Niemiec Maria ; Husband: Józef

Niemiec, Maria Niemiec, Józef One day in 1942, Maria Niemiec showed up in her tiny apartment in Przemysl with six-year-old Teresa. She then told her four children that Teresa was now their sister. Teresa had been the only child of Shimon and Dziunia Licht, who knew Niemiec as the daughter of a woman that had worked in their household before the war. After they gave her their daughter, the Lichts used false papers to reach Warsaw. Teresa was received warmly by the Niemiec family who, despite their impoverished circumstances and overcrowded home, cared for her with warmth and kindness, telling neighbors that she was a relative. A friend of Niemiec, who lived nearby, was at the same time hiding a seven-year-old cousin of Teresa. The little boy carelessly revealed that he was Jewish and the Germans took him away. Following the boy’s arrest, the Germans discovered his parents’ hiding place in Przemysl and murdered them all. Fearing that Teresa’s identity would also be discovered, Maria Niemiec took her to Warsaw, and using connections that her parents had, placed her in a convent where she remained until the liberation. Niemiec remained in Warsaw throughout the entire period, and without asking for or receiving anything in return, served as a go-between for Teresa and her parents. Only after the war ended, did Niemiec return home to her husband and children. Her efforts to save Teresa’s life during her time of need were motivated solely by loyalty and friendship. After the war, Teresa and her parents immigrated to the United States, and until Maria Niemiec’s passing, remained in close contact with her, sending her packages and medicines as needed. On June 8, 1986, Yad Vashem recognized Maria Niemiec and her husband Józef Niemiec as Righteous Among the Nations.