Niewęgłowski Fabian & Niewęgłowska Kazimiera ; Son: Stefan

Niewęgłowski, Fabian Niewęgłowska, Kazimiera Niewęgłowski, Stefan Fabian and Kazimiera Niewęgłowski and their six young children resided in the village of Goląbki, in the vicinity of Łuków (Lublin district), Poland. In mid-1930s Fabian became acquainted with Gershon Rubinstein, a Jewish businessman dealing with construction materials. Their paths crossed again in 1942, when Rubinstein appeared at Fabian’s home at night, pleading for shelter. He had escaped from jail and did not dare to go back to the ghetto in Łuków. The Niewęgłowski family hid Rubinstein, and the next day Fabian drove to Łuków to inform Rubinstein’s wife, Laia, that her husband was safe. As the ghetto in Łuków was being liquidated in the spring of 1943, Laia and her young daughters, Chava and Channy, escaped and walked to the village of Goląbki, where they joined their husband and father. Later, Laia’s sister, Shandla Zysman, and her 15-year-old daughter, Ciwia (later Sylvia), also made their way to the Niewęgłowskis’ home. All the fugitives were sheltered in a dugout under the cowshed. The Niewęgłowskis’ children, aged 9 to 16, kept the concealment of the fugitives a secret from their relatives and friends. The entire Niewęgłowski family came to their aid—especially 15-year-old Stefan, who considered hiding them a personal mission. As he worked in the yard and in the field near his house, Stefan maintained a vigil and warned the people in hiding whenever anyone approached. Laia Rubinstein gave the Niewęgłowskis her few pieces of jewelry in order to participate, albeit partly, in the expenses of their upkeep. At some point, Shandla decided to go to her prewar neighbor to take a few belongings she had left with him for safekeeping. The neighbor murdered her and buried her in the yard of her house. Ciwia and the Rubinsteins remained in the Niewęgłowskis’ care. Liberated by the Red Army in August 1944, they immigrated to the United States after the war. Everything the Niewęgłowskis did for the Jewish fugitives stemmed from their generosity and altruism, not from a desire for reward. On May 10, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Fabian Niewęgłowski, Kazimiera Niewęgłowska, and Stefan Niewęgłowski as Righteous Among the Nations.