Anna Jelínková (1918–2009) - Instytut Pileckiego

The medal / Recipients

Anna Jelínková (1918–2009)

Awarded in 2021.

During the war the Jelíneks saved more than 40 people: the Jewish families of Fischer and Fronk, the Polish family of Siekierski, Feliks Zubkiewicz, whose loved ones were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and the Ukrainian family of Lutsyuk.

In 1937, the care of the Evangelical parish in Kupiczów, Volhynia was entrusted to Jan Jelínek. The young pastor quickly won the hearts of the local Czechs, who had settled there in the 19th century. In his sermons he preached love of neighbor regardless of his nationality, religion and beliefs. These were not obvious teachings with Europe facing the threat of war. When it eventually broke out, Jelínek practiced what he preached – he modeled himself on the Good Samaritan.

As early as in 1939, the pastor provided shelter for Polish soldiers who were fleeing Soviet occupation to Romania. When the Germans replaced the Soviets as the occupying power, Jelínek engaged in helping the Jews – he hid them in his house and brought food to the ghetto in Kowel. “I was helping a human being,” he once said in response to a German officer who threatened him with death for rescuing Jews. Jelínek was supported in his activities by his wife Anna, whom he married in 1942.

During the Volhynia Massacre they gave shelter to Poles from the villages attacked by Ukrainian nationalists. Jelínek’s example was followed by his Czech parishioners, and thus Kupiczów became a haven for many Poles fleeing the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. When in 1944 the Germans were repelled by the Soviets, Jelínek issued false birth certificates to people in danger of arrest by the NKVD.

During the war the Jelíneks saved more than 40 people in total, mostly citizens of the prewar Poland: the Jewish families of Fischer and Fronk, the Polish family of Siekierski, Feliks Zubkiewicz, whose loved ones were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and the Ukrainian family of Lutsyuk.

The Jelíneks left Volhynia with the Czechoslovak Army Corps that fought alongside the Red Army. After the war they settled in Oráčov in western Czechoslovakia. Jan was persecuted for his beliefs by the communist authorities, and as a result his health deteriorated, but both spouses lived to a ripe old age.

 


 

Dear Reverend Father, on this momentous and festive occasion I would like once again to express my heartfelt gratitude for the help that you had offered our family at the time of inhumane barbarity of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army bands in Volhynia. Such humane gestures are never forgotten! Respectfully Yours

Letter from Halina Siekierska-Ligęza to Jan Jelínek on the occasion of his 90th birthday, 2002

See also

  • Trofim Danieluk

    awarded

    Trofim Danieluk
    (1880–1960)

    “Upon realizing the danger I was in, Ifled and hid among potato shoots. I owe my life to Trofim Danieluk, who said I hadn’t been home for the last three days, when asked by the murderers from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” – reported Władysław Zubkiewicz.

  • Jenő Etter (1889–1973)

    awarded

    Jenő Etter (1889–1973)

    The mayor of the Hungarian city of Esztergom received dozens of letters written in Polish. The greeting lines themselves showed the sympathy and gratefulness of the Polish refugees: “Dear Captain!”, “Dear Doctor!”. Jenő Etter understood them all.

  • Peter Fraser (1884-1950) Janet Fraser (1888-1945)

    awarded

    Peter Fraser (1884-1950) Janet Fraser (1888-1945)

    In the autumn of 1944, the troopship USS General George M. Randall was moored at the coast of New Zealand, carrying 733 Polish children – mostly orphans – and their guardians.