Kmieć Piotr & Anna ; Daughter: Rokosz Franciszka (Kmiec); Daughter: Rokosz Stefania (Kmiec)

Kmieć, Anna Kmieć, Piotr Rokosz-Kmieć, Stefania Rokosz-Kmieć, Franciszka Menachem Katz, one of the few Jews to escape the Germans’ Aktion in the town of Brzezany, in the Tarnopol district, was injured in the leg during his escape. After a while, he reached the nearby village of Kuropatniki, where he turned to Piotr Kmieć, an acquaintance of his. The Kmiećes gave Katz a warm reception, dressed his wounded leg, and offered him unconditional shelter in their apartment. Katz hid in the attic of their house, where, a few days later, he was joined by Rivka Fogelman, a former neighbor of his, who told him that she had fled from the deportation together with her parents, Chancia and Szymon Fogelman. When Kmieć heard that Rivka’s parents were hiding in the forest together with Katz’s mother and sister, Rina, he went there himself and brought the four refugees home. A few days later, the six refugees were joined by two other Fogelman boys, Velvl and Menachem, bringing their total to eight. Despite the danger, the Kmiećes and their two daughters looked after them, kept them clean, and watched out for their safety, without expecting anything in return. The refugees took advantage of the summer weather to leave their cramped hiding place for the forest, where Stefania and Franciszka Kmieć continued to provide them with food and see to all their needs. When winter approached, the eight refugees returned to the Kmiećes. One day, in April 1944, a gang of Ukrainian nationalists descended on their house and killed Piotr Kmieć. Despite this traumatic event, Anna and her daughters continued looking after their charges at great personal risk. The refugees, however, decided to return to the forests, where they stayed until the Red Army liberated the area. After the war, the eight survivors immigrated to Israel while Anna Kmieć and her daughters moved to an area within the new borders of Poland. On February 9, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Anna and Piotr Kmieć as Righteous Amongthe Nations. On September 29, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Stefania Rokosz-Kmieć and Franciszka Rokosz-Kmieć as Righteous Among the Nations.