Chmielewski Bazyli

Chmielewski, Bazyli Before the war, Bazyli Chmielewski, an oven-builder by profession, worked for Baruch Post in the town of Rawa Ruska, in the Lwow district. When the town was occupied on June 30, 1941, and the Germans began deporting Jews, Post’s wife, a mother of seven, appealed to Chmielewski to save Klara, her 18-year-old daughter. Chmielewski agreed, and provided her with documents in the name of his sister, Jaroslawa Chmielewska, who had been sent to work in Germany. Fearing, however, that the ploy would be discovered in a place where many knew Jaroslawa, Chmielewski had Klara transferred to the home of Jan Antoniak, an acquaintance of his, who lived in Skarzysko Kamienna in the Kielce district. Antoniak, who was a known antisemite, believed that Klara was Chmielewski’s sister and therefore never suspected her of being Jewish, and no one ever suspected Antoniak of harboring a Jewess in his home. Klara helped the Antoniaks with the housework, looked after their children, and later went to work in the local ammunitions factory. Throughout this period, she maintained contact with Bazyli Chmielewski, who also came to visit her on a number of occasions, and acted as a link between her and her family. Chmielewski also saved the lives of other Jews, until they were liberated by the Red Army. After the war, Klara (later Rieger) went to live in Munich, where she kept up close ties with Chmielewski, who also came to visit her. Chmielewski later stated that as a devout Christian, he was glad to have had the chance of saving human life, despite the danger involved. On October 18, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Bazyli Chmielewski as Righteous Among the Nations.