Hrekov Andrej & Hreková Vĕra (Koptová)

Hrekov, Andrej Hreková, Vĕra Adam and Miriam Sawicki from Luck, Poland, were arrested in the local ghetto when the Jews were rounded up. They managed to escape but they were soon confined to a forced-labor camp. With the liquidation of the camp in late 1942, they escaped again and wandered in the forest for a few weeks. The cold and the hunger soon motivated them to turn to their Christian acquaintances, Andrej and Vĕra Hrekov, who had moved to Poland from the Czech Republic. They lived in a modest home with Vĕra’s mother in Luck. The unexpected appearance of the Sawicki couple at the Hrekovs’ home in early January 1943 amazed their friends, who had no idea what had happened to them. Their pleasure at seeing them was diluted by the fear they felt when the refugees asked for shelter in their house. The Hrekovs’ desire to rescue the fugitives prevailed, however, and Adam and Miriam were given a space in the loft of the pigsty in the yard of their house. Andrej and Vĕra had two young daughters, and it was decided to keep the presence of the fugitives in their home a secret from them. Every morning, Vĕra entered the pigsty with a bucket with food for the pigs, and with the daily food for her wards in her other hand. In the evenings, the fugitives were allowed to descend from the attic to stretch their limbs. One day, when the Hrekov couple was out of the house, Germans who came looking for Jews surprised Hreková’s mother. Although the fugitives were not found during the ensuing search, the mother became frightened and begged her daughter and son-in-law to move the Jewish fugitives. The couple refused to accept her demand and kept hiding their friends. Despite the increasing danger the rescuers faced, the relationship between the Hrekovs and Sawickis only strengthened. Some time later, Hreková’s brother-in-law suggested hiding the Sawickis in his house. However, when he found out that the Sawicki couple was poor and had no financial means, he wanted to get rid ofthem. The Hrekov couple took them back into their home without any hesitation and continued to take care of their needs until the liberation in February 1944. The rescuers and the survivors stayed in contact also after the war ended, and kept seeing one another especially on holidays. After the Hrekov couple returned to their homeland and the Sawicki couple moved to Israel they maintained contact through correspondence. In 1965, the Hrekovs visited Israel as the guests of the Sawickis. After the collapse of the communist regime, Miriam invited Vĕra to visit her again in Israel. On September 21, 1965, Yad Vashem recognized Andrej Hrekov and his wife, Vĕra Hreková, as Righteous Among the Nations.