Celińska Zofia (Lipska); Mother: Lipska Aniela ; Father: Lipski Roman

Celińska Zofia Zofia Celińska, a resident of the city of Warsaw, worked during the occupation period as a clerk in a commercial company, while at the same time being active in the Polish underground Home Army (AK). She helped save Jews even before the great deportation from the ghetto to Treblinka. In 1941, she hid a couple, Władysław and Helena (Rachela) Kohan, in her parents’ apartment. When their hiding place was discovered, she moved them to nearby Milanówek, where she rented apartments for them, and since they could not go out into the streets because of their Jewish appearance, she undertook to provide them with their basic needs. In addition, she alternately hid two of her former Jewish classmates, Karola Zweibaum and Zofia Lewin, in the home of her parents, with whom she lived. The Kohans did not survive the Holocaust, but Karola and Zofia did and maintained their friendship with Zofia Celińska throughout the years. On June 4, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Zofia Celińska as Righteous Among the Nations. File: 9372 Celińska, Zofia (Lipska) Lipski, Roman Lipska, Aniela In late 1939, Zofia Lipska (b. 1919) was living in Warsaw and studying in a secret school. She also worked and supported her entire family: parents Roman (b. 1891) and Aniela (b. 1898), and siblings Jan Józef (b. 1926) and Maria (b. 1930). One day her Jewish friend from school, Zofia Lewin, asked her for help saving her relatives, Władysław Kohan and his wife Rachel (Helena). Zofia approached her parents, who agreed to shelter the Jews. She gave them her own bedroom, while her father, Roman, prepared a hideout in the basement. The hideout was connected to the ground floor and could be used to escape during emergencies. Until the end of 1941, the Kohans stayed with the Lipskis, sharing their meager food and their wartime experiences. The situation was not easy, and the families were in danger on more than one occasion. Once, for example, Rachel Kohan fell gravely ill, and a doctor was needed. Rachel’s appearance was considered to be “typically” Jewish, and she spoke very poor Polish, so finding a physician who would not betray them was no trivial task. Eventually, by mistake, the presence of Jews in the house was revealed. Raids and suspicions followed, and a new place had to be found for the Kohans. Unfortunately, Władysław suffered a lethal heart attack, and his wife had committed suicide by the end of the Warsaw Uprising. Zofia Lipska supported them until the very end, even at their new location. She also helped her friend Zofia Lewin and another Jewish friend, Karola Zweibaum, who both lived in Warsaw and needed occasional shelter, assistance in passing messages, and other help. Zofia Lewin called Zofia Lipska her adopted sister. On June 4, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Zofia (Lipska) Celińska as Righteous Among the Nations. On November 10, 2015, Roman and Aniela Lipski were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.