Kotarski Wacław & Kotarska Marcelina ; Son: Kazimierz ; Son: Czesław ; Daughter: Zalech Janina (Kotarska); Daughter-In-Law: Kotarska Irena

File 3917 Kotarski, Wacław Kotarska, Marcelina Kotarski, Czesław Zalech-Kotarska, Janina Kotarski, Kazimierz Kotarska, Irena In August 1942, Batszewa Szpigel, Szulamit Muszkat (née: Torchiniuk), and Szulamit’s mother escaped from the massacre perpetrated against the Jews of the town of Rożyszcze and its environs, in the Wołyń district. During the flight, Szulamit’s mother became separated from the girls, who continued on their own, wandering through fields and villages populated by hostile Ukrainians. After several days of wandering, the girls reached the home of Wacław and Marcelina Kotarski, poor Polish peasants who lived with their three children on the village outskirts. The Kotarskis, inspired by humanitarian considerations and Christian love, sheltered the two refugees in their home, without expecting anything in return. Despite the danger to their lives and the economic hardships involved, they prepared special hiding places for the girls, looked after them devotedly and saw to all their needs. Their children, Janina, Czesław, Kazimierz, and Irena (Kazimierz's wife), helped them, and kept the refugees’ presence secret from friends and neighbors alike. Later, Szulamit was reunited with her mother, who, after months of wandering through forests, found her way to the Kotarskis’ home. The two girls and Szulamit’s mother stayed in their hiding place until July 1944, when the area was liberated by the Red Army. After the war, the girls immigrated to Israel and in 1988, invited Czesław Kotarski to visit them. On June 23, 1988, Yad Vashem recognized Marcelina and Wacław Kotarski, their children Czesław Kotarski, Janina Zalech (née: Kotarska), Kazimierz Kotarski and (his wife) Irena Kotarska, as Righteous Among the Nations.