Damski John

Damski, John (Jan) In November 1941, Jan Damski, who lived next door to the Rozen family in the town of Zamosc, obtained forged papers for their daughter, Sara, and helped her reach Warsaw. Under her new identity, Sara Rozen went to live in the town of Czestochowa where she found work. In time, again with Damski’s help, Sara’s mother, Helena, joined her, also equipped with “Aryan” papers which Damski had obtained for her. After some months in Czestochowa, the mother was sent to work in Germany where she stayed until the area was liberated. In late 1943, after she was identified in the street as a Jew, Sara was forced to flee to Warsaw. Damski, who was an AK activist, came to Warsaw and married her. Sara stayed with her husband’s family in the village of Zalesie, near Warsaw, until the area was liberated in January 1945. Damski also helped Stanisław Rozen, Sara’s father, who had to abandon his hiding place in Warsaw, after the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944. Thanks to Damski, Rozen found another hiding place outside the ruined city. Despite being on the Gestapo’s wanted list as a member of the underground, Damski continued looking after the Rozens, without expecting anything in return. After the war Damski, his wife, and parents-in-law immigrated to the United States. On March 24, 1988, Yad Vashem recognized Jan (later John) Damski as Righteous Among the Nations.