Antoni Gawryłkiewicz
Encyclopedia
Antoni Gawryłkiewicz was awarded the title of Righteous among the Nations
by Yad Vashem
from Jerusalem in July 1999, for saving the lives of 16 Polish Jews during the Holocaust, between May 1942 and July 1944, at the time of the Nazi German occupation of Poland.
During World War II
, 18-year-old Gawryłkiewicz lived in the village of Korkuciany in Eastern Poland
where he worked as laborer on a farm of Kazimierz Korkucz and his mother. In 1942 Kazimierz Korkucz was approached by a Jewish family-man Moshe Sonenson with a plea for help following the 1941 Ejszyszki
massacre, which he escaped with his wife Zipporah, 10-year-old son Yitzhak and 6-year-old daughter Sonia (Scheinele). Their baby brother, Shaul, did not survive. Kazimierz Korkucz agreed to hide the Sonensons around his house as well as the other two families who came along: Kabaczniks and Solominanskys. Antoni Gawrylkiewicz, a shepherd employed by Korkucz, took it upon himself to do most of the caring. "To him," states Yitzhak Sonenson, "we all owe our lives," for he was the person most intimately involved with the care of the 16 Jews in hiding, including digging underground shelters, preparing food, removing bodily wastes, transfer from one locality to another, and no-less – warning them of approaching danger." Zipporah Sonenson, while in hiding, gave birth to her fourth child, Hayyim, in June 1944.
. Little Sonia Sonenson became Professor Yaffa Eliach
of New York
's Brooklyn College
. She collaborated with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington, DC, and wrote a volume called There Once Was A World, tracing the history of Jews from Ejszyszki. She successfully appealed to Yad Vashem to grant its medal of honor to Antoni Gawryłkiewicz. However, the rationale for the award in the custody of Yad Vashem contained a series of errors. The deposition stated erroneously that Gawryłkiewicz was severely beaten by the Polish underground for helping Jews, a story which Gawryłkiewicz never corroborated, as explained by Anna Ferens (among others) in “Głowy na wietrze” (Heads in the Wind) published by Gazeta Wyborcza
. Gawryłkiewicz signed the Yad Vashem deposition written in Hebrew, a language he does not understand. In fact, he was referring to an incident that occurred years later, in September 1948, when an unknown Lithuanian group attacked his family and murdered his father and brother. Other serious errors and omissions included the account of 1944 home invasion at Sonenson's house in Eishyshok, a vicious robbery resulting in the murder of Zipporah and Hayyim, in which the Polish underground never participated contrary to allegation.
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....
from Jerusalem in July 1999, for saving the lives of 16 Polish Jews during the Holocaust, between May 1942 and July 1944, at the time of the Nazi German occupation of Poland.
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...
, 18-year-old Gawryłkiewicz lived in the village of Korkuciany in Eastern Poland
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
where he worked as laborer on a farm of Kazimierz Korkucz and his mother. In 1942 Kazimierz Korkucz was approached by a Jewish family-man Moshe Sonenson with a plea for help following the 1941 Ejszyszki
Eišiškes
Eišiškės ) is a city in southeastern Lithuania on the border with Belarus. It is situated on a small group of hills, surrounded by marshy valley of Verseka and Dumblė Rivers. Rivers divide the town into two parts; the northern part is called Jurzdika. As of January 2008, Eišiškės had a population...
massacre, which he escaped with his wife Zipporah, 10-year-old son Yitzhak and 6-year-old daughter Sonia (Scheinele). Their baby brother, Shaul, did not survive. Kazimierz Korkucz agreed to hide the Sonensons around his house as well as the other two families who came along: Kabaczniks and Solominanskys. Antoni Gawrylkiewicz, a shepherd employed by Korkucz, took it upon himself to do most of the caring. "To him," states Yitzhak Sonenson, "we all owe our lives," for he was the person most intimately involved with the care of the 16 Jews in hiding, including digging underground shelters, preparing food, removing bodily wastes, transfer from one locality to another, and no-less – warning them of approaching danger." Zipporah Sonenson, while in hiding, gave birth to her fourth child, Hayyim, in June 1944.
The deposition
The members of the Sonenson family, who survived the war thanks to Gawryłkiewicz and his employer as well as their numerous neighbors, emigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Little Sonia Sonenson became Professor Yaffa Eliach
Yaffa Eliach
Yaffa Eliach is a historian, author, and scholar of Judaic Studies and the Holocaust. She is probably best known for creating the “Tower of Life” made up by 1,500 photographs for permanent display at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.-Life:Yaffa Eliach was born Yaffa Sonenson to a Jewish...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
. She collaborated with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
in Washington, DC, and wrote a volume called There Once Was A World, tracing the history of Jews from Ejszyszki. She successfully appealed to Yad Vashem to grant its medal of honor to Antoni Gawryłkiewicz. However, the rationale for the award in the custody of Yad Vashem contained a series of errors. The deposition stated erroneously that Gawryłkiewicz was severely beaten by the Polish underground for helping Jews, a story which Gawryłkiewicz never corroborated, as explained by Anna Ferens (among others) in “Głowy na wietrze” (Heads in the Wind) published by Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
. Gawryłkiewicz signed the Yad Vashem deposition written in Hebrew, a language he does not understand. In fact, he was referring to an incident that occurred years later, in September 1948, when an unknown Lithuanian group attacked his family and murdered his father and brother. Other serious errors and omissions included the account of 1944 home invasion at Sonenson's house in Eishyshok, a vicious robbery resulting in the murder of Zipporah and Hayyim, in which the Polish underground never participated contrary to allegation.