Łukawski Jan & Łukawska Magdalena

Łukawski, Jan Łukawska, Magdalena The Wittlin family – Abraham and Klara, and their children Esther and Henry – lived in Żółkiew, Poland. One day in 1942, the local Gestapo commander, who was very impressed with Klara Wittlin for her excellent command of the German language, suggested she flee with her family into the forest, as the Jews were about to be imprisoned in a ghetto. In return for this information, he demanded some jewelry. The family decided to turn to an acquaintance, Jan Łukawski, for help. Although Łukawski was one of the poorest farmers around, he was also the most decent person they knew. Łukawski was so poor that the floor in his house was made out of sand. Nonetheless, he and his wife Magdalena agreed to hide the Wittlins, and created a small bunker for Klara and Esther under a storage area. Only at night could the women come out for a breath of fresh air. Meanwhile, Abraham and Henry took shelter in the woods. Unfortunately, Klara and Esther were soon forced to join them, as the neighbors had begun to suspect that Jews were hiding in the Łukawskis’ house. Nevertheless, the Łukawskis continued to support the Wittlins, baking them bread every week. One night, as the Wittlins were hiding in a ditch trying to stay warm, two armed Ukrainians appeared and ordered them not to move. Abraham ran swiftly towards an open field in order to lure the Ukrainians away from his family. However, one of them grabbed Klara and Esther, while the other followed close on the heels of Abraham. Terrified, Henry ran into the forest, reciting the Jewish prayer “Shema” under his breath over and over again. He was about to be lost in the woods when he heard a familiar barking, which led him through the twilight to the Łukawskis' house. He knocked on the window and Jan appeared. Henry asked him for shelter for a short while, until his father, if he had survived, came to get him. Henry promised to give himself if his family had been killed, so thatŁukawskis would not be placed in immediate danger. Jan hid Henry in his field, and his daughter Emilia gave the boy some milk. Miraculously, all the other Wittlins had managed to spread out and escape the Ukrainians, and that night they all came to the Łukawskis, where they reunited and awaited liberation. After the war, it took months for Henry to regain his health, which had been compromised by months of hiding. On July 28, 2008, Yad Vashem recognized Jan and Magdalena Łukawski as Righteous Among the Nations.