Beck Walenty & Julia ; Daughter: Zalewska Aleksandra (Beck)

Beck, Walenty Beck, Julia Zalewska-Beck, Aleksandra Eighteen Jews from the city of Zolkiew in the Lwow district owe their lives to Walenty and Julia Beck and their daughter, Aleksandra (Ala). Despite the hostility of their neighbors, the three endangered their lives by their uncompromising loyalty to their Jewish fellow-citizens. The Becks, who were of German origin, were registered as ethnic Germans, and this helped deflect any suspicion that they were helping Jews. Moreover, Aleksandra invited German soldiers to her home in order to help camouflage the family’s rescue activities. Jews who escaped from the local ghetto prior to the first deportation in November 1942 were hidden by Walenty in a bunker beneath the floor of the apartment. During this period, 16 fugitives were concealed in the hideout. In April 1943, during the final liquidation of the ghetto, 7-year-old Zygmund Orlender and his 4-year-old sister also sought refuge in the Becks’ home, and despite the opposition of those already hiding in the bunker, who protested against the increased overcrowding, the Becks stood firm and took in the children. In spite of the heavy economic burden, the Becks supplied the requirements of all their 18 charges, of whom only a few could contribute to their upkeep. The fugitives remained in hiding until the area was liberated in July 1944. After the war, they dispersed across the globe. Many of them died over the years, but those that remained continued to maintain contact with Aleksandra, who visited some of them in the United States, Canada and Israel. On September 19, 1983, Yad Vashem recognized Walenty and Julia Beck and their daughter, Aleksandra Zalewska-Beck, as Righteous Among the Nations.