Komarnicka Maria & Komarnicki Władysław

Komarnicki, Władysław Komarnicka, Maria In November 1942, when the Turka ghetto in the Lwów district was liquidated and most of its inhabitants deported to Belżec extermination camp, a handful of Jews – including 17-year-old Estera Langenauer – were left behind to clean up the ghetto and retrieve anything of value. After escaping from the ghetto, Langenauer wandered for many days through villages and fields, until she reached the village of Komarniki, where she knocked on the door of Maria and Władysław Komarnicki. Although she was a complete stranger, the Komarnickis, at great personal risk, hid Langenauer in their attic, saw to all her needs, and protected her from their hostile Ukrainian neighbors. After the liquidation of the Turka ghetto, the Komarnickis also provided Jewish fugitives who were hiding in the forest with food. Langenauer stayed with the Komarnickis until September 1944, when the Red Army liberated the area, and after the war immigrated to Israel. She later testified that in risking their lives to save her, the Komarnickis were guided by a Christian love that was its own reward. On May 8, 1986, Yad Vashem recognized Maria and Władysław Komarnicki as Righteous Among the Nations. File 3419