A New Polish Postage Stamp in the “Poles Saving Jews” Series – the Kurpiel Family

Redakcja, 4 July 2024
On 28th June 2024, Poczta Polska (Polish postal service) issued a new stamp in the “Poles Saving Jews” series, thus commemorating, in a unique manner, the Kurpiel family from Leoncin, Krasiczyn (Podkarackie Province). In 1944, they were murdered by the Germans for helping Jews – the Rubinfeld, Golinger, Spiegel and Rubin families, who died together with their Polish carers. In 2013, the Yad Vashem Institute honored the Kurpiel family with the title of “Righteous Among the Nation”. To mark the occasion of the new stamp’s issue, we recall the story of the Kurpiel family and the thirty or so Jews who hid with their help.

“I don’t remember the exact date, but it was in May 1944. At around three in the morning, uniformed German soldiers came and surrounded the entire estate. We were woken up by banging on the door. Dad opened it and went out onto the porch with mum”, recalled Maria Tkaczyk, daughter of Stanisław and Franciszka Kurpiel.

The Kurpiel family helping the Jewish Rubinfeld, Golinger, Spiegel and Rubin families

During the German occupation, Stanisław and Franciszka Kurpiel lived, with their six children, on the Leoncin farm near Krasiczyn. From 1942, they helped around thirty Jews.

On 21st May 1944, about twenty Ukrainian policeman surrounded the Kurpiels’ buildings. Stanisław and Franciszka, together with their their oldest children, were taken to the Gestapo prison in Przemyśl. Two weeks later, the children were released and allowed to return home. On 19th June 1944, Stanisław and Franciszka were shot at the fort in Lipowica.

Read more: A Crime in Leoncin – the Story of the Kurpiel family  [A Story of Aid] →

The hidden Jews were discovered during the search. They were taken outside of the barn and were shot. Only two managed to escape from the crime scene – Józef Fabian and Herman Spiegel, who left their hiding place via a ventilation shaft.

At the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews we pay particular attention to the fate of Jews hiding of the “Aryan side”, such as those who died with the Kurpiel couple. Here, we remember them:

  • Izrael Rubin
  • Ita (Tonka) Rubin nee Feuer
  • Jakub Rubin, 12 yo
  • Chaim Rubin, 14 yo
  • Regina Feuer
  • Lola Feuer
  • Gena Treuer nee Feuer, 24 yo
  • Pepa Feuer, 18 yo
  • Henia (Hermana) Feuer, 4 yo
  • Lei (Liki) Schattenow
  • Gerda Goldman   
  • Jakub Rebhana, 49 yo
  • Anna Rebhan nee Schiff, 41 yo
  • Basia Rebhan, lat 13
  • Izaak Schmidel (Szmiedel), 39 yo
  • Wolf (Bolek) Sternberg, 31 yo
  • Jakub Reich
  • Józefa Jonas
  • Abraham Spiegel, 46 yo
  • Chaim (Imek) Liewers, 45 yo
  • Ozjasz Rubinfeld
  • Hinda Rubinfeld

“Poles Saving Jews” – a New Series of Stamps Issued by Poczta Polska

For several years, Poczta Polska has regularly issued postage stamps honoring Polish men and women. who lost their lives for helping Jews during the German occupation. Thus far, the Kowalski family (2021), the Baranek family (2022) and the Ulma family (2023) have been honored in this manner.

On 28th June 2024, a new stamp, honoring the Kurpiel family, will go into circulation.

The stamp, with a 4.90 zł value, is printed using the rotogravure technique on fluorescent paper, 31.25 x 39.5 mm dimensions and will be limited to 100,000 stamps. The stamp’s designer is Agata Tobolczyk and it was colorised by Mirosław Szponar.

Read more: