Świątek Apolonia

Świątek-Machczyńska, Apolonia In October 1942, only a few Jews managed to escape the liquidation of the Kock ghetto, in the Lublin district. Some found shelter in the surrounding forests, a few sought out their Polish acquaintances, while most were caught and shot on the spot. Eleven of the refugees made their way to the home of Apolonia Świątek-Machczyńska, an aristocratic woman known for her progressive views, who managed to arrange their transfer to Warsaw. Among the refugees who survived was Rivka Goldfinger. Upon her arrival in Warsaw, Goldfinger obtained “Aryan” documents and volunteered for work in Germany where she survived. After the war, Goldfinger immigrated to Israel. In due course, other Jewish refugees knocked on Świątek-Machczyńska’s door, including a woman and her children, who had been trying to find a hiding place in the forest. Świątek-Machczyńska hid some of the refugees in her cellar, and helped them without expecting anything in return. Świątek-Machczyńska also helped Jews hiding in the forest near her home, and in January 1942, offered some of them temporary shelter in her home. When Świątek-Machczyńska found out that a young boy had informed on her, she warned her charges of the danger, before escaping with her two children to the nearby village of Plebanki, where her father lived. The refugees, at least one of whom was armed, did not manage to escape in time, and in the ensuing gun battle, they were all killed. Świątek-Machczyńska was also shot to death after the Germans succeeded in tracking her down to Plebanki. On September 23, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Apolonia Świątek-Machczyńska as Righteous Among the Nations.