On June 26, 2026, Wanda Żak (née Jurczyk) passed away. During the German occupation, she and her family helped prisoners of KL Auschwitz.
The Jurczyk family not only provided prisoners with food, but also helped escapees from the camp. In January 1945, they sheltered people who had managed to escape from the so-called Death March.
“We had a little attic above the garage. They would climb up there using a ladder, and then, at night, my father would take them to Łęki Zasole. There was a man named Dusik at the crossroads there. He had a restaurant, and that was where those who had escaped would gather. From there, they were taken to Osiek, Zator, and the General Government,” Wanda Żak recalled in an oral history interview recorded for The Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim in April 2019.
On July 2, 2026, the 100th anniversary of Wanda Żak’s birth, a Mass in her memory will be celebrated at 3:00 PM at St. Urban’s Church in Brzeszcze. Afterwards, family members, friends, and acquaintances will accompany her to her final resting place at the cemetery.
A portrait of Wanda Żak can be seen in the permanent exhibition at The Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim. It was painted by Jacob Markiel, a prisoner of KL Auschwitz, on a piece of margarine packaging as a token of gratitude for the help he received. The painting was one of 12 objects from the Museum’s collection featured in the 2026 calendar published by the Museum. Wanda Żak is also commemorated in the Museum’s temporary exhibition “Faces of Aid: Residents of the Land of Oświęcim in the Service of Heroes.” The exhibition is located next to the Museum building at 2A Maksymiliana Kolbego Street in Oświęcim.
