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Oskar Haber was born on March8, 1910 in Brzeźnica near Dębica. His parents were orthodox Jews; Oskar had 9 siblings. The family had a farm – horses, cows and a piece of land. They were the only Jewish family in the village. Oskar was a Polish patriot and was happy to serve in the army […]

Gizela Levy née Epstein was born in Tarnów in 1935. Her parents Sara and Moshe and her younger sister Sabina were murdered by the Germans during the war – the family of the survivor is still trying to establish the circumstances of their death. For some time Gizela was hiding with her aunt Blanka in […]

Pawel Mika (1897-1958) lived with his wife Karolina née Majka (1901-1945) and their four children, Stefan (1927-2013) and his 3 younger siblings Genowefa, Maria and Jan, in Zaborów a small village in Brzesko poviat. The house stood far from the center of the village, close to the forest. Already before the war, Karolina was diagnosed […]

In the previous article I wrote about people from the Dębno municipality who helped Jews hiding from the German invaders during the Second World War. Two people were missing on that list – Jan Wojciech and Maria Flądro. This was not a mistake, but a deliberate action, as this couple deserves special attention as they […]

While researching the history of Dębno commune in the period  of 1939-1945, one may come across various references or memories concerning help provided by local residents to Jews who were hiding in the area. At the outset, it should be noted that before the outbreak of the war, the Israelites were an indispensable part of […]

Originally from the Lviv area, Bazyli Łoza (1879-1939) and Stefania Duda (1890-1987) lived in Brzesko for most of their lives; it was here that they raised their six children. Bazyli died in the first days of the war, on September 6, 1939. His widow Stefania and three children who were living in Brzesko at the […]

Jan Wiktor Brzeski was born in Brzesko on July 17, 1909. His father, Jan Władysław Brzeski, was not only a doctor, but also the mayor of Brzesko and a prominent social activist. His son also became a doctor. During the Second World War the Germans arrested and imprisoned Jan Władysław Brzeski in Tarnów, Kraków and […]

Stefan Łaszkiewicz (January 22, 1891 – November 1, 1963) and Maria Jadwiga Łaszkiewicz nee Wręga (November 21, 1900 – March 30, 1978) lived in Borzęcin. Stefan was a reaiway station worker and Maria was a teacher. During the second world war they were hiding for over 2 years Miriam Redner together with son Ryszard. From […]

By Lucjan Kołodziejski Emilia Piękosz Hynek passed away on February 18, 2019. She was the last of the seven Righteous of Borzecin to bear such an honorable title. About ten years ago, I interviewed her about the help her mother provided to a Jewish family hiding in their house during the war. Their entire family […]

Rachel (Rozalia) Schrank (later Anna Bratko, 1922-1995) was born in Borzecin as the daughter of Szymon Schrank and Erna née Sattler. She had an older sister Bluma (1917-2008) and a younger brother Maks (Marian,1925-1942). Her father Szymon died in a hospital in Tarnow in 1936 at the age of 48; her mother Erna (born in […]