Zawada Rudolf & Anna ; Son: Edward

ZAWADA, EDWARD ZAWADA, RUDOLF ZAWADA, ANNA Edward Zawada lived with his parents in the village of Siemianowka, near Lwow. In April 1941, he began to work as a laboratory worker in a plaster factory in Szczerzec, not far from his home village. His supervisor, a Jew from Trzebinia, near Krakow, named Karol Akerman (a chemist), had run away in 1939 with his parents and Polish wife, Wiktoria, to the Lwow area. A few Jews worked in the Szczerzec factory, and after the German invasion, their numbers grew considerably. The Akerman family lived, along with a few other Jewish families, in a house close to the factory. Edward, despite the forbidding orders, often invited the Akermans to his home for family celebrations, such as birthdays. Sometimes, when the Akermans’ stay was prolonged until after the curfew, the Zawadas took them in for the night. In 1943, Karol was sent to a camp in Drohobycz from where he managed to escape shortly after. He hid in an apartment his wife had rented in Drohobycz. Edward kept in constant contact with Mrs. Akerman. He sent her food, medicine, and clothes, which were passed on to Adam. Edward also helped bring the Jewish factory owner’s grandson from Lwow to Szczerzec - a dangerous task. During the war, Edward’s parents, Anna and Rudolf also helped Jews. When it turned out that working on the Lwow-Szczerzec road could provide protection, Edward’s father, Rudolf, working as a guard, employed a group of Jews, including Adam’s father, Chaim Akerman. In 1943, Chaim was deported to Plaszow but he survived the war and passed away in his sixties in Poland. Edward’s parents also helped Adolf Kandel, a foreman at the factory. When it became clear that the liquidation of all the Jews working at the factory was at hand, Adolf ran away and began hiding, often spending the night in the Zawadas’ farm buildings and getting food from them. Adam emphasized in his declaration that Edward Zawada and his father Rudolf “aided people of Jewishorigin... contributing to the rescue of a series of people. They gave this aid without any self-interest and risking their own lives.” On January 27, 1986, Yad Vashem recognized Edward Zawada and his parents, Anna and Rudolf Zawada, as Righteous Among the Nations.