Balul Wiktoria & Wincenty ; Son: Franciszek ; Son: Antoni

Balul, Wincenty Balul, Wiktoria Balul, Franciszek Balul, Antoni Moshe and Chaviva Flechtman became acquainted with the Balul family through the mother, Wiktoria, a devout Christian in her sixties. The Baluls, who lived in Vilna, made a living by selling food to the ghetto inmates, and thereby became friendly with Moshe, who worked outside the ghetto. Wiktoria, who supplied him with free bread from time to time, offered her help if the situation deteriorated, and in the late December of 1942 Moshe and Chaviva fled to the Babuls’ home, where they were offered refuge by the parents, Wincenty and Wiktoria, and sons, Franczisek and Antoni. Moshe stayed in Antoni’s apartment, and the latter supplied him with forged documents, which he used to obtain work from Polish farmers in the area. Chaviva, who was pregnant, gave birth to her eldest daughter in the Baluls’ house, and they kept the baby carefully hidden. The family also helped other Jews who had fled from the ghetto by finding hideouts and obtaining “Aryan“ documents for them. Among those whose lives were saved by the Baluls was Jacek Jakubowicz, a thirteen-year-old boy who had escaped from the ghetto. The family received no recompense for its assistance, which was motivated by purely humanitarian and religious considerations. The Flechtmans remained with the Baluls until the liberation in the summer of 1944 and immigrated to Israel after the war. They continued to remain in contact with the Baluls, who subsequently settled within Poland’s postwar borders. On November 2, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Wincenty and Wiktoria Balul and their children, Franciszek and Antoni Balul, as Righteous Among the Nations.