Decoration for rescuing Jews at the time of the Holocaust

red., 16 November 2016
The ceremony of decorating Poles who rescued Jews at the time of the Holocaust took place on 9 February 2010 in the Office of the Marshal of Podkarpackie Region in Rzeszów. The orders, which had been conferred by Lech Kaczyński, the President of the Republic of Poland, were handed to those distinguished by Maria Kaczyńska, the First Lady, and by Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka, the Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.


In accordance with the decision of Lech Kaczyński, the President of Poland, the following people were awarded the COMMANDER’S CROSS POLONIA RESTITUTA in recognition to their heroic demeanor and extraordinary bravery shown while rescuing the lives of Jews during World War II and for their outstanding achievements in the field of protecting human dignity and human rights:

1. Banasiewicz Tadeusz
2. Cichoń Józefa
3. Depa Helena Maria
4. Dźwierzyńska Stefania
5. Frączek Stefania Helena
6. Mironiuk Józef Franciszek
7. Pasterkiewicz Józef
8. Pierzyńska Teresa Marcela
9. Porębski Władysław Maksymilian
10. Sawa Aleksandra
11. Siuzdak Józefa
12. Stola Jadwiga
13. Szemelowska Augusta
14. Świerczek Maria Waleria
15. Werner-Welz Halina Maria

posthumously:

16. Adameczek Feliksa
17. Adameczek Stanisław
18. Banasiewicz Franciszek
19. Banasiewicz Magdalena
20. Baran Bronisława
21. Baran Wawrzyniec
22. Benisz Jan Karol
23. Chmiel Aniela
24. Chmiel Feliks
25. Dec Bronisław
26. Dec Stanisław
27. Dec Tadeusz
28. Dec Władysław
29. Fołta Maria
30. Fołta Szymon
31. Gielarowski Bartłomiej
32. Goleń Eleonora
33. Grajek Stanisława
34. Jurek Maria
35. Kazak Agnieszka
36. Kazak Katarzyna
37. Kazak Sebastian
38. Kreicarek Kazimiera
39. Kreicarek Michał
40. Krzysztyniak Aniela
41. Krzysztyniak Władysław
42. Kurpiel Franciszka
43. Kurpiel Stanisław
44. Majkut Antoni
45. Majkut Katarzyna
46. Marciniec Karolina
47. Niedziela Teofila
48. Niedziela Waleria
49. Owca Stanisław
50. Ożóg Maria
51. Patroński Wojciech
52. Pietraszek Alfreda
53. Pietraszek Bolesław
54. Pyrcak Stanisław
55. Pyrcak Stefania
56. Rębiś Anna
57. Rębiś Jan
58. Rębiś Józef
59. Rębiś Karol
60. Rębiś Wiktoria
61. Rębiś Zofia
62. Roszkowski Paweł
63. Rościszewska Janina
64. Ryba Józef
65. Stawarska Wiktoria
66. Stawarski Mateusz
67. Ulma Józef
68. Ulma Wiktoria
69. Wania Agata
70. Witer Olena s. Josifa
71. Zwonarz Franciszka
72. Zwonarz Józef

Within the frames of the policy of „Przywracanie pamięci” [„Recalling forgotten history”], Lech Kaczyński, the President of the Republic of Poland, honors the Polish heroes of the struggle for Poland’s freedom and independence who still remain unknown or have been forgotten. These include the Poles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, but whose achievements for dozens of years have been escaping our awareness.

The ceremony that took place on 10 October 2007 in the Great Theatre in Warsaw was the first event which paid homage to the Polish Righteous Among the Nations for their unparalleled heroic demeanor demonstrated not on the battleground, but in their homes, houses and hiding places in the forests – in the situation of direct danger to their own lives, the lives of their families, neighbors or the whole village. The second ceremony, in which Poles who rescued Jews at the time of the Holocaust were honored, took place a year later, i.e. on 17 November 2008 in the National Theatre in Warsaw. On 27 August 2009, during the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Liquidation of the Lizmannstadt Ghetto, the third group of Poles who saved Jewish lives in World War II was decorated. Also the Poles acting for the benefit of the Polish-Jewish dialogue were distinguished at that time. The fourth group of Poles rescuing Jews in World War II was decorated in Rzeszów on 9 February 2010.

The following persons also took place in the ceremony: Zygmunt Cholewiński, Marshal of Podkarpackie Region; Ewa Leniart, Chairman of the Institute of National Remembrance in Rzeszów; the decorated people and their families; Elżbieta Rączy – a historian.