June 24, 2011 — Zygmunt and Janina Kostro

Dear William (and Daniel, Catherine, Michael & Baby Girl Y) (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

You are a descendant of some VERY brave people — two of them are my Grandparents, Zygmunt and Janina Kostro.

You may remember that my Aunt (“Ciocia”) Teresa wrote to me and told me that:

“During the occupation my father took an active role in saving Jews. Among others he brought two sisters and their mother from the ghetto. The mother was placed with a catholic family in MILANOW. She died in 1942 and was buried there. To this day, I take care of the grave. I continue to correspond with the surviving daughter [Irene Oore] who lives in Canada.

In our apartment on HOZA Street until the uprising, we hid two Jewish girls from BITGORAJA who were cousins (siostry cioteczne). If they were to be found we would have all been killed. One of them died after the liberation, the other with her husband left for America.”

The Ultimate Price

In a Europe where Jews were ostracized and targeted for murder, most people abandoned their former neighbors, and only a few stood by their side. The price that rescuers had to pay for their actions differed from one country to another. In Eastern Europe, notices were put up threatening those who helped Jews and their families with death. In Germany and Western Europe punishment was generally less severe. However, witnessing the brutal treatment of the population and the perpetrators’ determination to hunt down every single Jew, people must have feared that they would suffer greatly if they attempted to help the persecuted. Moreover, in many places rescuers had to beware not only of the authorities, but there was a great risk of denunciation on the part of their neighbors.

Hiding and helping Jewish people was FORBIDDEN by the occupying German forces in Poland. If you were caught, you and your entire family would be killed. This is a copy of the sign that was posted on the streets of Poland, warning everyone that the consequences would be very drastic:

[Translation:]

NOTICE
Concerning:

the sheltering of escaping Jews.

There is a need for a reminder, that in accordance with paragraph 3 of the decree of October 15, 1941, on the Limitation of Residence in General Government (page 595 of the GG Register) Jews leaving the Jewish Quarter without permission will incur the death penalty.

According to this decree, those knowingly helping these Jews by providing shelter, supplying food, or selling them foodstuffs are also subject to the death penalty

This is a categorical warning to the non-Jewish population against:

1) Providing shelter to Jews,

2) Supplying them with Food,

3) Selling them Foodstuffs.

Częstochowa 9/24/42

Der Stadthauptmann

Dr. Franke

Because your Great-Great-Grandparents were so brave, they were honored by Yad Vashem in 1978 by being included with those designated as “Righteous Among the Nations”.