Siera Jan & Maria ; Child: Michal ; Child: Anastazja ; Child: Piotr

Siera Jan Siera Maria Siera Piotr Siera Michał Siera Anastazja Before the war, Jan Siera, from the village of Uszikowice in the county of Przemyślany, in Eastern Galicia, had business ties with Natan Winter from the nearby town of Przemyślany. Siera and Winter trusted each other, and when Siera fell into financial difficulties, Winter gave him a loan with easy repayment conditions. In early 1943, after the liquidation of the Przemyślany ghetto, Winter turned to Siera asking for shelter for him and his family. At first Siera hesitated, but after consulting with his wife, Maria, and his three children, Piotr, Michał and Anastazja, he decided to repay the Winters for having helped them out of their financial difficulties, and prepared a hiding place for them and their children, six-year-old Sabina and nine-year-old Janek. Although the Winters originally paid for their upkeep in foreign currency, when their money ran out, the Sieras undertook to support them, as well as cook and clean for them. The Sieras hid the Winters for about one-and-a-half years, during which time they were constantly haunted by fear of discovery by their Ukrainian neighbors. This fear peaked shortly before the liberation, when German soldiers requisitioned their home and ordered them to vacate the premises. Jan Siera, who refused to leave the house, used diversionary tactics to prevent the Germans from discovering the refugees. As devout and upright Catholics, the Sieras considered it their duty to repay their friends who had helped them in the past, despite the danger. After the war, the Winters immigrated to Israel, where they kept up ties with their saviors who moved to Warsaw, and sent them parcels whenever they could. On January 29, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Maria and Jan Siera, and their children, Piotr, Michał and Anastazja, as Righteous Among the Nations. File 5102