Łukasiewicz Antoni & Hudyma Franciszka

Łukasiewicz, Antoni Łukasiewicz, Franciszka In June 1943, Shimon Sterling escaped from the labor camp of Zloczow near Brody, in the Tarnopol district, while his wife, Sophie, escaped from the Brody ghetto. After wandering through the area, the two reached their native town, Szczurowice (known as Szterwitz by the Jews), from which they had been driven out by the Germans in 1941. Upon their arrival, they knocked on the door of Antoni and Franciszka Łukasiewicz, a poor peasant couple and former neighbors of theirs. Since the area was populated mainly by hostile Ukrainians, the Łukasiewiczes were unable to shelter them in their home, but did not abandon their friends. At dead of night, Łukasiewicz accompanied the Sterlings to the forest, which bordered their farm, to a well-concealed underground shelter. The Łukasiewiczes went without in order to feed their Jewish charges, and looked after them to the best of their ability, until the summer of 1944, when the area was liberated by the Red Army. In risking their lives for the Sterlings, the Łukasiewiczes were guided by humanity and loyalty to their former neighbors, and never expected anything in return. After the war, the Sterlings emigrated to Canada, while the Łukasiewiczes moved to an area within the new borders of Poland. The ties between the two families continued and, after Antoni’s death, Franciszka was invited to Canada, where she was given a hero’s welcome. On October 26, 1989, Yad Vashem recognized Franciszka and Antoni Łukasiewicz as Righteous Among the Nations.