Punczuk Franciszek

Punčuh, Franjo Franjo Punčuh was born in Slovenia in 1902. After studying economics at Warsaw University, he became a commercial attaché at the Yugoslavian consulate in Warsaw. Later on, after leaving the service, he was nominated in 1938 as honorary consul at the Yugoslavian Legation. In 1931, Franjo had married Janka Glocer, a Jewish girl. After two years of marriage, the couple had a son, Andrei and according to Jewish law, the child was circumcised. During his years in Warsaw, Franjo had become acquainted with Ignacy and Janina Konigstein, a well-to-do Jewish family that owned Kawuska, a company that manufactured fountain pens. When the Germans occupied Poland and implemented their anti-Jewish racial policies, Franjo formally took over the Konigstein’s business, as well as the assets of another Jewish family, the Meszorers, to prevent their being confiscated by the Germans. To assist his Jewish friends in the ghetto, established in November 15, 1940, Franjo provided them with money from the assets that he was managing, which were also used to subsidize the escape of several Jews to the “Aryan” side of Warsaw. Among those were various members of the Meszorer (today, Meshorer) family. Further, Franjo used the money to support the fugitives while in hiding up until the time of the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, when all contact were lost. In order to help those who had managed to escape from the ghetto, Franjo built a hidden space in his apartment by dividing his large pantry into two rooms using a false, movable wall. This secret room could be used until safe havens could be found for the fugitives. Franjo employed Genowefa Olczak* in the Kawuska factory enabling her to support four members of the Rozenman family hiding at her home. He also supplied Genowefa with names and addresses of people she could trust to hide Jews. In the summer of 1943, when 14-year-old Bianka Rozenman (later, Kraszewski) had to leave her hiding place, Genowefa took her to thePunčuhs on Bagatela Street for a few days. From there Bianka was transferred to the Punčuh’s villa in Konstancin, where she stayed a few weeks until being moved once again to the Zubrzycki* family. Franjo also helped his sister-in-law, Eva Lavendel, her daughter, Wanda (later, Bincel), to escape to the “Aryan” side of Warsaw in the summer of 1942, and arranged for his niece to stay with a Polish couple, Witold and Władisława Krajewski. Franjo was also able to get the rest of the Lavendel family out of the Warsaw Ghetto just before its final liquidation. Lastly, he rescued his wife’s parents, Teofil and Marta Glocer, along with family friends, Cecilia Szegalowska, Wanda Meller, his mother, and many others. In September 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, Franjo was killed and was buried in the Powazki cemetery in Warsaw. On August 15, 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Franjo Punčuh as Righteous Among the Nations.