Jan and Anna Puchalski
Encyclopedia
Jan and Anna Puchalski were the Polish
husband and wife, who resided in the village of Łosośna in north-eastern Poland
on the outskirts of Grodno (now 20 km into Belarus
) during the Nazi German occupation of Poland
. Together, they rescued Polish Jews from the Holocaust, including escapees from the ghetto in Grodno
before its brutal liquidation. Puchalskis were posthumously bestowed the titles of Righteous Among the Nations
by Yad Vashem
in June 1986. Their medals of honor were presented to their surviving daughters at a ceremony in Jerusalem on June 14, 1987, during which Irena Puchalski-Bagiński, Zdzisław, son of Sabina Puchalski-Kazimierczyk, Władysław Puchalski and Krystyna Puchalski-Maciejewski planted a tree in the Garden of the Righteous
at Yad Vashem.
At the onset of World War II
, Jan Puchalski worked at a tobacco company, where he earned a small salary. The Puchalskis resided as innkeepers in a summer cottage, in the Łosośna forest. The cottage was owned by an entrepreneurial Zandman family who leased similar cottages to city tourists before the war, with Grodno’s reputation as a retreat, confirmed by its century-old summer palace of the Polish kings
. Puchalskis were very poor, having to support five children: 15, 16, and 17 year old daughters and two toddlers (Władysław and Wanda) age 1 and 2. On the evening of the Nazi German murderous raid on Grodno Ghetto
which took place on February 13, 1943, six Jews who escaped, showed up at Puchalskis door. Among them, much-loved Felix Zandman
of the Zandman family (age 15) who used to play with their children before the war, Sender Freydowicz (his uncle) who lost a wife and two children to the Nazis, Mottel Bass and his wife Goldie, and two more Jewish fugitives. They stayed with the Puchalskis for 17 months. Meanwhile, the ghetto in Grodno was razed by the Germans with all of its 29,000 Jews deported in freight wagons, and exterminated in gas chamber
s of Auschwitz and Treblinka.
When German soldiers retreating before the advancing Russian front settled in the house, four Jews slipped out at night and wandered for several days. They caught-up with the Soviets and were liberated on July 24. Felix Zandman
and Sender Freydowicz soon emigrated to France, where Felix obtained an engineering degree and earned a doctorate in physics at the Sorbonne
. He became an entrepreneur
in aeronautics
. In 1986 Zandman submitted his testimony to Yad Vashem with other survivors. As a result, in June 1986 the Puchalskis were posthumously awarded the title of Righteous among the Nations. A year later, on June 14, 1987, their surviving children visited Jerusalem and planted a tree in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem. Felix Zandman
who was at the ceremony remarked: "The Puchalskis never lost courage, never. We lost courage. They built our morale up." Also, Jan and Anna Puchalski were awarded the Anti-Defamation League
's Courage to Care Award in the form of a bronze plaque by artist Arbit Blatas, presented to their children by the ADL's National Director, Abraham Foxman
.
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...
husband and wife, who resided in the village of Łosośna in north-eastern 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...
on the outskirts of Grodno (now 20 km into Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
) during the Nazi German occupation of Poland
Occupation of Poland
Occupation of Poland may refer to:* Partitions of Poland * The German Government General of Warsaw and the Austrian Military Government of Lublin during World War I* Occupation of Poland during World War II...
. Together, they rescued Polish Jews from the Holocaust, including escapees from the ghetto in Grodno
Grodno Ghetto
Grodno Ghetto was created by Nazi Germans in November 1941, in the city of Hrodna , which was part of the Second Polish Republic until the Soviet invasion of Poland, and subsequently incorporated by the Soviets into the Belarusian SSR...
before its brutal liquidation. Puchalskis were posthumously 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....
in June 1986. Their medals of honor were presented to their surviving daughters at a ceremony in Jerusalem on June 14, 1987, during which Irena Puchalski-Bagiński, Zdzisław, son of Sabina Puchalski-Kazimierczyk, Władysław Puchalski and Krystyna Puchalski-Maciejewski planted a tree in the Garden of the Righteous
Garden of the Righteous
Garden of the Righteous may refer to one of the following:* An inexact translation of Riyad-us Saliheen* Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, a garden in Yad Vashem commemorating the Righteous Among the Nations....
at Yad Vashem.
