Siembida Antoni & Maria

Siembida, Antoni Siembida, Maria After reaching the town of Kamionka Strumilowa, in Eastern Galicia, at the start of the war, the Polish refugees, Antoni and Maria Siembida, moved into an apartment belonging to a cousin of Serka Horszowska. During the Aktion perpetrated by the Germans against the local Jews on September 21, 1942, Horszowska suddenly turned up at the apartment, ostensibly to collect items left in the apartment by her cousin. The Siembidas, realizing that this was just a pretext, and that Horoszowska was in fact seeking shelter, invited her to stay with them in times of danger. Horoszowska took up their offer, staying with them for brief periods until early November 1942, when the local ghetto was liquidated. Although the Siembidas begged her to stay, Horoszowska, unwilling to endanger their lives, moved in with acquaintances elsewhere, and volunteered to work as a Pole in Germany, where she survived. Although Horszowska hid with the Siembidas for only short periods, these periods were critical for her survival. From the start, the Siembidas took a liking to her, and were prepared to do all they could in order to save her life, without expecting anything in return. After the war, Horszowska immigrated to Israel and her saviors moved to an area within the new borders of Poland. On February 27, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Maria and Antoni Siembida as Righteous Among the Nations.