Supernak Jan & Janina

Jan & Janina Supernak Yaakov and Dvora Fiszer, originally from Żarki, Poland, were saved during WWII by a local Polish couple, Jan and Janina Supernak. After the war, the Fiszers hardly ever spoke about the events of the Holocaust to their son, Yisrael, but he later recalled the story being told to somebody else in his presence. At the beginning of their time in hiding, Yaakov and Dvora spent most of their time outside of their very small and narrow hideout. One day, however, the Germans carried out a sudden inspection. Yaakov dived into an empty barrel standing in the yard and Jan Supernak managed to throw a cloth over the barrel and cover it with earth. The Germans did not find him, but from that day on the Fiszers stayed in their hideout. This was not the only surprise search at the Supernaks’ home; their neighbors were suspicious of the amounts of provisions the family was buying, and reported them to the Nazis more than once. Moniek Fiszer (Moshe Shafrir), Yaakov’s brother, did not speak much about the war either. “Sixty years after the Shoah, we understand that it was difficult for survivors to speak about their experiences during the war, as much as it was impossible for us children to comprehend what our parents went through,” explained Eran Shafrir, Moshe's son. From the sparse recollections of Eran Shafrir and those of Moniek’s childhood friend Eli Zborowski, it appears that Moniek, aged 17 at the time, escaped from the Pionki labor camp (Radom District) and took an active part in the resistance movement. He later made his way to Yaakov and Dvora, and the Supernaks agreed to hide him too. In addition, the Supernaks gave shelter to Chaim Tenenbaum and his niece. They provided all of the refugees with food and water, despite the shortages and the fact that they themselves had eight children for whom they needed to provide. The penalty for hiding Jews was death – both for the refugees and for the entire family of the rescuers. Sadly that wasthe fate of Jan Supernak, who was shot by the Germans on VE Day, 1945. However, Janina Supernak and the children survived, as did her charges. Moniek Fiszer joined a youth group which left Poland in August 1945 for Eretz Israel. He settled in Kibbutz Meggido, while his friend Eli Zborowski moved to the US, but the two stayed in touch throughout the years. On October 16, 2006, Yad Vashem recognized Jan and Janina Supernak as Righteous Among the Nations.