Participants in a meeting at The Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents learned about the profiles of heroic residents of the Oświęcim area who were awarded the Righteous Among the Nations medals for documented aid rendered to Jewish people.
The event was also an opportunity for speakers to present the people who, although they helped save Jews during the German occupation, were not honoured in this way.
Dorota Mleczko welcomed the attendees:
“The reason for this meeting is unique for us and for our institution. Thanks to the decision of Mr Antoni Wrona the medal of the Righteous Among the Nations, which was awarded to the members of his family – his grandmother and her children, will go to our permanent exhibition. I am very grateful for this. For the time being in the form of a deposit, but I can’t hide the fact that we hope very much that we will convince the owners to agree to permanently hand over the items.” she said.
Firstly, Dr. Marcin Chorązki, chief historian of the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews In World War II in Markowa, spoke about the situation of Polish society under the German occupation with particular emphasis on what conditions were like for the Jewish population.
Then, based on the story of the Matlak family from Przeciszów and Katarzyna Bydoń from Chełmek Zbigniew Mazur – custodian of the Remembrance Museum’s Historical Department – spoke of aid rendered to the Jewish people.
The story of how Noemi Berter was rescued and how her family was found in Israel years later was told by Tomasz Wieliczko from Zator. The story of how two German Jews were saved by the Wrona family from Nowa Wieś was presented by Antoni Wrona. He later presented Director Dorota Mleczko with the diploma and medal of the Righteous Among the Nations awarded to Anna Wrona, Eugeniusz Wrona (Antoni’s father) and Helena Wrona in 2006 for the exhibition.
The event was co-organised by the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews In World War II in Markowa
and attended by students from the following schools: Maria Dąbrowska District School Complex No. 9 in Kęty, Prof. Kazimierz Bielenin District Vocational and General Education School Complex No. 6 in Brzeszcze, Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki Multi-Vocational School Complex in Zator.
The list of over seven thousand Poles honoured with the Righteous Among the Nations medal includes 11 residents of the Oświęcim area. They are:
Józef Wrona – 1990.
Józef, Józefa Matlak and Ludwika Molenda (née Matlak), Magdalena Matlak (Józef’s sister) – 1995
Maria Piecuch – 1995
Anna Wrona, Eugeniusz Wrona, Helena Wrona – 2006
Katarzyna Bydoń – 2014
Władysława Wrażeń (by her first husband Jędrzejak, née Ochwat) – 2018.
A recording of the conference can be viewed here:
