Szczubiał Franciszek & Maria (Leszczyńska)

SZCZUBIAŁ, Franciszek SZCZUBIAŁ, Maria LESZCZYŃSKI, Mieczysław During the war, Franciszek and Maria Szczubiał as well as their two children and their cousin, Mieczysław Leszczyński, lived in the village of Dębowiec, near Działoszyce in the Kielce district. The Szczubiałs ran a grocery store prior to the war. They kept their store stocked with items purchased from Jewish wholsale firms. In the autumn of 1942, a Jewish family from Działoszyce found shelter in the Szczubiałs' home. Included in the family were Chaim Smolarczyk, his wife Roza (née Gerszonowicz), and their three children - Berl (7) and the twins Genia and Rivka (11). Roza’s brother, Zalman Gershon Gerszonowicz, also stayed with them. Initially, Franciszek hid them in his fields and brought them food at night. When hiding in the fields became dangerous, Franciszek and his cousin, Mieczysław Leszczyński, dug out a bunker in a nearby forest and hid the Jews there. Later on, they moved them to other places on a number of different occasions. During the war, the Boruchowicz brothers, Marian and Wojciech, also enjoyed the Szczubiałs' help. Marian received shelter from them when he was seven years old and stayed with them until liberation. His elder brother, Wojciech, hid in the woods and the Szczubiałs used to bring him food. In December 1943, Wojciech was wounded and Franciszek removed the bullet from his forearm. On January 19, 1976, Yad Vashem recognized Franciszek Szczubiał, his wife, Maria Szczubiał, and his cousin, Mieczysław Leszczyński as Righteous Among the Nations.