New Righteous Among the Nations – Janina and Piotr Ogonek

The 75-year-old rescued Gizela Levy from Israel presented the distinction to their granddaughter Violetta Wawrzonkowska. In the ceremony, that took place in Warsaw, participated the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Jan Borkowski and the Ambassador of Israel to Poland, Zvi Rav Ner.

Gizela Levy nee Epstein was born in 1935 in Tarnów. Her parents Sara and Mosze, and her younger sister Sabina were killed by the Nazis during the Second World War. Gizela had been hiding at the house of her aunt Blanka in Cracow, but it became necessary to find a new hiding place for her – she risked being denounced.

The girl was given shelter by Janina and Piotr Ogonek, who lived in the village Biskupice Melsztyńskie near Tarnów. The Righteous Among the Nations did it unselfishly, risking their own lives and the lives of their three children. Gizela was transported from Cracow to the house of the Ogoneks by Franciszek Karaś from a village near Wolnicz - currently Yad Vashem and the Embassy of Israel are looking for his relatives and descendants.

These Poles saving Jews were constantly afflicted by the so-called “szmalcowniks” – people who blackmailed hiding Jews and Poles who offered them shelter during the war – the Gestapo kept visiting their house and Piotr Ogonek was arrested and beaten up by the Nazis. However, they did not denounce the girl and Gizela lived with them until the end of the war.

She used the name Krysia and dyed her hair blonde. She was hidden in the barn, in a dugout and in the attic. After the war Gizela Levy emigrated to Israel, where she lives until this day.

Piotr Ogonek died in 1974, and his wife – in 1996. They were honored thanks to the efforts of Gizela, who found and visited their family last year. The Yad Vashem Institute honored them with the title “Righteous Among the Nations” in March 2010.

Violetta Wawrzonkowska, granddaughter of the Ogoneks, assured during the ceremony that her grandmother never forgot the Jewish girl she had been hiding during the war. She also added that her grandparents “did not feel they were doing anything special, they never put it that way, it was a normal thing in their lives”.

Gizela Levy expressed her regrets due to the fact she did not contact Janina and Piotr Ogonek before the Righteous died – the memories of the war and hiding were too difficult for her and she was trying to erase them from her memory. However, at present she has great contact with the family of her rescuers. She came to the ceremony together with her husband, her son and daughter-in-law and her two grandchildren - all of them emphasized the fact that they were there thanks to the Righteous.

The Ambassador of Israel Zvi Rav Ner emphasized that he is really glad “it is possible to honor heroes, who – during dark, difficult times when people had to risk their own lives to save and hide Jews – did that”. The Ambassador also assured that next Polish Righteous Among the Nations will certainly be honored.