Vale Alicja Schnepf (1930–2025)

Redakcja, 5 June 2025

With deep sorrow, we received the news of the passing of Alicja Schnepf née Szczepaniak – a Righteous Among the Nations and long-time member of the Board of the Polish Association of the Righteous. In 2008, “for her heroic attitude and the extraordinary courage shown in saving Jewish lives during World War II, and for outstanding merits in defending dignity, humanity and human rights”, she was awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the President of the Republic of Poland. She passed away at the age of 94. With immense sadness, the team at the POLIN Museum bids her farewell. We remember Alicja Schnepf’s biography on the Polish Righteous portal – read the story of the help she gave to Jewish women during the German occupation, view archival photographs and watch her interview from the POLIN Museum’s Oral History collection.

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“At the end of 1943, early autumn, maybe September, my mother began working at the Chamber of Crafts, through a connection, in the kitchen. While she was at work, the daughter of an acquaintance from 11 Listopada Street, where Jews were being hidden, came by. This daughter brought with her an older woman and a little five-year-old girl. It was Mrs. Anna Albert from Lwów, with her niece or grandniece – I still don’t know exactly – Janina Zajdel. She said that her mother asked that they stay with us for a few days. I agreed to this. Of course, when my mother came home from work, she had nothing negative to say about my decision – she understood the situation. They stayed with us”, Alicja Schnepf recalled in an interview for the POLIN Museum.

She was born on 20th August 1930, in Warsaw. She was the daughter of Antoni Szczepaniak – an activist in the Polish Socialist Party, who died defending Warsaw in September 1939, and Natalia Szczepaniak née Kuźniewska. She had a younger sister, Barbara, who was two years her junior.

During the German occupation, despite their difficult family situation, Alicja and her mother helped persecuted Jewish women. From 1943 until the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, they provided shelter in their apartment in Warsaw’s Praga district at 14 Oszmiańska Street to, among others, Anna Albert and her young niece, Nina Sandel (also known as Janina Zajdel).

On 1st January 1982, in recognition of the help she provided to Jews, Natalia Szczepaniak was honoured, by the Yad Vashem Institute, with the title of “Righteous Among the Nations”. On 13th November 1991, the same title was also awarded to Alicja Schnepf. She became a member of the Association of the Polish Righteous, serving for many years as the organisation’s Secretary.

Alicja was a frequent visitor to the POLIN Museum. During educational meetings with young people, she shared her experiences. She also took part in events focused on Polish-Jewish relations during World War II. In 2008 and 2015, she gave us biographical interviews, enriching the POLIN Museum’s Oral History Collection.

She will be remembered as an exceptionally warm-hearted person. She showed us great kindness and trust. With deep sorrow, we bid her farewell. To the family of Alicja Schnepf, we extend our heartfelt condolences. We encourage everyone to learn more about her life story on the Polish Righteous portal.

The funeral ceremony will take place on 10th June 2025, at 12 noon, at the Powązki Military Cemetery.