker, from G³êbokie, near Biecz, Krosno pr.

shot by Gestapo on Jan. 14 1943 for rendering help to Jews

33. BIEÑKOWSKI, Gerwazy, from Kietlin, near Radomsko, Piotrków prov.

executed in November 1943 with W³adys³aw and Franciszka Librowski for his part in sheltering 2 Jews: Chêciñski and Bugajski (see: 329-330)

34. BOBELOWA, (Christian name unknown) from £uck (now in Soviet Ukraine)

35. BOBELOWA's mother

murdered by Germans in Fall 1943 for hiding a Jewish owner of a local brewery, Sznajder Bobel, who having been warned, managed to escape

36. BOBROWSKI, Jan, 50, farmer, from Lipiny, near Pilzno, Tarnów prov.

killed in March 1943 for sheltering Jews; his farmstead was burnt down

37. BOGDANOWICZ, Anna, living in Jas³o, Krosno prov.

arrested at the end of November 1942 for sheltering Sarah Diller, who survived. Tortured, she perished soon after in Auschwitz. Posthumously awarded by Yad Vashem the medal as "Righteous Among Nations"

38. BOGUCKA, (Christian name unknown) from Pastewnik, near Borszczów (locality incorporated after the war into the Soviet Ukraine)

widow of the local butcher, Karol Bogucki; arested in June 1943, killed in Czortków for sheltering 11 Jews. She left behind her 3 orphan children.

39. BOREK, Stanis³aw, farmer, living in Sadkowice near Lipsko, Radom prov.

40. BOREK, Helena, his wife

41. BOREK, Czes³aw, son

42. BOREK, Piotr
shot on Jan. 8, 1943 for help to Jews. Together with them perished their daughter, Honorata, with her husband Ryszard Wójtowicz (see: 684-685)

43. BOROWY, Czes³aw, worker, from Paulinów, near Soko³ów Podlaski, Siedlce prov

shot on Feb. 24, 1943 as one of the 14 persons victims of a provocation some weeks earlier they gave help to a Nazi agent, pretending to be a Jew (see 14)

44. BORYCKI, Stanis³aw, 44, farmer, from Boisko, near Lipsko, Radom prov.

45. BORYCKA, Zofia, 38, his wife

46. BORYCKI, Zbigniew, son

shot on Jan 2, 1943, for helping Jews. Their homstead was burnt down.

With them were killed 3 persons of the Krawczyk family (see: 279-281)

executed in August or September 1943 for harbouring 3 Jewish people

shot on Apr. 21, 1943, when as a liason officer of the GL (People's Guard) he tried to supply guns to the Jewish ghetto. His wife Wiktoria and his son Zbigniew were arrested. Their fate is unknown

50. BUDZ, Wojciech, 34

51. BRUDZ, Walenty, 57

On Mar. 13, 1943 German police, under Gestapo supervision, killed around 30 people in the village of Przewrotne for sheltering Jews. Along them were killed: Andrzej, Franciszek and Wojciech Dr¹g; Micha³ Gawe³; Adam Organiociak and 6 members of his family: Andrzej, Aniela, Franciszek, Józef (born in 1906) Józef (born in 1912) and Wojciech; £ukasz and Wojciech Pomyka³a, Antoni Rusin, Jan Walc, Franciszek Wanoska, Franciszek and Józef Wilk. (see: 108-110, 136, 427-433, 476-477, 525, 629, 633, 650-652. Other names are unknown. A second execution at Przewrotne took place on May 9, 1943 (see: 70-71) as well as in the nearby village of Hucisko on June 10, 1943. (see: 19-20)

shot on May 17, 1943, by military police from Grodzisk Mazowiecki in the "Anielin" villa of Milanówek, together with 4 Jews she concealed

shot in the first half of 1944 at the Hasag-Eisenhütte A. G. camp, for distributing food and money and passing correspondence to Jewish inmates, as part of the campaign carried by the Relief Council for Jews

arrested on Nov. 15, 1943 for help to Jewish population; jailed in Zakopane, transfered to P³aszów camp and then to Montelupich prison in Cracow. Shot there on May 28, 1944

he helped fugitives form the Sosnowiec ghetto, and transported some of them to Hungary. Arrested in 1944 by Gestapo, sent to Auschwitz, died there. Posthumously awarded the medal "Righteous Among Nations"

shot on Sep. 1, 1943 by Gestapo, together with 2 Jewish men, sheltered on her estate; one of them was Goldberg, owner of the tannery in Wo³omin.

