New Polish Righteous
Among the participants of the ceremony was Tzvi Norich, who had been hiding at the houses of the Błońskis and Skops. At present Norich lives in Israel and is 82 years old.
“I’m not sure if my hands or my voice won’t shake – he said before the ceremony. – I am lucky to have lived for so many years. It makes me understand even better how much they were risking when they decided to hide me during the Second World War”.
The Ambassador of Israel Zvi Rav-Ner presented the medals to the current vice-mayor of Koziegłowy, Stanisław Błoński – son of the late Righteous – and to the granddaughter of the Skops, Otylia Kawalec.
Stanisław Błoński said: “We are proud of this medal, because it cannot be bought or obtained in any other way. But I was proud of my grandfather even without it. I held him up as a model He was a good man”.
“They were modest heroes. Sometimes even neighbors did not know what they were doing. There was a time in history when in Poland it was better not to admit it. Today, after many years of silence and of bad political Polish-Israeli relations, we want to pay off this debt. Because we are indebted to them. These people deserve our memory” – said the Ambassador of Israel during the ceremony.
During the Second World War, Józefa and Antoni Błoński, and Marta and Andrzej Skop had been hiding the teenage Tzvi Norich on their farms in Woźniki and Koziegłowy for almost two years.
In November 1942 the Norichs were transferred in the Będzin ghetto. During its liquidation (the summer of 1943) they hid in their house. Tzvi was sent to Marta Skop – the sister of his mother’s friend.
The boy reached the house of Marta and Andrzej Skop in Woźniki on July 20th, 1943. He spent 8 months with them. Then he had to escape because some acquaintances of the Skops came from Chorzów and recognized him.
He finally found shelter in Koziegłowy-Rosochacz – the Błoński family took him in. Tzvi claimed he was Józek Łukasik from Grodziec. “Józek” used to help his new hosts and graze cows. Tzvi stayed at the Błońskis 14 months – until the Soviet army entered.
In 1948 Norich emigrated to Palestine. He had been corresponding with his saviors until 1960, when they lost contact. In 2007 Tzvi visited Koziegłowy for the first time. Since 2008 he has been in touch with the son of Antoni, Stanisław Błoński. In 2009 he came to the town again – he was invited by the district authorities and met with the local youth.
