Marianna and Józef Walczyński lived in Piekoszew near Kielce together with their children. Józef worked in a tannery in Białogon (currently a district in Kielce), owned by Judka Bekierman, a Jew. In August 1942, nearly all of Judka’s family members were deported from the Kielce ghetto to Treblinka, where they died. At that time, Judka was imprisoned in a labor camp in Kielce. Soon, his brother Dawid, who managed to escape from Treblinka, joined him. In March 1943, the two brothers, together with three other Jews – Judka Baum, his brother Mojżesz Majer, and friend Mojżesz Pozycki, organized an escape.
When they fled the camp, the five Jewish men headed to Józef Walczyński, desperately begging for help. Józef took them in, saying, “Whatever happens to you happens to me.”
The Walczyński family cared for the men, despite their financial problems and suspicions of their neighbors. During the summer, the men hid in the attic, and during the winter – in the cellar. The entrance to the cellar was located in the barn and hidden behind a trough.
The Walczyński children were also involved in providing help. Their son Stanisław, who was five years old at the time, recalls: “I remember that when the Jews went out to eat, my father locked the door with the hook and told me to stand watch. I stood on a stool by the window and looked if someone was entering the house. When someone was approaching, I called my dad. People often asked why we closed the door, and father would tell them that I accidentally locked it when playing. My parents told me that these men were my uncles. They often carved little cows and ponies for me.”
The Jews remained in hiding at the Wilczyńskis for almost two years, until the entry of the Red Army in January 1945. Shortly after the war, Dawid Bekierman was killed by Poles. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown. One version says that he was killed by a man who was jealous of a girl from Białogon, whom Dawid wanted to marry. The man did not like Dawid’s origin. The other survivors soon emigrated from Poland. They later wrote to the Walczyńskis, and sent them packages.
Already in the 1960s, the four survivors made efforts to have the Walczyńskis recognized with the title Righteous Among the Nations. Yet, Józef continued to decline the medal. He received it posthumously in 2012. The award ceremony was held in Kielce in 2013.