shot on Feb. 24, 1943, as one of the 14 persons, victims of a Nazi agent provocateur (see 14)

murdered on Sep. 21, 1943, by gendarmes from Pietkowo, for helping Jews, hiding after their escape from the train to Treblinka

60. BUZOWICZ, Anna, his wife

on Apr. 3, 1943, sentenced to death by a special court in Radom for helping the Jewish women Sala Rubinowicz and Else Schwarzman. Also sentenced to death for that case were: Wiktoria Paduch, Jan Pinkus, Zenon Poloñski and Maria Ró¿añska. (see: 442, 466, 475, 517)

61. CHEZALIK, Jadwiga, 41, farmer, from Hucisko, near G³ogów, Rzeszów prov.

killed on June 10, 1943 in a mass execution for sheltering Jews in which 21 villagers died (see: 19-20)

foster-child of Leonard Pietrak, killed together with him and his family for harbouring 2 Jewish men, on Feb. 28, 1944 (see: 461-463)

shot on Oct. 19, 1942, for supplying food to the Radoszyce ghetto

65. CHOREW, his mother (name unknown)

66. CHOREW, his father (name unknown)

executed in fall 1943 together with the Jewish woman, Leycha Kap³an, they harboured

68. CHOWANIAK, Tekla, his wife

Karol was arrested in May 1943, together with the 4 sheltered Jews, family Kuczko among them, who were shot on the spot. Karol underwent several weeks of investigation in the Gestapo prison "Palace" at Zakopane, and was sent to Auschwitz. Tekla was arrested with her foster-child, Karolina Marek, and was sent directly to Auschwitz. All three died there (see 368)

executed by the Gestapo on May 20, 1942, at Czarny Dunajec, together with Józef Lehrer and his daughter, for supplying food to them and other Jewish people in hiding

71. CHUBRO, Micha³, 53

On May 9, 1943, following Gestapo orders, the military police from Rzeszów, surrounded the village of Przewrotne and murdered 16 Poles for harbouring Jews. Others who died also were: Andrzej Gola, Antoni Granat, Ludwik Gut, Józef Kuo. Pawe³ Laska, Jan Marsza³, Józef Tyburski (see: 148. 152. 164, 317, 323. 371, 618) The names of other 7 victims have not bee established. Similar executions took place in Przewrotne on Mar. 13, 1943

(see: 49-51) as in the nearby Hucisko on June 10, 1943 (see: 19-20)

73. CHYBOWSKA, Julia, 54, his wife

shot on Mar. 5, 1943, for sheltering Jews

shot on Nov. 7, 1943, one of three, rendering help to Jews (see 283, 582)

shot on Mar 21, 1943, for sheltering in his house a Jewess from Pacanów

76. CIO£KOSZ, Feliks, 58, from Markuszowa, near Wioniowa, Rzeszów prov.

77. CIO£KOSZ, (Christian name unknown), 50, his wife

78. CIO£KOSZ, Jan, 26, their son

shot in June 1943 by military police from Wioniowa, for helping Jews who took refuge in nearby woods (see 426)

80. CYPARSKI, Alfred Fryderyk, 6, son

81. CYPARSKA, Stanis³awa, 3, daughter

82. CYPARSKI, Tadeusz, 6 months, son

murdered in March 1944 for help to Jews, rendered by Stefania

shot in early March 1944 by Gestapo for helping Jews and Soviet POW

murdered on Dec. 7, 1942, by gendarmes from Ciepielów, for help to Jews. Toghether with him died: Bronis³aw Dobroñ, Stanis³aw Nowotnik, Marianna Skwira, Wojciech Skrzak and members of Wdowiak and of Wojewódka families (see: 102, 403, 557, 561, 638-640, 660-665)

sheltered 7 Jews in her house in Milanówek: Jadwiga Miñska, whose husband had been killed in Katyñ, and 6 others, known only by their assumed names: the couple Cholewiñski and their 2 sons and the couple Kordoñski. In fall of 1943 five of them were arrested and their fate is unknown. Janina Wanda arrested with them, was transferred from the Pawiak prison to Auschwitz, where she died on Feb. 20, 1944

87. CZERWONKA, Julia, 55, his wife

88. CZERWONKA, Stanis³aw, 18, son

shot on July 1943, by Gestapo for sheltering Jews.

