Egierszdorff Irena (Olszakowska)

Egierszdorff, Irena (Olszakowska) During the war Irena Olszakowska Egierszdorff and her sister Zofia Olszakowska (recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in ) taught at a cooperative school for adults in Sobieszyn, Poland. It was an underground operation because the Nazis prohibited any education above primary school level. Little Rachela Zonszajn was brought to the sisters from the home of Irena and Sabina Zawadski (recognized in 1988), in Siedlce, where her mother, who was locked in the local ghetto, had placed her. A Gestapo station had been established close to the Zawadskis’ house, endangering both the rescuers and the refugee, so she was urgently sent to Sobieszyn. Zofia Olszakowska came to fetch her. Irena and her son, Janek, received Rachela into their home and treated her like a daughter and little sister. (Irena’s husband had been captured by the Nazis, and she lived alone with Janek.) The girl learned to call Irena “Mom” and grew to love her very much. She called Zofia “Aunt” and loved her as well, but most of the burden of caring for a very young child and protecting her from the evil surrounding them fell onto Irena’s shoulders. After the war a Jewish survivor from Siedlce approached Irena Olszakowska, asking her to return Rachela to Judaism. Zofia had the address of Rachela’s uncle in Palestine and wrote to ask him whether he would be willing to bring her up. He replied that he would, and the child was transferred to him via France. As she grew up the contact between her and her rescuers was preserved, and they visited each other over the years. On July 22, 2014, Yad Vashem recognized Irena Olszakowska Egierszdorff as Righteous Among the Nations.