Mistera Joanna

Reszko, Marianna Mistera, Joanna In August 1942, during the liquidation of the Minsk Mazowiecki ghetto in the Warsaw district, three girls – Irena Romano, Frania Aharonson, and Miriam Saadia – escaped. After wandering through the area, the three reached St. Anthony’s Convent (Świętego Antoniego) in the nearby village of Ignaców, where they were welcomed by Marianna Reszko, the mother superior. Although she realized they were Jewish refugees, Reszko took them in, and put them to work as kitchen hands and maids. Joanna Mistera, a nun who was also let in on the secret, looked after them devotedly and watched out for their safety, especially when Germans visited the convent. The three Jewish girls stayed in the convent until September 1944, when the area was liberated by the Red Army, and after the war, immigrated to Israel. On October 27, 1985, Yad Vashem recognized Marianna Reszko and Joanna Mistera as Righteous Among the Nations.