A word to the young.

Mrs. Maria aked by us about some word to the joung says:

“I’ve got some thoughts. I think that it is our obligatory, people who survived The Second World War, to tell youngs about it. But the youngs cannot live just thinking about the past. They have to built new Poland! Fresh, which be fair for everyone. I know that sometimes young people don’t want to listen about the past, I know they have to live their own life but there have to be a groundwork.

Can young people live? Won’t they lost in this rush for money? We started with nothing. Even a piece of soap could make us happy. But now? Now everyone wants to have a beautiful, well furnished flat...”

He didn’t even know him!

Janeczka was very gifted. In Plock she went to third class... Earlier Mrs. Maria and her mother taught her how to write, read and count.

Mrs. Róża’s brother-Janka’s uncle, Zwanzigar, started to look for his family in poland by International Red Cross. He wrote a letter to Zurich. In the same time Mrs. Maria’s father wrote a letter on the adress given by Mrs. Róża (before she died). The Zwanzigar family didn’t live at the given adress but the letter went to Zurich. Families managed to have a contact. “They helped us to bring up Janka. They were sending us a lot of packages with food. Unfortunately the packages were emptied and filled by stones.”- says Mrs. Maria sadly.

Mrs. Maria went to secondary school named Staniław Małachowski in Plock. During the war Germans had there a stable. “Everybody was cleanig this building. There I got the secondary school certificate.”

In 1955 the family went back to Milanówek.

“In 1963 I got a flat in Warsaw. I really wanted to study medicine, but they didn’t take me up because of my brother who was abroad. Then I worked in Polimex, but they fired me when they heard about my brother.” It was a strange, terrible time. Everyone who had a contact with someone who was abroad had a big problem.

“Then I got married and had the children. I wored in project office.”- says Mrs. Maria without any details. Her husband was a lawyer. He had studied low and journalism on Warsaw University. “When he applied to prosecutor's office, they rejected him because I had a brother abroad. He didn’t even know him! It was absurd!”

They were keeping us there for twenty-four hours

“We felt very good in Płock. My father found a job at German Neuman” says Mrs. Maria

Mrs. Maria and her mother had to go to Gestapo to register because they had come from Warsaw. “It was terrible! They were keeping us there for twenty-four hours. Mum said that she can’t work because she is ill and I wasn’t 16 so that I didn’t have to work.” reminds Mrs. Maria.

“9^th January when was my 16 birthday an order to work came immediately. A work in shipyard. But me? So little girl? It wasn’t work for me!” -laughs Mrs. Maria. “A German women who was responsible for employment liked bribes very much. My uncle said to our housekeeper to wash curtain and send to the German. The order to work disappeared.”

Płock before Second World War was full of Jewes. From 10 000 people survived only several. “The German who employed my father was responsible for pacification of Płock’s ghetto. He was so greedy for riches. He took all things which had any value.” Says Mrs Maria with disgust.

In March ’45 when Russian came Neuman was escaping as the last. “We saw Russians at horizon when Neuman wasn’t away yet. He would have probably escaped but for peasant who killed him. Before going out Neuman gave my father keys to his flat. Neuman said that he would come back.”- says Mrs. Maria.

Mrs. Maria’s father didn’t want to move in to the flat before getting allocation. The flat was on a ground floor and was many times defrauded. Inside was only ferniture.

After War Mrs. Maria’s father get a job in department. “My father was activating

old factories. We survived this worst period ”

When we got there it turned out that there are 11 people!

“I didn’t knew if mum and Jerzy had survived the uprising. From time to time we were hearing some news about terrible things in Kolonia Staszica. I asked one runaway what’s going on there. She said only: There was a fight!” In this time Mrs. Maria’s mother and a group of survivours went across The Pole Mokotowskie and staied near Politechnika Warszawska. There were located in a building of architecture Lwowska street where battalion “Radosław” took in battalion “Odwet”.

“Mum send a link on Twarda who saw my inscription. That’s how my mum could find us.”

Mrs. Maria escaped with her parents, Jerzy and Janka crawling in subway under Jerozolimskie avenue. They got to a flat on father’s friend-Aleksander Janowski. “We didn’t stay there for a long time because this house was also bombed. My mum found one room in a flat in Lwowska street and we were living there to the end of the uprising.” – says Mrs. Maria.

“After the collapse of Warsaw Uprising we set out on a wandering. We had to sidle and thanks to smugglers we got to Reich. Father had a permission for job so we were safe in some way.”

