Kaczmar Ioanna

Klimowsky (Kachmar), Joanna In 1941, when the Jews of Sambor in the district of Lwów (today L’viv) were incarcerated in the ghetto, Joanna Kachmar (later Klimowsky) came to the assistance of her friend Lota Zeiler, who she knew from the days when they attended school together. Kachmar daringly entered the closed ghetto and after helping Zeiler escape, she escorted the Jewish woman to her home on the outskirts of the town. Despite the danger, Kachmar hid her friend in her apartment, took care of her with loyalty and devotion, and shared her meager food ration. In May 1943, Chaim Zeiler, Lota’s brother, escaped the last deportation of Jews from the Sambor ghetto. As he knew no other address, he headed for Kachmar’s apartment, where he was welcomed inside and, to his surprise, was reunited with his sister. The Zeiler siblings hid with Kachmar until the liberation, in July 1944. Kachmar was motivated to help them out of true friendship. After the war, the Zeilers immigrated to Israel and they lost contact with their wartime savior. In the meantime, Kachmar left her hometown and eventually immigrated to the United States. It was not until 1979 that the Zeilers managed to locate Kachmar and they invited her to visit them in Israel. On September 18, 1980, Yad Vashem recognized Joanna Klimowsky (née Kachmar) as Righteous Among the Nations.