Stanisław Jasiński and Emilia Słodkowska
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Jasiński and his daughter, Emilia Słodkowska née Jasińska, risked their lives and the lives of their families during the Holocaust in order to save Jews
from extermination by the Ukrainian Nationalists and the Nazis. They were awarded the medals of Righteous among the Nations
(Hebrew: חסידי אומות העולם, Chassidey Umot HaOlam) bearing their name, a certificate of honor, and the privilege of having their names added to those on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous
at Yad Vashem
in Jerusalem, on February 28, 1985.
At the onset of World War II
, Stanisław Jasiński – who was already blind and elderly – lived on a farm surrounded by forest, on the outskirts of Kostopol in Wołyń Voivodeship (Volhynia
) in south-eastern Poland
. He was being cared for by his daughter Emilia. They shared the house together with her husband and their three children. In September 1942, the German
SS accompanied by the Ukrainian auxiliary police
began hunting down Polish Jews in the area. In nearby villages of Małe Siedliszcze and Antonowka, consecutively, the Jews were massacred in the woods, after being forced first to dig their own mass graves. There were two brothers, who escaped both pogrom
s, Szmuel and Josef Liderman. They ran across the fields from Siedliszcze to Antonowka, and then again, half naked away from the execution pit while it was being dug. They were shot at, and Szmuel was injured in the hand. Naked and exhausted, the two reached the house of Stanisław Jasiński, who was an acquaintance of their murdered father, from before the Invasion of Poland. Jasiński family took in the two Jewish escapees. Emilia bandaged Szmuel's hand, and clothed them both. The brothers were put in the barn, where they slept on straw mattresses. They were housed and fed without recompense. After a few days, two more Jews showed up at Jasinski's house, Szaje Odler and Akiba Kremer. They had also escaped the massacres in local forests, and like the other two, were given shelter and assistance.
looming over everyone, including the Jasiński children. However, the place became unsafe after just two months, as soon as the Jasinskis became widely known as sheltering Jews on their farm. The fugitives left and hid even deeper in the forest, where they remained until the arrival of the Red Army
in July 1944. They were lucky enough to survive the massacres of Poles in Volhynia
by Ukrainian nationalists which went on since 1943, however, they were caught by the Ukrainian assassins in August 1944 already behind the Russian front. Akiba Kremer, Szaje Odler and Josef Liderman were murdered. After the war – once her father died – Emilia Slodkowska emigrated to the United States
. Szmuel Liderman, who was the only surviving fugitive hidden by her, learned about her address years later and the two began corresponding. He submitted a deposition on her behalf to Yad Vashem; and, on February 28, 1985, Yad Vashem awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations to both, Stanisław Jasiński (posthumously) and his daughter, Emilia Słodkowska (née Jasińska) for their bravery.
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from extermination by the Ukrainian Nationalists and the Nazis. They were awarded the medals 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....
(Hebrew: חסידי אומות העולם, Chassidey Umot HaOlam) bearing their name, a certificate of honor, and the privilege of having their names added to those on the Wall of Honor 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
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 Jerusalem, on February 28, 1985.
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...
, Stanisław Jasiński – who was already blind and elderly – lived on a farm surrounded by forest, on the outskirts of Kostopol in Wołyń Voivodeship (Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
) in south-eastern Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. He was being cared for by his daughter Emilia. They shared the house together with her husband and their three children. In September 1942, the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
SS accompanied by the Ukrainian auxiliary police
Ukrainian Auxiliary Police
The Ukrainische Hilfspolizei was a German mobile police force that operated in the General Government beginning on July 27, 1941. The total number enlisted numbered slightly more than 35,000. 6,000 of them - including 120 low-level officers - served in the District of Galicia...
began hunting down Polish Jews in the area. In nearby villages of Małe Siedliszcze and Antonowka, consecutively, the Jews were massacred in the woods, after being forced first to dig their own mass graves. There were two brothers, who escaped both pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s, Szmuel and Josef Liderman. They ran across the fields from Siedliszcze to Antonowka, and then again, half naked away from the execution pit while it was being dug. They were shot at, and Szmuel was injured in the hand. Naked and exhausted, the two reached the house of Stanisław Jasiński, who was an acquaintance of their murdered father, from before the Invasion of Poland. Jasiński family took in the two Jewish escapees. Emilia bandaged Szmuel's hand, and clothed them both. The brothers were put in the barn, where they slept on straw mattresses. They were housed and fed without recompense. After a few days, two more Jews showed up at Jasinski's house, Szaje Odler and Akiba Kremer. They had also escaped the massacres in local forests, and like the other two, were given shelter and assistance.
The hideout
Once the four refugees rested enough, it was decided that a bunker would be dug beneath the cowshed, as a more permanent hideout for themselves, with the Nazi threat of the death penaltyNazi crimes against ethnic Poles
In addition to about 2.9 million Polish Jews , about 2.8 million non-Jewish Polish citizens perished during the course of the war...
looming over everyone, including the Jasiński children. However, the place became unsafe after just two months, as soon as the Jasinskis became widely known as sheltering Jews on their farm. The fugitives left and hid even deeper in the forest, where they remained until the arrival of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in July 1944. They were lucky enough to survive the massacres of Poles in Volhynia
Massacres of Poles in Volhynia
The Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were part of an ethnic cleansing operation carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army West in the Nazi occupied regions of the Eastern Galicia , and UPA North in Volhynia , beginning in March 1943 and lasting until the end of...
by Ukrainian nationalists which went on since 1943, however, they were caught by the Ukrainian assassins in August 1944 already behind the Russian front. Akiba Kremer, Szaje Odler and Josef Liderman were murdered. After the war – once her father died – Emilia Slodkowska emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Szmuel Liderman, who was the only surviving fugitive hidden by her, learned about her address years later and the two began corresponding. He submitted a deposition on her behalf to Yad Vashem; and, on February 28, 1985, Yad Vashem awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations to both, Stanisław Jasiński (posthumously) and his daughter, Emilia Słodkowska (née Jasińska) for their bravery.