Polish Righteous Honoured in the Presence of Barak Obama

Mateusz Szczepaniak, 16 November 2016
Poles Walery and Maryla Żbijewski, together with two Americans, were honoured as Righteous Among the Nations in a ceremony in Washington DC on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This was the first time such an event had taken place in the United States and the first time with the participation of a US President. During his address, Barack Obama spoke of the extraordinary rescue of a five year old Jewish girl from Warsaw and of the heroism of the Polish family.

Others who took part in the ceremony were representatives of the Yad Vashem Institute, Ryszard Schnepf (USA) and Ron Dermer (Israel). As well as the Polish couple Walery and Maryla Żbijewski, the Americans posthumously honoured were Roddie Edmonds and Lois Gunden.

The medal and certificate honouring the Poles were accepted by their grandson, Wojciech Żbijewski, who lives in the USA. Honouring the couple was at the instigation of the girl whom they saved, Elżbieta Wilk who, during the major liquidation operation of the Warsaw ghetto, managed to reach the so-called "Aryan side" together wiith Janina, her mother

"The Żbijewski couple risked the lives of themselves and their family by taking in a small Jewish girl and treating her as one of their own children", she said during an interview with Polish Radio.

In the beginning, she and her mother hid with the Kucharski family, also Righteous Among the Nations. Later, Janina Ferster obtained false papers so that she can try to rent an apartment. While she was searching, her daughter Elżbieta was hidden by Walery and Maryla Żbijewski.

"There's just no way I can repay them, because there's just no way to repay such selflessness", she said during the ceremony. "But at least I am happy that they have now been honoured."

Following the presentation, Steven Spielberg spoke of courage and love for another human being, and of the values highlighted by the rescuers. With the flags of Poland, the United States and Israel in the background, the final address came from President Barack Obama.

He said, "When we hear their story, we ask ourselves how would we respond in similar circumstances? Would we have shown the same love as did Walery and Maryla Żbijewski?”.

He stressed that "we must never forget the history of the Holocaust”.

The ceremony and President Obama's speech can be viewed on the Yad Vashem website (only in English).