Michalina Kędra lived in Humniska, in the same Podkarpackie region village where Józef Dąbrowiecki had his farm. For some time, he had hidden the Jewish Markow family. Unfortunately, because of frequent inspections of his farmyard, it was necessary to find them a new hiding place.
This was found in the home of Michalina Kędra. Even though she had four children at home - and a Ukrainian tenant – she agreed to help. Her husband prepared two hiding places for the Markow’s – first in the larder and in the stable attic. Michalina’s eldest daughter, Helena, helped her mother care for those in hiding. So as to support everyone, both women travelled to markets. Helena smuggled food and vodka to Kraków while Michalina travelled as far as Lviv.
Despite taking all possible care, tragedy almost struck when the police arrived at the house with a summon to do forced labor for Helena. The Markow’s, hiding quickly in the stable attic, made a noise which caused the police to become suspicious. They ordered everyone to raise their hands and conducted a search. However, they failed to find the Markow’s who were hidden behind a thin partition.
Additional dangers faced by everyone were the long, sometimes all-night, visits by the Ukrainian police who came to their fellow countryman, the tenant, and who often imposed themselves as guests in the farm kitchen.
The Markow’s remained in Michalina’s home from 1942 until 1944 when the Red Army entered the area. Finally, they were free.
