Franciszek and Tekla Zalwowscy lived with their four sons (Józef, Michał, Stanisław and Władysław) in Zbaraż village. They were farmers.

In August 1942 in Zbaraż started the deportation of the Jewish population to the camp in Bełżc, and in December was created the local ghetto. Final liquidation of the ghetto took place on 8th of June 1943.

On 19 June 1943 soldiers arrested about 150 refugees which then they shot. From whole pre-war Jewish population from area survived about 70 Jews. Among the survivors were Michał Zamojre and Isaak Kornberg.

Men after escaping from the camp in Ternopol, went to the farm of Zalwowski family. Michał knew Franciszek from the pre-war years and knew that he won’t refuse to help him. Franciszek hid the fugitives in the stable, behind fake wall. In case of quick evacuation, he prepared for them an underground exit which leaded outside the buildings.

Sometime later, Stanisław Zalwowski brought home Altscher Mendel, his wife Regina and their six-month daughter Halinka. The family hid in the stables, but out of fear that a crying baby will betray the place of shelter, it was decided to give the girl away to the monastic sisters in Zbaraż. Stanisław and Michał gave a baby girl to nuns, noting to them that they just simply found child.

At the same time, Tekla Zalwowska found in the nearby woods two girls aged 8-10 years. They were Rozalia and Ludmiła Sonnenschein. Their mother died during the action but girls and their brother Szmuel managed to escape into the woods. The boy was caught and killed by a bunch of Ukrainian nationalists. Franciszek’s sister – Maria Kozak took care of the girls. The woman hid the girls in her own home.

In the action to rescue the Jewish population was involved the whole Zalwowskich family. This help lasted for 9 months, before the liberation.

Michał Zamojre in one of the many post-war letters to Franciszek wrote: „Because you’re worth to me is as you would by my second brother. Your letter gives me strength to life, I feel not alone anymore. I just please God ti give you health and your whole family”. On 17th of July 1977 Institute Yad Vashem awarded Franciszek, Tekla, and their sons with the titles of Righteous among the Nations of the World.

Bibliography:

  1. M. Grynberg, Księga Sprawiedliwych, Warszawa 1993.
  2. I. Gutman, Polscy Sprawiedliwi wśród Narodów Świata, [w:] Księga Sprawiedliwych wśród Narodów Świata. Ratujący Żydów podczas Holocaustu. Polska, cz. I, red. D. Libionka, R. Kuwałek, A. Kopciowski, Kraków 2009.
  3. [Portal Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN – Wirtualny Sztetl:],
    dostęp: 10.04.2017 r.
  4. FLV, List od Michała Zamojre, Izrael, kwiecień 1967 r.
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