Solowej Franko

Solowej, Franko Linkiewicz, Marcelko After the German occupation of Kolomea, Eastern Galicia, and the first mass murder of about 3,000 Jews, Hermann Steinkohl Zenner (born 1906) decided to flee his hometown and to move with his wife, Frieda, and children, Sioma and Lala, to the town of Horodenka. There they survived another Action on December 10, 1941, and ran to the village of Dabki where Frieda’s relatives were still living. In January 1942, Hermann made the acquaintance of the local farmer, Franko Solowej. With his help, Hermann exchanged clothes for food that he sent to his mother, sister and six–year-old niece in Kolomea. One day, upon Hermann’s request, Franko drove him for a fee to Kolomea to visit his dear ones. On March 19, 1942, while Hermann was still visiting his family in Kolomea, the ghetto was created and sealed -- it became impossible for Hermann to leave. It was there that he survived another Action on April 3, during which his sister, niece and mother were, however, murdered. Eventually, Hermann was able to escape from the Kolomea ghetto and be reunited with his wife and children in Dabki; but only to be transferred, together with the rest of Dabki’s Jews, to the ghetto in Horodenka. In September, Hermann and his family escaped another Action and fled towards the Romanian border, where they were caught. At night, one of the German soldiers let his wife and daughter run away. Hermann and his three-year-old son, Sioma, were sent back to Horodenka. Some days later, the Germans started separating women and children from the men. Out of fear to lose his son, Hermann hid him under his coat. Unfortunately, the little boy was discovered and taken away. Hermann managed to escape the next deportation transport and fled to the ghetto of Rohatyn. While there, he heard that his wife and daughter were alive and living secretly with a cousin in Tluste. Hermann worked hard to be able to send money to his family and arrange travel to Tluste. But when hefinally arrived, in June 1943, Frieda and Lola were already dead. After surviving another Action, Hermann escaped, together with two brothers named Koch. On their way, Hermann remembered the farmer Franko Solowej who had helped him before. Franko welcomed the three of them and arranged for them to hide in their barn. But after 11 days, a neighbor noticed them, so they were forced to leave. Hermann departed with the Kochs but after some time returned to Franko who provided him once again with food and let him stay in the barn. Out of fear that the Germans might learn about his helping Jews, Franko asked Hermann to leave. Hiding in the forest, Hermann remembered Marcelko Linkiewicz, a Polish man from Raszkow who was a friend of Hermann’s father-in-law. Marcelko had also hidden Hermann’s wife and daughter for a few days back in 1942. On December 30, 1943, Franko escorted Hermann to Marcelko’s big farm which had no close neighbors. Marcelko lived there with his deaf wife, two-year-old daughter and two grown-up sons. At first, Marcelko was afraid to hide Hermann, but, after some hesitation, let him in and served him dinner. Hermann has related in his testimony that for the first time in one and a half years he sat with other people in a lighted house and felt like a human being. Hermann slept in the house every night and spent the days hiding in the barn. Hermann did not have to stay away from the windows in Marcelko’s home and was able to move freely around in the house, because it was far away from any neighbors. He stayed with Marcelko Linkiewicz until February 10, 1944. On that day, Ukrainian militia stormed into the barn searching for the Linkiewiczes’ son Tadek. Scared to death, Hermann burrowed deeper and deeper into the straw. The Ukrainians started digging right above Hermann’s head and jabbed their rifles into the straw. Suddenly, Hermann heard Marcelko shouting: "Tadek come out!" Tadek, who was indeed in the barn hiding, came out and was arrested. Afterthis incident, Hermann had to leave the Linkiewiczes’ farm and hide elsewhere for some weeks until the situation calmed down. Then he returned to Marcelko and stayed with him until the liberation of the area on March 23 1944. As Hermann left his benefactor, he was apprehended by some local anti-Semites and severely beaten. The Linkiewiczes took him in again and helped him to recover. Tadek Linkiewicz then drove him to Horodenka, where Hermann joined a small group of Holocaust survivors and proceeded together with them to the west. His contacts with the rescuers were severed and they never met again. On June 29, 2008, Yad Vashem recognized Franko Solowej and Marcelko Linkiewicz as Righteous Among the Nations.