Cap Maria

Cap Maria Before the war, Maria Cap worked as a maid for the Brandstaetters in the town of Przemyśl, in the Lwów district. In 1941, after the incarceration of the Jews in the local ghetto, Cap maintained contact with the Brandstaetters , and risked her life to enter the ghetto at dead of night and bring them food. Even when it was no longer possible to enter the ghetto, Cap continued to smuggle in food parcels through a hole in the ghetto wall. In September 1943, during the final destruction of the Przemyśl ghetto, Juliusz Berger, Ferdynand Brandstaetter's stepson, escaped and made his way to Cap’s apartment. Cap took him in without a moment’s hesitation and, despite her meager wages as a factory worker, saw to all his needs. Cap, who had to move several times to escape her neighbors’ suspicions, also provided Laura Bogaczewska, Berger’s aunt, who was hiding on the Aryan side of the city, with goods. Berger stayed with Cap until the area was liberated in September 1944, after which he emigrated to Denmark. Berger maintained close ties with Cap, who came to stay with him on several occasions. On December 29, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Maria Cap as Righteous Among the Nations. File 5495