Burdowa Maria

Maria Burdowa Amalia and Ryszard Klarfeld, a well-off Jewish couple, had two children: Ewa (Chava) (b. 1938) and Marian (Moshe) (b. 1941). The Klarfelds lived in Lwów. In 1941-1942, the lives of Jews in Lwów began to worsen steadily. Nevertheless, every week, a Polish woman called Maria Burdowa came to the Klarfelds’ home from her village of Jaworów to sell them flowers for Shabbat and other holidays. Maria and the Klarfelds became friendly. When Amalia and Ryszard realized that things were becoming extremely dangerous, they pleaded with Maria to take their children until the threat passed. They promised to cover all her expenses, and gave Maria some money in advance. They also promised to give her the address of their relatives in America in case they didn't survive. Maria agreed, and took the children to Jaworów with her. On one of her visits to Lwów, Maria discovered that the Klarfelds had been killed by the Gestapo, their property requisitioned, and nothing could be done about their promises to her. She returned to Jaworów, now solely responsible for the fates of Ewa and Marian. Maria took care of the children throughout the war – never, to their memory, displaying any anger or resentment. She was always calm, collected and kind, despite the financial straits and frequent German inspections. She was also very concerned with the children’s health. Ewa (later Chava Kleinman) remembered how Maria made her drink a lot of milk, and kept telling her about the importance of being strong and healthy. After the war, nobody came looking for the little Klarfelds, and the American relatives could not be found. Maria tried contacting a Jewish orphanage in Kraków for help, and then the Joint. Finally, she was forced to transfer both children to an orphanage, because she was unable to provide for them or arrange their schooling. In 1947, Ewa and Marian were taken to Mandatory Palestine. They were still very young, and had no way of finding any of theirrelatives. They remembered little of their time in Burdowa’s house. Maria died in 1970, alone and unsupported by anyone. When the Klarfelds grew up and had children of their own, they felt that it was their duty to commemorate their wartime rescuer, and made contact with Yad Vashem. On October 23, 2006, Yad Vashem recognized Maria Burdowa as Righteous Among the Nations.