Franciszek and Magdalena Banasiewicz
Encyclopedia
The family of Franciszek and Magdalena Banasiewicz with sons: Jerzy, Tadeusz, Antoni, and daughter Maria lived on a farm in Orzechowce near Przemyśl
during the Nazi German occupation of Poland in World War II
. In July 1991 they were bestowed the titles of Righteous among the Nations
by Yad Vashem
for rescuing fifteen (15) Jews escaping the Holocaust from the ghetto
in Przemyśl.
Franciszek Banasiewicz (2 April 1884 – 5 February 1954) was a decorative painter before the war. His wife Magdalena née
Lenar (7 July 1884 – 28 September 1957) was a homemaker. Two Banasiewicz sons, Antoni and Tadeusz, were sent by the Nazi Germans to forced labor in the Third Reich
when the war broke out. Tadeusz escaped and after returning home lived in hiding, in barns and in the fields. His father, Franciszek, organised many heroic rescue missions with his aid.
Initially, Franciszek Banasiewicz was approached by Salomon Ehrenfreud, who escaped the ghetto massacre of June 1942 having witnessed the death of his wife and children. He was hiding at the home of Jan Kościak a bit earlier. Tadeusz—already staying out of sight—took it upon himself to hide along with Salomon around the farm. Meanwhile, Franciszek started taking in other Jews including Salomon's brother, Izaak—previously helped by other Poles—his cousin Jakub Nassan and their friends Marcel Teich and Junek Frenkiel. Helped by his own son, Franciszek brought from the ghetto Nassan's wife, Eugenia and her friend Fejga Weidenbaum. A week later he rescued Edmund Orner.
, arrested Tadeusz at that time, and passed him over to the Nazis. The German commander released him nonetheless, bribed by Samuel Reinharz, who then escaped with Tadeusz and Jozef back to the farm where all fifteen Jews were hiding.
Maria Banasiewicz recalls how shocked though undeterred they were to learn that, in the nearby village of Tarnawce
, farmer Kurpiel who sheltered 27 Jews in a bunker similar to theirs was discovered in May 1944. All fugitives were murdered. Kurpiel with his wife and family was executed in Lipowica. Several months earlier, a similar fate met Banasiewiczs liaison with the Ghetto, Michał Kruk.
s came to recapture one of the Banasiewicz sons. They surrounded the house, but were unsuccessful. The bunker was not discovered either. The Red Army retook the town from German forces on July 27, 1944. All family members and Jewish escapees survived. In 1988 (or, on July 17, 1991, sources vary) the Banasiewicz family including Franciszek, Magdalena, Maria, Tadeusz and Jerzy were given the titles of Righteous among the Nations for their heroic stance against the Nazi German Holocaust.
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
during the Nazi German occupation of Poland in World War II
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. In July 1991 they were bestowed the titles of Righteous among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
for rescuing fifteen (15) Jews escaping the Holocaust from the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
in Przemyśl.
Franciszek Banasiewicz (2 April 1884 – 5 February 1954) was a decorative painter before the war. His wife Magdalena née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Lenar (7 July 1884 – 28 September 1957) was a homemaker. Two Banasiewicz sons, Antoni and Tadeusz, were sent by the Nazi Germans to forced labor in the Third Reich
Forced labor in Germany during World War II
The use of forced labour in Nazi Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to the mass extermination of populations in German-occupied...
when the war broke out. Tadeusz escaped and after returning home lived in hiding, in barns and in the fields. His father, Franciszek, organised many heroic rescue missions with his aid.
Initially, Franciszek Banasiewicz was approached by Salomon Ehrenfreud, who escaped the ghetto massacre of June 1942 having witnessed the death of his wife and children. He was hiding at the home of Jan Kościak a bit earlier. Tadeusz—already staying out of sight—took it upon himself to hide along with Salomon around the farm. Meanwhile, Franciszek started taking in other Jews including Salomon's brother, Izaak—previously helped by other Poles—his cousin Jakub Nassan and their friends Marcel Teich and Junek Frenkiel. Helped by his own son, Franciszek brought from the ghetto Nassan's wife, Eugenia and her friend Fejga Weidenbaum. A week later he rescued Edmund Orner.
The bunker
Banasiewicz family and the fugitives began constructing a bunker under the house in the fall of 1943 in preparation for the cold Polish winter. The new hiding area enabled Banasiewiczs to rescue more people. In October 1943, on request of Salomon Ehrenfreud, Tadeusz smuggled out from the ghetto Bunia Stamhofer and Fela Szattner, then in January 1944, he rescued Samuel Reinharz with his brother Beniamin and their mother Bertha. He attempted to rescue Jozef Weindling, however, Jozef's brother, a ghetto policemanJewish Ghetto Police
Jewish Ghetto Police , also known as the Jewish Police Service and referred to by the Jews as the Jewish Police, were the auxiliary police units organized in the Jewish ghettos of Europe by local Judenrat councils under orders of occupying German Nazis.Members of the did not have official...
, arrested Tadeusz at that time, and passed him over to the Nazis. The German commander released him nonetheless, bribed by Samuel Reinharz, who then escaped with Tadeusz and Jozef back to the farm where all fifteen Jews were hiding.
Tarnawce
Tarnawce is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krasiczyn, within Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies approximately west of Przemyśl and south-east of the regional capital Rzeszów....
, farmer Kurpiel who sheltered 27 Jews in a bunker similar to theirs was discovered in May 1944. All fugitives were murdered. Kurpiel with his wife and family was executed in Lipowica. Several months earlier, a similar fate met Banasiewiczs liaison with the Ghetto, Michał Kruk.
In May 1944 German gendarme
During the first public execution in Przemyśl, which took place on 6 September 1943, Michał Kruk and several other people were executed for the assistance they had rendered to the Jews. Altogether, in the town and its closest environs 415 Jews (these including 60 children) were saved, in return for which the Germans killed 568 people of Polish nationality. — Piotr Jaroszczak
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
s came to recapture one of the Banasiewicz sons. They surrounded the house, but were unsuccessful. The bunker was not discovered either. The Red Army retook the town from German forces on July 27, 1944. All family members and Jewish escapees survived. In 1988 (or, on July 17, 1991, sources vary) the Banasiewicz family including Franciszek, Magdalena, Maria, Tadeusz and Jerzy were given the titles of Righteous among the Nations for their heroic stance against the Nazi German Holocaust.