Kostka Wilhelm ; Niece: Stasiak Erna (Kostka); Brother: Wincenty

Panic, Alfred Kostka, Wilhelm Kostka, Wincenty Kostka-Stasiak, Erna In February 1943, the Germans imprisoned Alfred Panic of Upper Silesia because of his past anti-Fascistic views and communist activities. Panic was incarcerated as a political prisoner in the Monowitz camp, one of Auschwitz’s subcamps. Panic soon found his place among the members of the international underground active in the camp, in which Jews from a number of European countries were active. Panic inspired the confidence of his fellow prisoners, and used his outstanding leadership skills and knowledge of the surroundings to make contact with the outside world and plan an escape from the camp. Prior to the evacuation of the prisoners of Auschwitz in January 1945, Panic gathered five Jewish inmates of the camp and after preparing them for a possible escape, led the group. On the way to the train station, the six prisoners left the convoy of prisoners at a prearranged signal, and Panic led them to a small town near Pszczyna, in the Katowice district, to the home of his friend Wilhelm Kostka. The escaped prisoners were received warmly by the Kostka family, who immediately provided them with food and clothing. Because there were four children in the house, and the six escaped prisoners were joined by two additional Jews that had escaped from the death march, they were unable to stay there for long. Wilhelm’s brother Wincenty Kostka and the daughter of one his brothers, Erna, a young woman who was the driving force behind the rescue operation, came to the prisoners’ assistance. As an experienced underground activist with many connections in the area, Erna dispersed the escaped prisoners among trustworthy people, arranged false papers for them and kept them in contact with one another. Motivated by the conviction that one must help all those persecuted by the Germans and their assistants, the members of the Kostka family helped the escaped prisoners, without asking for or receiving anything inreturn. Among the prisoners were seven Jews from different countries: Leo Hauser, Jan Trajster, Samuel Radzyński, Leon Stasiak (Laizer Sylman), Roman Kornreich, Alfred Besserman and Mieczysław Maneli. On January 4, 1987, Yad Vashem recognized Alfred Panic, Wilhelm Kostka, Wincenty Kostka and Erna Stasiak (neé Kostka) as Righteous Among the Nations. File 3562, 3562a