Righteous Honoured in Warsaw Synagogue

KJ, 16 November 2016
Another ten Polish Righteous Among the Nations were posthumously honoured on 12th August 2014 at Warsaw’s Nożyk Synagogue. Relatives of both the rescuers and the survivors came from around the world to attend the ceremony.

Grzegorz Czyżyk was honoured for having help Bela Perec and her daughter Sara. Czyżyk was a policeman in Chełm, a friend of Bela’s and her husband Izaak. In 1941, when he learned of the planned liquidation of the Chełm ghetto in which the Perec family were living, Czyżyk helped Bela and Sarato get to the “Aryan side” and hid them in his home for two years. Czyżyk’s grandchildren,  Elżbieta, Barbara and Jerzy accepted the award.

Aniela Fedorów,her daughters Ewa, Maria and Joanna, as well as son-in-law Edward, were honoured for helping the Korec family Borysław during the Nazi occupation. For quite a time, Rozalia Korec and her daughter Irena were hidden in the Fedorów home. The Polish family also helped Rozalia’s husband and other daughter Oldza, who were in the Borysław ghetto. Relatives of the Righteous accepted the award.

During the War, Mieczysław Muszka and Danuta Biały, siblings from Lwów, rescued two people –Róża Selig and her little daughter Mireille. Mieczysław arranged for their escape from the ghetto, while Danuta took them into her home and cared for them. Danuta her identity papers to Róża, thanks to which Róża could, to some degree, live a normal life. Together with her daughter, she stayed in Kołomya where they awaited the war’s end. Mireille presented the award to Mieczysław Muszka’s children Zofia, Barbara and Jacek.

Before the war, Marian Pyziak, a member of the Home Army (AK) was head of Skierniewice Social Services. He helped the seven-member Kuczyński family to escape from the Warsaw ghetto. Thanks to the help of many people, the Kuczyński family survived the War. The medal and certificate were accepted by Marian Pyziak’s children, Anna and Andrzej.

Mieczysław Rylski, a glass products manufacturer, helped sisters Perła and Chana Kornblum of Kałuszyn to survive. In 1943, aware that they were Jews, he gave them jobs in his factory and provided them with shelter. The medal and certificate were presented by a son of one of the survivors, David Popowski, to Mieczysław Rylski’s grandchildren.