Honorary Citizenship of Israel for three Righteous

Two of the honored participated in the ceremony: Czesława Rusiecka nee Lesińska and Prof. Janusz Durko. Due to health problems, Eugeniusz Guzek was not able to take part in the event. 

Among other participants of the ceremony were the Vice-mayor of Warsaw Włodzimierz Paszyński, the Undersecretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland Jaromir Sokołowski, the Senator Prof. Leon Kieres, the rabbis Michael Schudrich and Burt Schuman, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and Warsaw cultural institutions.

The Honorary Citizenship of Israel is awarded to heroes honored by the Yad Vashem Institute with the title “Righteous Among the Nations”.

Aleksandra and Władysław Lesiński together with their daughter Czesława and their son Zdzisław had a farm in Ostrówek (Węgrów district).

During the occupation, for almost two years they were hiding in their house four Jewish escapees from the nearby town of Łochów: Rozalia Kalecka and her sister Cywia Knobel with her husband Menasze (Mieczysław) and her 6-year-old son Bolesław.

After the Second World War the Jews emigrated to Israel. The Lesińskis were honored with the title “Righteous Among the Nations” in 1988.

During the Nazi occupation Janusz Durko was working as a secretary and member of the board of the Social Building Enterprise in Warsaw, where many Jews with so-called “Aryan” papers. He knew their identity and did his best to protect them.

From the autumn of 1942 to the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising about 20 people, mostly escapees from the ghetto, found shelter in the apartment of Janina and Janusz Durko. The Durkos were honored by the Yad Vashem Institute with the title “Righteous Among the Nations” in 1989.

During the war Eugeniusz Guzek was living with his parents in a small apartment in Warsaw. Despite the difficult conditions, they did not hesitate and sheltered 12 people of Jewish descent.

During the Warsaw Uprising, the Nazis entered the house of the Guzek family, murdered all the men and chased out all the women. Only dr Stefan (Szlomo) Szor and Eugeniusz Guzek survived the manhunt.

At the request of the rescued, in 1987 Eugeniusz Guzek and his mother Zuzanna were honored with the title “Righteous Among the Nations”.