This is probably the most famous sentence from the Jewish Talmud. It is engraved on the medal Righteous Among the Nations . Medal is handed along with a commemorative diploma was established by decree of the Knesset in 1963, is awarded to individuals and families who risked their lives to rescue Jews during World War II. A person regarded as Fair also has the privilege of entering names on the Wall of Honour in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem, and it has the right to plant your own tree in the park surrounding the headquarters of the institute. One of the many thousands of Poles honored with this distinction is a Salesian Fr. Michael Kubacki. The title of Righteous Among the Nations World was awarded posthumously on 10 February 1997, at the request survives Halina Ashkenazy-Engelhard.
Michael Kubacki was born September 6, 1898 in Biechowie Września in farming near a large family of Wladyslaw and Marianna Sybilskich. In 1922, Michael entered the Salesian novitiate in Klecza Lower and after a year of formation made his first religious profession. He was ordained July 19, 1931 in Lodz at the hands of Fr. Bishop Vincent Tymienieckiego and began to work St. Teresa.
World War II he found Fr. Kubacki in Warsaw. In the years 1933 -45 he served as vicar in the parish of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Prague. In the parish he served as director of Caritas, and the duties of the administrator, at a time when the parish priest, Fr. Hlond Anthony (brother of the Polish Primate) hid from the Germans. Priest Kubacki of courage in this period took part in saving Jews from extermination in Warsaw. The archival documents are preserved testimonies of two survivors of his people.
first person which helped Sophie was eight years old. It's a Jewish child, one day appeared in the church where he hid for a few days it Fr. Michael Kubacki. At that time, was looking for a family who would adopt a child and took care of him up. Found for all such people, but after a few days the girl went back to church again. Her foster family she was frightened by the reaction neighbors. After a few days, Fr. Kubacki was for her new family that is not afraid to surround her with his care.
next documented event is associated with a person Halina Ashkenazy-Engelhard. Along with his mother lived in the Warsaw ghetto, where he earned a living working in the kitchen and home phone lending smugglers. On 19 April 1943 on the invitation of the National Jewish Committee (ZKN) in the Warsaw ghetto uprising broke out armed. It was an attempt to prevent the final decommissioning of the armed ghetto taken by the Germans on the orders of Himmler. Remnant remaining in the ghetto, Jews (about 70 thousand. People) was to be deported to death camps and killed. Two weeks after the outbreak of Halina and all residents of the small house at the Franciscan hit the Umschlagplatz. There has been loaded into the train taking Jews to concentration camp at Majdanek. During transport, she managed to jump out of the car along with several other young people. The first few days spent in shelters for the homeless. Then, following the advice of his mother Halina went to Prague to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart Street. Kawęczyńska 53, where he sought out Fr. Michael Kubacki. The priest he embraced her, fed and issued a certificate of baptism.
Since then, Halina Ashkenazy-Engelhard function as an orphan from Plock under the name Halina Ogonowska. Fr. Kubacki hired her in the parish Caritas. Together with other women there to cook lunches for several hundred people: the local poor people and children attending church schools. In his book, "I wanted to live," she recalled years later, Fr. Kubacki as a man of a kind, forgiving and caring. In one of the passages she wrote: "The priest and the housekeeper Kubacki extraordinary kindness shown me, the biggest problem was my ignorance of the principles and tenets of the Catholic faith. I decided to learn this from day one. Living in this community without knowledge of the principles and practices of this religion was almost impossible. I went every day to the priest, who taught me religion, the most important principles of faith and prayer. It was a noble and honest man, respect my background and I did not force anything. He enjoyed, however, my desire to know the faith which was to him throughout life. "
Halina Ashkenazy-Engelhard, however, still lived in fear. Not so good feeling among the midst of other workers who did not understand her reluctance to dance and play. She felt very alone. When was left alone, drew the old family photographs and cried the whole evening. Caritas colleagues became aware of the time, she was a Jew and a priest complained, her dismissal remedy the
Halina decided to leave the parish. Went to the wealthy couple, where she worked as a housekeeper. After some time, and there realized that she was Jewish. According to the memories, mistress of the house zadręczała it his anti-Semitism and the landlord demanded from her that, for his silence was his mistress. In July 1944, she ran away from them and found a hideout in the old neighborhood Heni and Tadeusz. After the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, fought as a liaison in the ranks of the AK. After the collapse of the libertarian uprising came to camp in, from where she was deported to Germany. There he worked at the Berlin factory Schwarzkopf. After the war he moved to Israel. He lives today. Is president of the Warsaw Jews in Israel. Unforgettable with their Polish dobrodziejach. It is at the request of Fr. Kubacki was included in the payment of the Righteous Among the Nations.
Kubacki priest after the war was pastor of parishes in the former German Lubrza and the rest of his life he worked in the Recovered Territories. He died on 18 July 1978 and was buried in the parish cemetery Lubrza.
On 13 November 2008 President Lech Kaczyński posthumously awarded the Salesian Fr. Michael Kubacki Commander's Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Polish. On behalf of the award received the Salesians, Fr. Director Mark Konkol present in Lubrza parish in which he used for so many years, Fr. Kubacki. To this day, has a memory and respect of his parishioners.
remind beautiful piece of history of Fr. Kubacki not by accident. Beautiful story about the attitudes of Poles toward their fellow Jews during World War II is still too little, or in the publication of school textbooks. The names of these heroic figures are often forgotten. These failures put at the heart of Krakow, in particular publishing house "sign."
Fr. Jaroslaw Wasowicz SDB
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