At the onset of 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...
, Jan Puchalski worked at a tobacco company, where he earned a small salary. The Puchalskis resided as innkeepers in a summer cottage, in the Łosośna forest. The cottage was owned by an entrepreneurial Zandman family who leased similar cottages to city tourists before the war, with Grodno’s reputation as a retreat, confirmed by its century-old summer palace of the Polish kings
New Hrodna Castle
The New Castle in Hrodna, Belarus is the royal palace of Augustus III of Poland and Stanisław August Poniatowski where the famous Grodno Sejm took place in 1793....
. Puchalskis were very poor, having to support five children: 15, 16, and 17 year old daughters and two toddlers (Władysław and Wanda) age 1 and 2. On the evening of the Nazi German murderous raid on Grodno Ghetto
Grodno Ghetto
Grodno Ghetto was created by Nazi Germans in November 1941, in the city of Hrodna , which was part of the Second Polish Republic until the Soviet invasion of Poland, and subsequently incorporated by the Soviets into the Belarusian SSR...
which took place on February 13, 1943, six Jews who escaped, showed up at Puchalskis door. Among them, much-loved Felix Zandman
Felix Zandman
Dr. Felix Zandman, Ph.D. was the founder and chief technology officer of Vishay Intertechnology – one of the world's largest providers of electronic components. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering...
of the Zandman family (age 15) who used to play with their children before the war, Sender Freydowicz (his uncle) who lost a wife and two children to the Nazis, Mottel Bass and his wife Goldie, and two more Jewish fugitives. They stayed with the Puchalskis for 17 months. Meanwhile, the ghetto in Grodno was razed by the Germans with all of its 29,000 Jews deported in freight wagons, and exterminated in gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
s of Auschwitz and Treblinka.
Dugout under the bedroom floor
At first, the six Jews hid outside the house in a cellar, which was not safe enough, with the Nazi threat of the death penalty looming over everyone, including the Puchalski children. Subsequently, with the help of the family, a dugout was built under one of their two bedrooms, occupied by three elder sisters (Sabina, Irena and Krystyna) who kept watch. The dugout was very small. The entrance was through a narrow opening beneath the bed, and covered with a wooden trap. An air duct was made leading out to the garden with an opening covered under the bushes. For added security, Jan Puchalski moved the dog kennel to that place. Sabina used to bring food down for the runaway fugitives and take their waste away. The Jews soon realized that the hide-out was too small to contain six people. The insufficient air supply prompted two of the hiders to leave and seek help elsewhere. Mottel Bass, a lawyer by profession, had some money, which helped the Puchalskis with their new expenses.When German soldiers retreating before the advancing Russian front settled in the house, four Jews slipped out at night and wandered for several days. They caught-up with the Soviets and were liberated on July 24. Felix Zandman
Felix Zandman
Dr. Felix Zandman, Ph.D. was the founder and chief technology officer of Vishay Intertechnology – one of the world's largest providers of electronic components. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering...
and Sender Freydowicz soon emigrated to France, where Felix obtained an engineering degree and earned a doctorate in physics at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. He became an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
in aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
. In 1986 Zandman submitted his testimony to Yad Vashem with other survivors. As a result, in June 1986 the Puchalskis were posthumously awarded the title of Righteous among the Nations. A year later, on June 14, 1987, their surviving children visited Jerusalem and planted a tree in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem. Felix Zandman
Felix Zandman
Dr. Felix Zandman, Ph.D. was the founder and chief technology officer of Vishay Intertechnology – one of the world's largest providers of electronic components. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering...
who was at the ceremony remarked: "The Puchalskis never lost courage, never. We lost courage. They built our morale up." Also, Jan and Anna Puchalski were awarded the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
's Courage to Care Award in the form of a bronze plaque by artist Arbit Blatas, presented to their children by the ADL's National Director, Abraham Foxman
Abraham Foxman
Abraham H. Foxman is the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.-Early life:Foxman, an only son, was born in Baranovichi, just months after the USSR took the town from Poland in the Nazi-Soviet Pact and incorporated it into the BSSR. The town is now in Belarus...
.