Jetkiewicz family got by to reach Płock. They staied at mother’s brother who had been living there for a long time. He and his family was uprooted and they were living in wooden superstructure on the top of a hen house (two rooms and a kitchen). “ When we got there it turned out that there are 11 poeple!” – laughs Mrs. Maria. Mrs. Maria’s mother forestalled her brother that Janka is Jewesse and asked unless he is afraid. “My uncle was very honourable and said that if his sister could save Jewess child he have to take part in this.” – says Mrs. Maria.

Since this time I turned grey

The Warsaw Uprising. A sprut against invader became a fact. I think that we shouldn’t discuss about rightness of this event. Let’s go back to the Righteous’a story form this time.

Mrs. Maria’s mother and brothet went to the “Odwet” battalion. All this contingent was located in Kolonia Staszica, in privets detached houses. The mother was a commander of sanitary contingent contain of 60 people. Jerzy (brother) was fighting directly.

“1^st August I escorted my mother to the Kolonia and went back hole quickly to stay there with my father (he has an asthma) and Janka” – says Righteous with excitement. “During the uprising I was responsible for Janka who was hanging tightly to my skirt when she was hearing bombs. I was trying not to show her my fear to encourage her.”

18^th August the house in Twarda street was bombed. “When I woke up I realised that I was trapped in the other side ofcorridor than father and Janka. Since this time I turned grey. It is my reminder from the uprising... My father knew where I was and soon I was free.” Mrs Maria interrupts her story suddenly. “After going out of the debris I went upstairs to our flat. I was looking for something which could be useful. The view was awful. Overturned wardrobes and ruined walls... I took a cross which my grandfather had had in 1863 during the January Uprising, letters from Siberia and some trinkets. We went on Sienkiewicza street. I left an inscription on a wall for my mum. In Sienkiewicza street we were at people who we didn’t even knew well. We were sleeping in a cellar.”

They taught her catechism so well, that she know it better than I do

Zofia Kosak-Szczucka ordered, with her rule (every saved child has to be a child of the church), to baptize Janka. Mrs. Maria reminds: “For my Mum it had to be Janka’s decision, although she knew that it could reduce the risk for our family. The documents would be real.” Zofia Kossak persuaded Mrs. Maria’s parents. Zofia’s son - Witold and Jadzia, a link, a daughter of Cat Mackiewicz, said they would prepare Janka to the baptism and thet they wolud be her godfather and godmother. “They taught her catechism so well that she know it better than I do!” laughs Mrs. Maria. Janka was baptized in Wszystkich Świętych Church in Warsaw.

The doctors and Mrs. Maria’s parents fear that Mrs. Róża would infect Janka came true. Janka was sick. “Janeczka was coughing and it turned out that she has cavern in her lungs as big as a greengage.” Says Mrs. Maria with excitement. “My parents decided to locate her in Otwock in sanatorium antytuberculosis. Janka stayed there for 6 months. We were going there and bringing her some food. In spite of her protests she stayed there for a half of year but she was cured effectively.”

Janka came back home and in the spring 1944 she joined the group preparing to their first Holy Communion. The neighbours and their children didn’t mind it and they treated her normally.

In the summer 1944 Mrs. Maria went to take some practice at Kawińscy’s. She escaped from being taken to work by Germans. She was thought to stay there for two months but she stayed only a month. Her father and brother took her. Warsaw was prepering to the insurrection.

“Kawińscy gave us a lot of food, which was given to the AK. We were sufering the famine during the insurection but solidres needed food more.”-Mrs. Maria explains. “Just before the insurection my confirmation was. On my third name I took Zofia. Zofia Kossak-Szczucka was my idol.” Mrs. Maria admits.

For us it was obvious!

Everything would have been all right but for Mrs. Róża was sick. A doctor found by Mrs. Maria’s Mum said that it was tuberculosis and Mrs. Róża had to be taken to a country side. Mrs. Roża and Janka were taken to Milanówek to a small cottage. Mrs. Roża always keep Janka very close therefore the girl was infected. After a month Mrs. Maria’s mother took them from Milanówek and placed Mrs. Róża in hospital Dzieciątka Jezus. “Doctors and nurses took care very well of Mrs. Roża. My Mum was cooking for her some delicious things that we didn’t have at home. For us it was obvious!” says Mrs. Maria.

Dying Mrs. Róża told Mrs. Maria’s mother that she had a brother named Zwanzigar in the USA, who had left at age of 16. Mother got his adress from Mrs. Róża to find him after the war. “My mother rewrote the adress and sewed it in our coats” says Mrs. Maria. After the war Janka managed to contact with her uncle.

