The Righteous Mieczysław Konieczny Honoured by the President

, 16 November 2016
The Righteous Mieczysław Konieczny has been honoured by the Polish President with the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polish Revival (Krzyż Komandorski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski). The ceremony took place on Monday, 4th August 2014, in Młodzawy Duże (Świętokrzyskie Province).

Today, Mieczysław Konieczny is 89 years old. During World War II, as a teenager and toegterh with his family, he hid nine Jews in his home. His parents, Maciej i Marianna, ran a large farm in the village of Dzierążnia, near Działoszyc. In November 1942, a Jewish shoemaker, Chaim Frenkel, turned to the Konieczny family for help. In the beginning, Chaim hid with the Konieczny family together with his son. However he was caught and shot when he left the hiding place. His son remained hidden and survived the War.

The Konieczny family also helped other Jews, among them the family of Olmer , a baker from Działoszyc. With the help of their children, Piotr, Mieczysław and Honorata, the Konieczy couple excavated two hiding places for the escapees – one under the floor of the house, the other under the threshing floor of the barn.

The honour, made by President Bronisław Komorowski, was presented the head of the President’s Office Maciej Klimczak. Mieczysław Konieczny was honoured for his heroic conduct and for the extraordinary courage he displayed in saving the lives of Jews during World War II, as well as for his outstanding service in defending human dignity and human rights.