Władysława Nagórka z d. Lech (1895—1981) - Instytut Pileckiego

The medal / Recipients

Władysława Nagórka z d. Lech (1895—1981)

Awarded in 2019.

Antoni and Władysława Nagórka lived at the edge of the town. Before the war, Antoni worked for the railways, and Władysława was a housewife. During the war they saved five Jews from the Holocaust.

Before the war, the population of Otwock near Warsaw — a town famous for its health resorts – numbered over 10,000 Jews. September 1939 brought an end to their community, which had been developing since the 19th century. During the German occupation, they were in danger of persecution and deportation. In 1940 the Germans separated Jews and Poles, who used to live side by side. The Jews from Otwock and its environs were resettled in a newly-established ghetto. During the liquidation operation of 1942, thousands of them were murdered or sent to the extermination camp in Treblinka.

Antoni and Władysława Nagórka lived at the edge of the town. Before the war, Antoni worked for the railways, and Władysława was a housewife. During the war they saved five Jews from the Holocaust. One of them was Benjamin Krochmalik. It is likely that they had known each other before the war — Krochmalik used to be a barber in nearby Kołbiela. In August 1942, while he was returning from work outside the ghetto, Władysława warned him that he might be arrested and deported. She offered him shelter. Hidden in Antoni and Władysława’s house, Benjamin survived the occupation. After the war he settled with his family in Australia, but in 1973 he started visiting the Nagórkas every year.

See also

  • Ecaterina Olimpia Caradja (1893–1993)

    awarded

    Ecaterina Olimpia Caradja (1893–1993)

    “Kurier Polski” published in Bucharest on 3 December 1939 was full of alarming headlines: “The Soviet attack on Finland”, “Executions and deportations.” One of them gave people hope: “Under the care of Princess Caragea. Home for mothers and chilldren.”

  • Sawa Kowtoniuk (1888–ok. 1970) Ustyna Kowtoniuk (1895–ok. 1980)

    awarded

    Sawa Kowtoniuk (1888–ok. 1970) Ustyna Kowtoniuk (1895–ok. 1980)

    The Kovtoniuks gave shelter to several families: the Sławińskis, Romanowskis, Maciaszeks, and the Okólskis.

  • Ołeksandra Wasiejko z d. Łukaszko (ur. 1946)

    awarded

    Ołeksandra Wasiejko z d. Łukaszko (ur. 1946)

    During the Volhynia Massacre in the summer of 1943. Over the next seventy years Oleksandra Vaseyko kept alive the memory of the victims, bringing flowers to their graves and keeping them in her prayers.