Matylda Getter
Encyclopedia
Matylda Getter was a Polish
catholic nun
, mother provincial of CSFFM (lat.Congregatio Sororum Franciscalium Familiae Mariae) - Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary
in Warsaw and social worker in pre war Poland
. In German-occupied Warsaw during World War II
she cooperated with the famous Irena Sendler
and the Żegota
resistance organization in saving the lives of hundreds of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto
. She was recognized as one of Polish Righteous among the Nations
by Yad Vashem organisation. for her rescue activities.
, Międzylesie
, Płudy, Sejny
, Wilno and others.
. Sisters arranged for them work , granted shelter and providing them false documents. During the Warsaw Uprising
In the provincial house at Hoża St. 53 in Warsaw, the sisters ran a paramedical station and a soup kitchen, turned into a hospital.
Mother Matylda Getter declared that she would take in every Jewish child she could. Durning the occupation, the Order's Sisters rescued between 250-550 Jewish children from the ghetto. Mother Matylda risked her life and the lives of her Sisters by taking the children into her orphanages and hiring adults to work with them, caring for the children in facilities scattered around Poland. As the superior of the Warsaw Province of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, she took on the responsibility of obtaining birth certificates for the children and hiding them in the order’s educational institutions. She explained these actions with the words:
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
catholic nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, mother provincial of CSFFM (lat.Congregatio Sororum Franciscalium Familiae Mariae) - Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary
Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary
The Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, , also known as Siostry Rodziny Maryi, RM, is a Polish female Catholic order. The congregation was established in St. Petersburg during the Partitions of Poland with the mission to help Polish children stricken by hunger in the Russian Empire, and to...
in Warsaw and social worker in pre war Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. In German-occupied Warsaw during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she cooperated with the famous Irena Sendler
Irena Sendler
Irena Sendler was a Polish Catholic social worker who served in the Polish Underground and the Żegota resistance organization in German-occupied Warsaw during World War II...
and the Żegota
Zegota
"Żegota" , also known as the "Konrad Żegota Committee", was a codename for the Polish Council to Aid Jews , an underground organization of Polish resistance in German-occupied Poland from 1942 to 1945....
resistance organization in saving the lives of hundreds of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
. She was recognized as one of Polish Righteous among the Nations
Polish Righteous among the Nations
Polish citizens have the world's highest count of individuals awarded medals of Righteous among the Nations, given by the State of Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews from extermination during the Holocaust...
by Yad Vashem organisation. for her rescue activities.
Biography
She started social work before World War II and she received a number of the highest national distinctions in honor of her achievements in her educational and social work. She had founded over twenty education and care facilities for children in Anin, Białołęka, ChotomówChotomów
Chotomów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Jabłonna, within Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Jabłonna, north-west of Legionowo, and north of Warsaw....
, Międzylesie
Miedzylesie
Międzylesie is a town in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Międzylesie, close to the Czech border. Prior to 1945 it was part of Germany....
, Płudy, Sejny
Sejny
Sejny is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area , on the Marycha river, being a tributary of Czarna Hańcza...
, Wilno and others.
Activity durning WWII
From beginning of the war the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, “in the spirit of Christian love and Franciscan joy,” brought aid to those in need, both civilians and members of the Polish undergroundPolish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
. Sisters arranged for them work , granted shelter and providing them false documents. During the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
In the provincial house at Hoża St. 53 in Warsaw, the sisters ran a paramedical station and a soup kitchen, turned into a hospital.
Mother Matylda Getter declared that she would take in every Jewish child she could. Durning the occupation, the Order's Sisters rescued between 250-550 Jewish children from the ghetto. Mother Matylda risked her life and the lives of her Sisters by taking the children into her orphanages and hiring adults to work with them, caring for the children in facilities scattered around Poland. As the superior of the Warsaw Province of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, she took on the responsibility of obtaining birth certificates for the children and hiding them in the order’s educational institutions. She explained these actions with the words:
Internet
- http://www.radiomaryja.pl/artykuly.php?id=93027Artykuł na temat akcji ratowania Żydów przez siostry franciszkanki na stronach Radia MaryjaRadio MaryjaRadio Maryja is a Polish religious, conservative, anti-post-Communist and pro-life Roman Catholic radio station and media group, describing itself as patriotic. It was founded in Toruń, Poland, on December 9, 1991 and has been run since its inception by the Redemptorist rector doctor Tadeusz...
] - Spotkanie ocalonych z siostrami franciszkankami po 60 latach
- Polscy Sprawiedliwi - Przywracanie Pamięci; Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich