Sawko Józef & Antonina (Szczerban); Daughter: Gerc Malwina (Sawko)

Sawko Józef Sawko Antonina Gerc-Sawko Malwina In July 1943, after the liquidation of the Podhajce ghetto in Eastern Galicia, the Friedmans fled with their daughter, Berta, and hid in a cornfield outside the nearby town of Złotniki. Antonina Sawko, who, before her marriage, had worked as the Friedmans’ maid, heard about their plight, and decided to help them. Throughout the summer, Antonina, accompanied by her daughter, Malwina, came to see the Friedmans and bring them food. When winter approached, and it was no longer possible for them to stay outdoors, Antonina, with her husband, Józef’s, consent, offered them shelter in her home. After abortive attempts to find them a safer refuge, the Sawkos dug them a hiding place under their cowshed, where the Friedmans hid for over half a year, until the spring of 1944, when the area was liberated by the Red Army. Throughout this period, the Sawkos looked after the Friedmans devotedly, watched out for their safety, and supported them out of their own pocket. In risking their lives for the refugees, the Sawkos were guided by humanitarian considerations and loyalty. After the war, the survivors immigrated to the United States while the Sawkos moved to an area within the new borders of Poland. On March 10, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Antonina and Józef Sawko and their daughter, Malwina Gerc-Sawko, as Righteous Among the Nations. File 5139