Czuba Michał

Czuba, Michał In 1941, the Wajsmans, their two sons, and daughters, Helen and Ziona, escaped from Lwow to the town of Radziechow, in the Tarnopol district, where they were interned in the local ghetto. At her parents’ initiative, 13-year-old Ziona escaped from the ghetto and found shelter with peasants in one of the surrounding villages. A few months later, however, the German raided the area, and Ziona had to be transferred to another village. Although Ziona had “Aryan” papers, the local peasants were afraid to hide her, and took her back to the deserted ghetto. Not knowing what to do, Ziona made her way to the home of Polish acquaintances, where to her enormous surprise, she came across her mother and sister, who were hiding there, too. Although the hiding place was designed for one person only, room was made for Ziona, and later also, their father. Although the Polish landlord feared for his life, Michał Czuba, the landlady’s brother, and a graduate of a seminary, persuaded them to let them stay. Czuba, himself, took responsibility for looking after the Jewish fugitives and saw to their needs during the ten months of their stay. Although the Wajsmans paid his family for their upkeep, Czuba himself refused to take a cent. With the advance of the Soviet front in 1944, all Poles were ordered to leave the area, but Czuba, disregarding the danger, stayed behind in order to look after the Wajsmans. When the Germans converted the house into a military post-office, the Jews found a new hiding place in the deserted ghetto, where they stayed with Czuba until the Red Army liberated the town. After the war, the Wajsmans emigrated. Many years later, Helen and Ziona succeeded in tracing Michał Czuba, and Ziona went to Poland to visit him, and invited him back. In risking his life to save Jews, Michał Czuba was prompted by a deep religious faith and Christian love. On May 7, 1989, Yad Vashem recognized Michał Czuba as Righteous Among the Nations.