Ulanowski Julian ; Son: Ryszard ; Daughter: Opałko Lidia (Ulanowska)

Ulanowski, Julian Ulanowski, Ryszard Opałko-Ulanowska, Lidia Julian Ulanowski and his two young children, Ryszard and Lidia, hid eleven Jews in their home in the village of Zimna Woda (Lwów District, now Ukraine) for over one year. Julian Ulanowski, in his mid-forties, was a retired court clerk and, during the Nazi occupation, had very limited financial resources. His wife passed away in 1942. In the spring of 1943, Julian contacted Maria Menkes on the recommendation of her sister, Ludwika, and brought her to his home. Maria Menkes (later, Lipa) was born in Lwów (today L’viv) in 1918, where she worked in the chocolate factory “Branka” until the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Ludwika menkes (later, Goldhamer) had false identity papers under the name of Janina Hardzińska, which were given to her by her Polish friend, Zygmunt Kurzeja. He knew Julian and suggested that Ludwika could help him as a widower with his two young children. Julian agreed even though he knew Ludwika was Jewish. Julian Ulanowski agreed to hide in his villa other Jews from the Jewish forced labor camp in Zimna Woda if they could share in the expenses. Thanks to a first payment by some, he was able to accept several extra Jews in his house who were unable to pay. He built a shelter in his house for them, and provided them with food. To disguise the hideout, he raised rabbits over it. His children cared for the Jews as well. Among those saved were: Perlberger from Berlin, Strikler from Gdynia, Moshe and Riva Feinmann from Równe and their sons, Sunnik (Saya Victor) and David, Moshe Fiszel and the pharmacist Mett with his wife from the town of Gliniany. The large number of Jews hiding in his house forced Julian to travel to Gródek Jagielloński to buy food for them, in order to escape his neighbors’ attention. He managed to retrieve the valuables hidden by the Feinmans at the site of the former labor camp in Zimna Woda and gave them back to them without asking for anything for himself. Despite his poverty and the constant danger, with police searches of his house and rumors about his children’s caretaker being Jewish, Julian Ulanowski took care of the Jews from the spring of 1943 until their liberation in the second half of July 1944. Maria Menkes left Julian’s house for Lwów and later for Katowice where she married Wilhelm Lipa and lived until 1957. Ludwika stayed with Julian, adopted his late wife’s name, Zofia, and cared for his children. Maria stayed in touch with Julian and his children after her immigration to Israel in 1957. On February 13, 2005, Yad Vashem recognized Julian Ulanowski and his children Ryszard Ulanowski and Lidia Opałko-Ulanowska, as Righteous Among the Nations.