JamesPolishOrigins Team
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
Replies: 226
Location: WEST VIRGINIA , USABack to top |
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:10 pm
Post subject: Jerzy Bielecki , Polish hero, passes away.
I read some very sad news last week.
Jerzy Bielecki passed away at his home in Nowy Targ, Poland. He had reached his 90th year, and what an amazing 90 years they were.
Who is Jerzy Bielecki ??
The Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem awarded him the Righteous Among the Nations title in 1985, for saving the life of Cyla Cybulska, a Jewish woman in Auschwitz in 1944. " He did not think he was a hero, but he was. He will be missed. " said Stanlee Stahl, a vice president at the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bielecki in 2006. My brother Joe and I were on our first visit to Poland, and we had gone to take the tour at Auschwitz. While our group was awaiting our turn to begin the tour, our guide pointed out to us a crowd ahead of us. She said that a very special man was a guest that day, and his name was Jerzy Bielecki, and he was in that group . She then told us how he had escaped from Auschwitz in 1944, with his girl friend , Cyla Cybulska. Joe and I looked at each other in shock, when we heard the girl friends name. You see, my last name is Cybulski, and Cybulska is the female spelling for Cybulski. We couldn't believe our ears.
What was the chance that this man would be at Auschwitz the same day and time as we were.
Jerzy had been arrested by the Nazi in 1940, and tattooed with the # 243, so he was one of the earliest prisoners at Auschwitz, when it was first used for political prisoners.
Cyla arrived in Auschwitz in 1943, from Lomza ghetto, with her parents, 2 brothers and a younger sister. Her parents and younger sister were immediately killed in the gas chambers, while she and her brothers were sent to work. Cyla's was tattooed with # 29558.
You can read his whole story by Googling " Jerzy Bielecki " and clicking on the links.
Joe and I had the great pleasure of meeting Jerzy later during the Auschwitz tour . When we told him our last name , he had tears in his eyes and asked if we were related to Cyla. Unfortunately, we told him we did not know, since we had no information concerning our family in Poland after 1909.
I know that his story is but one of many , concerning prison escapes during the Nazi rule, but it is special to me, and I wanted to share it with others who may not be familiar with it.
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
Register