Józef Walaszczyk
Józef Walaszczyk | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 20 June 2022 Warsaw, Poland | (aged 102)
Nationality | Polish |
Occupation(s) | Leatherworker, businessman |
Honours | |
Righteous Among the Nations |
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By country |
Józef Władysław Walaszczyk (13 November 1919 – 20 June 2022) was a Polish leatherworker and businessman who was declared Righteous Among the Nations in 2002 for sheltering Jews during the Holocaust.[1][2][3] He has been described as a "second Schindler" or "Polish Schindler".[4][5]
Early life
Walaszczyk was born in
Second World War
Rylsk
In June 1939, Walaszczyk was taking part in the military preparatory course near
Warsaw
In 1940
Walaszczyk was also cooperating with the Polish resistance movement (amongst others Stanisław Miedza-Tomaszewski) and helping his Jewish friends living in the Warsaw Ghetto, bringing them food, medicines, and documents.[16] He was frequently bribing a tram driver to slow down a little when passing the ghetto so he could jump off safely. During one of his visits, in 1943,[17] he contracted typhus and spent a couple of weeks recovering at the flat on Emilii Plater St.[9]
After the outbreak of the
Later life
Just after the war Walaszczyk and Front moved to Kraków, where he set up new businesses, including organising Kraków–
Around 1950 Walaszczyk married Alicja Jastrzębska, who he had met in Kraków. In 1951, she gave birth to their son Ryszard. Following divorce with Jastrzębska, in 1970, Walaszczyk married Barbara with whom he has a son Sławomir.[19]
In 2002,[21] on Front's recommendation, Walaszczyk was honoured by Yad Vashem with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.[9] He was active in the Polish Association of the Righteous Among the Nations, from August 2008 on served as its Vice-President.[22] In 2009, he was amongst the representatives of Polish Righteous during a visit to the United States, which included meeting with President Barack Obama.[23] In the same year, KARTA Center published his memoir Przywracanie pamięci (Restoring Memory).[24] In 2019, his 100th birthday was commemorated by President of Poland Andrzej Duda.[25] Walaszczyk died on 20 June 2022 in Warsaw.[26]
Honours
- Righteous Among the Nations (2002)[21]
- Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2008)[27]
- Bronze Cross of Merit[28]
- Pro Patria Medal (2017)[29]
- Pro Bono Poloniae Medal (2019)[28]
- Medal of the Centenary of Regained Independence (2019)[30]
References
- ^ "Zmarł Józef Walaszczyk – najstarszy Sprawiedliwy wśród Narodów Świata". PolskieRadio.pl. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Shoah rescuer gets surprise 100th birthday party in Poland as righteous honoured". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Szwedowicz, Agata (14 November 2019). "Józef Walaszczyk, najstarszy polski Sprawiedliwy, skończył 100 lat". dzieje.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Węgłowski, Adam (16 February 2011). "Polski Schindler". www.focus.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ Sosnowska, Anna (15 October 2016). "Uratował życie 53 Żydom. Rozmowa z "drugim Schindlerem"". Aleteia Polska (in Polish). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, p.7
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, pp.13, 15, 19
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, p.23
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Grądzka-Rejak, Martyna (November 2018). Szczepaniak, Mateusz (ed.). ""A drop within the vastness of human misfortune". The story of Józef Walaszczyk". Polscy Sprawiedliwi. Translated by Andrew Rajcher. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, p.21
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, p.25
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, pp.34–36
- ^ a b Walaszczyk 2009, pp.43–44
- ^ "Józef Walaszczyk – najstarszy żyjący Sprawiedliwy wśród Narodów Świata". PolskieRadio.pl (in Polish). 14 November 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, p.46
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, pp.48–50
- ^ Walaszczyk 2009, pp.67–68
- ^ a b Walaszczyk 2009, pp.79–80
- ^ a b c Walaszczyk 2009, pp.82–88
- ^ "Kaletnicy". www.infowarszawa.pl. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Righteous Among the Nations Honored by Yad Vashem by 1 January 2019. Poland" (PDF). yadvashem.org. 2019. p. 105. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Polskie Towarzystwo Sprawiedliwych wśród Narodów Świata". Polscy Sprawiedliwi (in Polish). Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ "Wizyta delegacji polskich Sprawiedliwych w Stanach Zjednoczonych / Inicjatywy społeczne / Rok 2010 / Aktualności / Archiwum Lecha Kaczyńskiego / Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". prezydent.pl (in Polish). 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Walaszczyk, Józef (2009). Walaszczyk, Józef, Przywracanie pamięci [wspomnienia – red.] (in Polish). Warszawa: Fundacja Ośrodka KARTA.
- ^ "Życzenia dla Józefa Walaszczyka z okazji 100. urodzin". Office of the President of Poland (in Polish). 13 November 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ "Żegnamy Józefa Walaszczyka (1919-2022) | Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN w Warszawie". polin.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Udział Pani Marii Kaczyńskiej w uroczystości "Przywracanie pamięci"". prezydent.pl (in Polish). 17 November 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Uczciliśmy jubileusz 100. rocznicy urodzin polskiego "Sprawiedliwego" – Urząd do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych". www.kombatanci.gov.pl (in Polish). 13 November 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Wręczenie medali "Pro Patria" Sprawiedliwym Wśród Narodów Świata – Urząd do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych". www.kombatanci.gov.pl (in Polish). 15 October 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki w Warszawie Wręczenie Medali Stulecia Odzyskanej Niepodległości – Aktualności -". mazowieckie.pl (in Polish). 2 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
Sources
- Walaszczyk, Józef (2009). Przywracanie pamięci (in Polish). Warsaw: Fundacja Ośrodka KARTA. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
External links
- "Józef Walaszczyk Oral History | Virtual Shtetl". sztetl.org.pl. Retrieved 9 February 2020.