89. D¥BOWSKI, Krzysztof, 44, farmer, from D³ugo³êka, near Knyszyn, Bia³ystok

murdered on May 5, 1945, in connection with the sheltering of 7 Jews from Knyszyn since September 1942. They were: Ber S³odki with his wife Fruma, their daughter Szosza and son-in-law Abram Krawiec, rabbi; Gerson Krawiec, his wife Lenta and their son, Szmuel. All of them left Poland after the war. D¹bowski was killed by bandits who demanded large sums of money from him, which, they thought, he must have earned for sheltering Jews. Posthumously awarded the medal "Righteous Among Nations"

(town incorporated after the war into the Ukraine)

Though known before the war for her antisemitic views, she began sheltering Jews in her home, following the German occupation in 1941.

18 people were found in her villa in April 1944, including a paralysed old woman, an invalid without a leg and a blind girl. Tortured by Gestapo, she did not reveal the identity of those who had been helping her, and she was

shot with the people she had been sheltering.

having sheltered more than 12 Jews in his home and on his farm, he was shot together with the Jews during a raid organized by the German military police on the village, on Jan. 31, 1943

killed by the military police, together with 24 other Poles from the village of

93. DEC, Bronis³aw, from Hadle Szklarskie, near Kañczuga, Przemyol prov.

94. DEC, Stanis³aw, brother

95. DEC, Tadeusz, brother

96. DEC, W³adys³aw, brother, living at Panta³owice, near Kañczuga

The Dec brothers, together with other inhabitants of Panta³owice and

Hadle Szklarskie, helped and provided food to Jews who were hiding in the surrounding woods. One of the latter, Malka Szinfeld, who was captured by the Nazis, unable to withstand the investigation to which they subjected her, gave away the names of the Poles who were helping them. On Dec. 4, l942 were detained and executed beside the Dec brothers: Zofia Kubicka, Zofia and Jakub Kuszek, Emilia and Wincenty Lewandowski (see: 293, 315-316, 327-328)

took care of many fugitives from the Warsaw ghetto, thus cooperating with Ludomir Marczak. Arrested on Nov. 25, 1943, togehter with the sheltered Jewish family, shot on Jan. 6, 1944 in the ghetto ruins. Posthumously awarded the medal "Righteous Among the Nations (see: 367)

murdered by Gestapo on June 29, 1942, together with 11 Jews of unknown identity, sheltered on her property

100. DÊBSKA's housekeeper (identity unknown)

sheltered 11 people of Jewish origin, including the family of the dentist Gottfryd and the 3 members of the family Karpel. These last managed to escape, but all others were shot

arrested on Jan. 14, 1943 for help rendered to Jews, jailed at Zakopane, later transferred to the P³aszów camp and then to the Montelupich prison in Cracow, shot there on May 28, 1944

murdered on Dec. 7, 1942, in a group of 14 Poles by gendarmes from Ciepielów, for help rendered to Jews (see: 84)

shot by the military police in autumn 1942, together with the sheltered Jews, incl. the mother Kajla born Janic. His wife managed to escape

105. DOMAÑSKI, Franciszek, 37, farmer, son

106. DOMAÑSKI, Antoni, 32, farmer, son

shot by military police on Apr. 8, 1943 for sheltering Jews and partisans

shot on Dec. 11, 1943 with his neighbours, the Szczepaniak family, for help to a Jewish family; the father of this family was also shot, but the fate of the remaining family members is unknown (see: 594-596)

109. DR¥G, Wojciech, 42

shot on Mar. 13 in the village of Przewrotne in a group execution for Jews sheltering (see: 49-51)

shot on June 10, 1943 in the village of Hucisko (see: 19-20)

shot at Paulinów by an SS unit on Feb. 24, 1943, together with a group of people, victimsof a Nazi agent provocateur (see: 14)

killed in autumn at Gniazdowo with a Jewish fugitive, Frydman

114. DWORAK, Maria, 56

115. DWORAK, Micha³, 57

116. DWORAK, Anna, 30

117. DWORAK, Jan, 29

118. DWORAK, Anna, 21

119. DWORAK, Stefania, 16 killed on June 10, 1943 at Hucisko, in a group execution, for sheltering Jews (see: 19-20)