Sawicki Kazimierz ; Mother: Sawicka Emilia ; Brother: Jan ; Brother: Nikodem

Sawicka, Emilia Sawicki, Jan Sawicki, Kazimierz Sawicki, Nikodem During the occupation, Emilia Sawicka and her sons, Jan, Kazimierz, and Nikodem, lived in the town of Korolówka, in Eastern Galicia. In the spring of 1943, a Ukrainian neighbor asked Sawicka if she would agree to hide some Jewish refugees who had turned up at her home and whom she was reluctant to continue hiding. Sawicka sent her son, Kazimierz, back with the Ukrainian neighbor to fetch the Jewish refugees, while she and her other two sons prepared a hiding place for them in their house. Toward evening, Kazimierz arrived with Rena Hausner, her sister Pola Henenfeld, and Pola’s husband, Leon Henenfeld, all three from the nearby town of Czortków. The refugees stayed with the Sawickis, who later prepared a well-camouflaged shelter for them in their yard, for about a year, until June 1944 when they were liberated. Despite their proximity to the local police station and the hostility of the surrounding Ukrainian population, the Sawickis, guided by humanitarian considerations, looked after the three refugees, supported them, and saw to all their needs, without expecting anything in return. After the liberation, Kazimierz and Jan Sawicki joined the Polish army where they continued to fight against Nazi Germany. Their mother, Emilia, and younger brother, Nikodem, who stayed behind in Korolówka, were killed by Ukrainian nationalists. After the war, Hausner immigrated to Israel and the Henenfelds moved to Katowice. On February 28, 1985, Yad Vashem recognized Emilia Sawicka, and her sons, Jan, Kazimierz and Nikodem, as Righteous Among the Nations. File 3132