Escape from Cracovian Ghetto

The history of Feldman’s escape from Cracovian Ghetto is really terrifying for us-living in a free Poland. It shows tragedies of people who were persecuted just because of their provenance and a degradation of those who wanted to survive.

Mrs. Róża with her two doughters Janka and Ewa was bricked up with supplies of food and water by her husband. Terrible things heppened in this hideout. After a month they were free and they had to escape. Mrs. Róża’s husband was removed to a concentration camp. Being on their own, they spent all the night of liquidation The Ghetto in a small toilet where Mrs. Róża pulled out all her gold teeth. The next mornnig she gave it all to the wermacht soldier and they managed to escape out of the Ghetto.

They went to the tenement house where the owners were Mrs. Róża’s parents. The old caretaker lived there with his family. Mrs. Roża’s parents had been helping the caretaker to bring up his children, they had given him money for children’s education. The man took care of tired women immediately. His son contacted with a link Krysta (she survived the war and got The Medal of Righteous). She managed to get documents on name Kwiatkowska for Mrs. Roża and her doughters which seemed as being made by church. They were very good.

Ewa stayed in Cracow (her feet were frost-bitten). Mrs. Róża and Janka were taken by Krysta to Warsaw. They didn’t have any Semitic facial features so there were no problem with taking them by train. In the meantime, Krysta contacted with Zofia Kossak, who had found a place for women in Jetkiewicz’s house.

“There brought them so skinny and terrified”- Mrs. Maria says, “Janeczka was nobbled at first but then she started to play with puppets and smile.”

The Jewishes were living in Jętkiewicz’s flat. Mrs. Róża Kwiatkowska didn’t go out of the their room but Janka was bringing up normaly. She was even going out on backyard and playing with neighbour's children. “The neighbours were said Janka is a child of our cuusin from Zamojszczyzna (it was a time of pacification of this region) and everyone believed that.” Every family from tenement house in Twarda street was involved in conspiracy so there was no danger from neighbours.

Mum was spontaneous, she agreed immediately but father had some resistance.

Rescue of The Feldmans was coincidence. Mrs. Maria was going to Emilii Plater School and had no contact with the Jewish. “My father believed that we shouldn’t promote The Jewish’s trade. He wasn’t said about shopping in Jewish’s shop in our tenement house. However, the whole family was moved by the fact of Jewish’s persecution (getto, bands).” Recalls Mrs. Maria.

“Our house in Twarda street was very involved in conspiracy. There were grammar school’s completes and there was a room for students from medical academy from Flying University. For some time in our house Zofia Kossak-Szczucka (relative of my Mum) and her son Witold Satkowski were hidding. Zofia Koosak-Szczucka, called by me as an auntie, was co-organizer of Żegota. She was helping to save Jewish children with such a devotion and was “craming” them in some Polish families.” At the beginning of 1942 she asked for safekeeping of two Jewesses, a mother Róża Feldman and her a doughter Janka. They had escaped fom Cracovian Ghetto. “Mum was spontaneous, she agreed immediately but father had some resistance. He had to decide quickly but he was afraid of risk of whole family. But auntie managed to beg him.”

Mrs. Maria and her family thought that it was christian duty to help some other people in such a difficult situation.

I have nothing to hide...

“I have nothing to hide,” says Mrs. Maria starting the interview and she lets us record the conversation. We sit in a small, quiet room in Wola district. It is the end of March and there is a snowstorm behind window.

Mrs. Maria Łopuszańska is a charming, elegant, old lady. She immediately gave us cookies and tea and share with us all her experiences, momories. She patiently explained to us the historical circumstances, told us about the details of the tragic events related to World War II.

She refers to the war as a very difficult time but tells about it calmly. Mrs. Maria begins from showing us a medal of Righteous Among the Nations and the Commander’s Cross of the Rebirth of Poland which she was awarded by the President Lech Kaczyński in November 2008. Immediately she adds: “These orders due to mainly my parents. When we were hiding [them] I was not of age, I was about 16. However, the risk of life was the whole family.”

In Poland, as in any other European country, for hiding Jews the punishment was the death of whole family.

The whole Mrs. Maria’s strory is very emotional. We can see that this history is very important for her.

Intrduction

This blog is devoted for Mrs. Maria Łopuszańska. Mrs Maria (and her paretns Janina i Henryk Jętkiewiczowie) got a Medal-Righteous Among the Nation in 1997.

Our blog is part of a project- Polin Webfusion, organized by The Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Autors bloga: Karolina Rutkowska i Tosiek Zakrzewski.
Contact: tosiek.zakrzewski@gmail.com