Kopiec Jan & Aleksandra ; Son: Władysław ; Son: Jan ; Son: Stefan ; Brother: Benedykt ; Daughter-In-Law: Maria (Korol); Daughter-In-Law: Maria (Jakimczuk)

Kopiec, Jan Kopiec, Aleksandra Kopiec, Jan Kopiec, Maria Kopiec, Władysław Kopiec, Stefan Kopiec, Maria Kopiec, Benedykt In September 1942, before the liquidation of the Sokołów-Podlaski ghetto, a Polish policeman warned Chaja (Haja) Perlsztajn of the impending calamity. Perlsztajn escaped from the ghetto and, after tremendous hardships, reached Drohiczyn, where she discovered that the local ghetto was also about to be liquidated. Perlsztajn wandered through villages and fields for many days, until some peasants agreed to put her up for a few months. The peasants later took her to the Kopieces in the village of Makarki, in the Białystok district, who were already sheltering Hersz (Zwi) Kramer, a former resident of Siemiatycze. The Kopieces looked after Kramer and Perlsztajn, and protected them until July 1944, when the area was liberated by the Red Army. In risking their lives for Perlsztajn and Kramer, the Kopieces were guided by humanitarian and religious considerations, and never expected anything in return. After their liberation, Kramer and Perlsztajn married and immigrated to Israel, where they kept in touch with their rescuers for many years. On June 5, 1988, Yad Vashem recognized Aleksandra and Jan Kopiec, their son Jan and his wife, Maria, their son Władysław, their son Stefan, and his wife, Maria, and Jan’s brother, Father Benedykt Kopiec, as Righteous Among the Nations. File 3915