Every year on March 24, Poland marks the National Day of Remembrance for Poles who rescued Jews during the German occupation. On that day in 1944, the Polish Ulma family was killed by the Germans for sheltering Jews. In September 2023, Pope Francis beatified the family.
Early on March 24, 1944, a Nazi patrol surrounded their home in a southeastern village of Markowa, where Wiktoria and Józef Ulma had been hiding eight Jews. For this they were executed together with their six children and the Jewish fugitives. At the time of her execution, Wiktoria was eight months pregnant, her eldest daughter was eight years old.
On Sunday, the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in south-eastern Poland was named after the Ulma family. During the official ceremony, President Andrzej Duda said that Poland was the only country during World War II where Nazi Germans punished any form of assisting Jews by killing the helpers and their families.
He said that it was "a time of great test... that many of our compatriots were able to pass with extraordinary dignity, proving the humanity and greatness of Poles, our culture, our tradition, but also our faith... [j]ust like the Ulma who family gave their lives for their Jewish neighbours, whom they sheltered and hosted in their home, despite being aware of the threat of death."
"From the historical point of view and the ritual mentality of people living in Podkarpacie (southeastern region of Poland - PAP), there are no more important figures than the blessed Ulma family," he added.
On Sunday, the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in south-eastern Poland was named after the Ulma family. During the official ceremony, President Andrzej Duda said that Poland was the only country during World War II where Nazi Germans punished any form of assisting Jews by killing the helpers and their families.
He said that it was "a time of great test... that many of our compatriots were able to pass with extraordinary dignity, proving the humanity and greatness of Poles, our culture, our tradition, but also our faith... [j]ust like the Ulma who family gave their lives for their Jewish neighbours, whom they sheltered and hosted in their home, despite being aware of the threat of death."
"From the historical point of view and the ritual mentality of people living in Podkarpacie (southeastern region of Poland - PAP), there are no more important figures than the blessed Ulma family," he added.
Source: PAP, TVP World
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