The Podgórska sisters, (June 2, 1925 – September 29, 2018) and (1935 – December 5, 2022), came from a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

farming family living near

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

in south-eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

.Podgorska Stefania (1925)
at www.podgourski.net via Internet Archive. During

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, sixteen-year-old Stefania and her seven-year-old sister harboured thirteen

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

men, women and children in the attic of their home for two-and-a-half years. Both were later honored as the

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

as well as by the Jewish and Polish organizations in North America, for their wartime heroism.Margaret Walden, "Teacher's Guide", Richland School District 2, Columbia, South Carolina. Video Synopsis: Josef Burzminski
''The Other Side of Faith''.
South Carolina ETV. Retrieved 27 January 2012. Before the 1939 invasion of Poland by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and the Soviet Union, Stefania Podgórska (Born June 2, 1925, in Lipa – Died September 29, 2018, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

) worked in a grocery store owned by the Diamants, a Jewish family.Garry Buf
"Stefania (Fusia) Podgorska, Poland"
at Raoul Wallenberg Foundation Her father had died in 1938 after an illness. Soon after the arrival of the Nazis, her mother and brother were taken to Salzburg for

forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

, while the Diamants were forced into a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

. The two Podgórski sisters lived in Przemyśl alone in an apartment rented by Stefania, who was 17 at the time.Holocaust Encyclopedia
Stefania Podgorska and her younger sister Helena.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust, dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of the Holocaust. Opened in 1993, the museum explores the Holocaust through p ...

via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

. She got a job in town as a machine-tool operator. The border between the two invaders ran through the middle of Przemyśl until the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941. In 1942, the news spread about the Jewish ghetto in Przemysl being liquidated by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. Stefania's prewar employer's son, Max Diamant, appeared on their doorstep. He escaped with his brother and cousin from the train to

Belzec extermination camp Belzec (English: or , Polish: , approximately ) was a Nazi German extermination camp in occupied Poland. It was built by the SS for the purpose of implementing the secretive Operation Reinhard, the plan to murder all Polish Jews, a major p ...

. The girls were terrified, but gave Max permission to hide in the attic. He contacted his family in the ghetto, and asked Stefania to accept them also, including his younger brother Henek and Henek's wife Danuta, Dr. William Shylenger and his daughter Judy, and a friend of his, a dentist with his son. In order to accommodate the fugitives, Stefania soon rented a semi-detached cottage with two rooms, a kitchen, and an attic on Tatarska Street.

Life on Tatarska Street

Helena, with her sister Stefania, moved in first, followed by Max Diamant. Then came Dr. Schillinger with his daughter, and the dentist with his son. The dentist's friend, a widow from the ghetto came also with her son and daughter. She wrote a threatening note that she would denounce the girls if she was refused. The dentist begged Stefania to admit his nephew with his wife. Max's younger brother, Henek, with his wife arrived later, finally there came a Jewish mailman: thirteen Jews in total. Max made a wall in the attic from boards bought by Stefania, securing a sleeping quarter for everybody. After a few weeks, they were completely without money. Stefania started to knit sweaters and take orders for them, from her friends and acquaintances. She was trading clothes for food and buying it, if necessary, on the black market. An SS man moved in next door. Max kept vigil with others to eliminate any noises. In early 1944, a German officer entered the apartment, and announced that Stefania and Helena must vacate the place in two hours. The Jewish fugitives begged the two sisters to flee as they felt that all of them were doomed. But Stefania, after praying to the

Black Madonna of Częstochowa The Black Madonna of Częstochowa (; ), also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa () is a venerated icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary enshrined at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. Pope Clement XI issued a Pontifical decree of canon ...

, thought otherwise. "I am not leaving you", she said. German nurses and their boyfriends lived underneath Stefania and her refugees for eight months. After these eight months, the nurses had to evacuate to follow the German army; the 13 Jewish residents had successfully stayed undetected. On July 27, 1944, the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

entered

. The thirteen Jews, though emaciated and weak, were free. Max, who took the name Josef Burzminski, proposed to Stefania ''(Fusia)'' and was accepted. In 1961, the couple emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where Burzminski became a dentist. They have a son and daughter. Helena Podgórska remained in Poland, married, and became a physician in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

. In 1979, the sisters were honored by

, in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, as

Righteous among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

. Stefania died on September 29, 2018, at the age of 97 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Helena died on December 5, 2022.

In popular culture

A television movie called ''Hidden in Silence'' which tells their story, was made in 1996 by Richard A. Colla with screenplay by Stephanie Liss, featuring

Kellie Martin Kellie Noelle Martin (born October 16, 1975) is an American actress. Her roles have included Rebecca "Becca" Thatcher in '' Life Goes On'' (1989–1993), Lucy Knight on '' ER'' (1998–2000), Samantha Kinsey in the '' Mystery Woman'' TV film se ...

as Fusia (Stefania), Gemma Coughlan as Helena, and Tom Radcliffe as Max.

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

's YA Book Club Pick gives Stefania's biography: ''The Light in Hidden Places'' the Pick of Month. Beata Pozniak, a Polish-American actress, director and long-time friend of Stefania Pogorska, brings Stefania's voice to life in the Scholastic audiobook version of ''The Light in Hidden Places'', for which she received an Earphones Award for Best Narration.

Notes

References

*
Podgorska Stefania (1925)
at Podgorski Family Club webpage, including photographs.
Stefania and her younger sister Helena Podgorska
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., 2008.
Interview with Stefania
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., 1989. * Margaret Walden, Video Synopsis

Teacher's Guide: Richland School District 2, Columbia, South Carolina.

- their activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, at

website. *https://web.archive.org/web/20181202070720/https://holocaustheroine.com/obituary/obituary/ - Stefania Podgorska Burzminski Obituary, 2018.

Life on Tatarska Street

In popular culture

Notes

References

Further reading