Majewska Helena

Majewska, Helena During the occupation, the Helena Majewska lived with her husband and young son in a one-room apartment in the Kolo neighborhood of Warsaw. She and her husband were involved in the illegal manufacture of oil. In early 1943, the 14-year-old Ada Lubelczyk (later Wilenberg), who had escaped from the ghetto after her mother had been sent to Treblinka and her father had perished far from home, was sent to Majewska’s home. Majewska, who did not know the Jewish girl, received her warmly, introducing her to her neighbors as a relative. Majewska took care of Lubelczyk with great devotion, making her feel part of the family. Ada Lubelczyk cared for Majewska’s little boy and helped with the housework. Another Jewish girl, four-year-old Marysia Jarząbek, the daughter of a teacher in a Jewish school in Warsaw before the war, was brought to Majewska’s home. After informants reported her to the authorities, a search was conducted of Majewska’s home, and because the little girl looked Jewish, the policemen demanded that Majewska and the child accompany them. At the last minute, they changed their minds and decided to leave the apartment. Out of purely altruistic motives, Majewska found a safe hiding place for Marysia Jarząbek (later Chorzelska), who after the war remained in Poland. Lubelczyk immigrated to Israel after the war and maintained very close ties with Majewska, her benefactor. On July 26, 1982, Yad Vashem recognized Helena Majewska as Righteous Among the Nations.