Niewiedzka Zofia ; Daughter: Zofia ; Daughter: Irena

Niewiedzka, Zofia Niewiedzka, Irena Niewiedzka, Zofia In January 1943, Ester Starzewska managed to escape and move over to the Aryan side of the city during the Aktion the Germans carried out in the Grodno ghetto. However, she did not have any address or hiding place to go, and after much hardship, suffering and terror-filled days of wandering in the area, Starzewska returned to Grodno in order to find the way to the apartment of Zofia Niewiedzka, whom she had never met, but whose address she had received from a friend in the ghetto. Frightened and desperate, Starzewska knocked at Niewiedzka’s door to ask for her help. Starzewska was given refuge in the home of Niewiedzka, who lived with her daughters Irena and Zofia, where she was treated like a member of the family. Without asking for or receiving anything in return, they all helped Starzewska and took care of her needs. Despite the danger involved in rescuing Jews, Niewiedzka and her daughters continued their rescue efforts, acting out of purely humane motives. One day in July 1943, German police raided the Niewiedzka apartment and arrested the daughter Zofia on suspicion of underground activity. Starzewska managed to hide in the bathroom and after the Germans left the apartment, she ran away. An hour later, the police returned and arrested Zofia and Irena as well. They then executed the three Niewiedzka women. Starzewska found another place of refuge, where she remained until her liberation in 1944. After the war, she immigrated to France. On March 20, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Zofia Niewiedzka and her daughters Irena Niewiedzka and Zofia Niewiedzka as Righteous Among the Nations. File 6050