Linkiewicz Antoni ; Son: Sławomir ; Daughter: Bujnowska Anna (Linkiewicz); Spouse: Genowefa

Linkiewicz, Antony Linkiewicz, Genowefa Linkiewicz, Sławomir Bujnowska, Anna (Linkiewicz) Antony Linkiewicz was a poor Polish farmer from the village of Hińkowce, near the city of Tłuste. In April 1944 he approached Isaac Merdinger and offered to take him to a safe hiding place. Before being forced to give up his land and move to Tłuste, Merdinger had been the owner of a large estate where Linkiewicz had been employed. At first Merdinger was hesitant to accept Linkiewicz’s offer because the two had not parted on good terms, and Linkiewicz had a dubious reputation in the area. But Linkiewicz assured him that his intentions were noble and motivated by both a desire to make amends for the past and a sense of humanitarian duty. Linkiewicz’s offer was extended to several other Jews living in Tłuste. In addition to Merdinger, his wife, and their two children, the group consisted of Rose Lehrer (Merdinger’s cousin), her husband, Max, and Dorothy, their daughter; Oscar (Yehoshua) Shechner —Merdinger’s landlord and a member of the Judenrat—with Gabriel (his son) and Hinda (his sister); and two brothers, Jewish refugees from Hungary. They were later joined by Shechner’s other sister, Clara Spektor, and her husband, Markus. There were 14 people in all. The hiding place was a cave that had formed, as part of an abandoned sand mine, in a hill near Linkiewicz’s house. Deep underground, the cave was completely dark and often damp but maintained a constant temperature year round. Linkiewicz fixed up the cave to be fit for living—he made sleeping bunks out of wooden planks and straw, equipped the cave with means for cooking and lighting, supplied linens, and provided everything needed for a prolonged stay. In June 1943, during the final liquidation of the ghetto in Tłuste, Linkiewicz transferred Merdinger, Shechenr, and the others to the hiding place in small groups over several nights, in order to avoid detection. During their stay in the cave, Linkiewicz would visithis Jewish wards every few days, often joined by his wife, Genowefa, or Sławomir, their son, bringing supplies such as water, milk, potatoes, and fuel, as well as bread and hot dishes prepared by Genowefa. The hiding Jews would give Linkiewicz a grocery list and money for supplies, and he would acquire anything they needed with the aid of the Doliński family (recognized along with the Linkiewiczes in 2009). This activity was not without risk, as it could, and did, raise suspicions among the locals as to why Linkiewicz needed such large amounts of food, and where, being a poor farmer, he got the money to buy them. At one point German forces arrived at Linkiewicz’s house to search for hiding Jews. They threatened his family, beat his son, and burned his daughter with a hot iron, yet the family did not betray the Jews hiding under their protection. Linkiewicz’s brave actions, as well as daily life in the cave, were recorded by Oscar Shechner in a journal he kept while in hiding. From the journal, which was published by Yad Vashem, it is clear that Linkiewicz looked after both the emotional and the physical well-being of those in the cave. In addition to essential supplies, he would bring them newspapers to keep them informed of developments in the war. During his visits to the cave, he would often stay with the group for several hours talking, sharing news of the outside world, and consoling them. “We learned then,” wrote Oscar Shechner in his journal, “that this simple, uneducated farmer was our superior. His humane attitude, his tact, his good nature, encouraged us to be more civil in his presence.” The 14 Jews stayed hidden in the cave until the area was liberated by the Red Army in March 1944. After the war, they left Poland: some immigrated to Israel, some to the United States. Linkiewicz himself paid a grave price for his brave, selfless actions—after the retreat of the German forces, a group of Ukrainian nationalists, seeking to punish those who helpedJews, murdered his wife and son. The surviving Jews, particularly Oscar Shechner, kept in touch with their rescuer, and Shechner also visited Linkiewicz in Poland and brought him to visit America. On August 16, 2009, Yad Vashem recognized Antony Linkiewicz, Genowefa, Sławomir, and Anna Bujnowska as Righteous Among the Nations.