Chorążkiewicz Adam & Jadwiga (Strach)

Chorążkiewicz, Adam Chorążkiewicz, Jadwiga Maria Koper-Rozenbaum was born in the town of Biała Rawska. She spent most of her life in Warsaw, but when the war broke out, she moved back to Biała Rawska—both to be near her family and because it was considered a relatively safe place for Jews. She made a living as a trader, buying various goods from Jews in the ghetto and selling them to gentiles in the town and nearby villages, thus helping to provide for her own family as well as for others who were too afraid to exit the ghetto themselves. It was through this occupation that Maria got to know the Chorążkiewicz family, who were already acquainted with her sister. Adam Chorążkiewicz was a farmer and the head of the nearby village of Rokszyce. His wife, Jadwiga, took a liking to Maria and invited her to stay with them. In October 1942, when the liquidation of the ghetto in Biała Rawska was imminent, Maria left her family, taking only a few belongings with her, and went to the Chorążkiewicz home. They welcomed her warmly, despite concerns for their own safety if they were caught hiding a Jew. Maria initially stayed in the main house with the family, but after a while a special hiding place was built for her in the barn. The Chorążkiewiczes would bring her three meals a day, as well as books and other items. From time to time she would visit the main house to wash up or to sit with the family, especially on holidays and special occasions. The Chorążkiewiczes cared for Maria and provided for all her needs as if she were a member of the family, all the while asking for nothing in return. Maria stayed with the Chorążkiewiczes for more than two years, until the area was liberated by the Red Army in January 1945. During her time in hiding, Maria kept a journal. In it she wrote, “It is my good fortune that I found such decent people, otherwise I would not have survived. If I manage to stay alive it will be only thanks to the Chorążkiewicz family. I want to survive, so that after the war I can repay them.” After the war Maria kept in touch with her rescuers until she immigrated to Canada in 1968. In the late 1980s Lilka, Maria’s daughter, reestablished contact with her mother’s rescuers’ daughter and grandchildren. On January 11, 2011, Yad Vashem recognized Adam and Jadwiga Chorążkiewicz as Righteous Among the Nations.