During the German occupation, Władysława and Stanisław Krysiewicz ran a farm in the village of Waniewo near Białystok. They lived there with their five children: nine-year-old Alicja, eight-year-old Irena, six-year-old Krystyna, four-year-old Teresa and three-year-old Henry.
In November 1942, Jewish friends asked Krysiewicz to hide them. Risking their lives, the marriage took care of Lejzer and Benjamin Rozanowicz together with their wives, Rebecca and Szlomo Jaskółek, a woman by the name of Olsza and a girl from Warsaw with an unknown name. Stanisław prepared a special hideout for the fugitives under the barn, and Władysława obtained food for them.
On the night of September 7-8, 1943, several dozen German gendarmes surrounded the Krysiewicz house. Stanisław was dragged out into the yard, beaten with a stick they tried to force him to confess to hiding Jews. They did not succeed, and the Germans killed Stanisław with a shot in the head. They robbed and set fire to the farm, and shot the fleeing Jews.
Władysława Krysiewicz and the children were loaded onto a cart. One of the gendarmes offered a neighbor to look after the children. He threatened to shoot them on the spot or take them to prison. The neighbor agreed without hesitation. Władysława Krysiewicz was transported to Tykocin. Tortured, she did not release other people that helped the Jews. After two days, she was murdered. The children were placed under the care of extended family members, but eventually they came to orphanages. They found each other only after many years.
This Sunday in Waniewo, as part of the #ZawołaniPoImieniu project, we will commemorate the Krysiewicz couple!
Piotr Jacuk
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