Jan Machulski was the village administrator of Jeżewo, Schabajewo and Piaski. From 1941 to 1942 he hid 3 Jewish women from the village of Piaski: Chaba Dygała, Alka and Cera Alterowicz (there are also other variants of names in documents). When the Jewish women found out that the Germans were transporting Jews from Sierpc in trucks, they decided to leave the family and run away. They found shelter on Jan Machulski’s farm, who hid them in farm buildings.

The Germans also deported the families of the mentioned Jewish women. So they knew they were missing and started searching. They went with the dogs to Schabajevo, to the Machulski farm. It was the 8th of May 1942. „And they spent all of us on the road to watch this execution and led him out, they found the Jewish women, of course, because the dogs located them and took them away, and they put Mr. Jan Machulski out in front of his own house and three military policemen shot at him at once. I have this picture right in front of my eyes, when he fell to the ground outside his own house”. (FLV, audio recording ref. Machulski Jan, report by Halina Wysocka [eyewitness] from 9.09.2013).

According to other sources, Alka Alterowicz died during the occupation, and Chaba Dygola and Cera Alterowicz left for Mexico. The exact fate of the Jews is unknown.

Reference list:

1. IPN BU 392/1664.
2. FLV, audio recording ref. Machulski Jan, report by Halina Wysocka [eyewitness] from 9.09.2013.
3. Bielawski, Zbrodnie na Polakach dokonane przez hitlerowców za pomoc udzielaną Żydom , Warsaw 1981.
4. Poray (ed.), Those Who Risked Their Lives, Chicago 2007.
5. Walczak (ed.), Those Who Helped. Polish Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust, part 3, Warsaw 1997.
6. Wroński, M. Zwolak, Polacy-Żydzi 1939-1945, Warsaw 1971.
7. Zajączkowski, Martyrs of Charity, Washington D.C. 1988.

PHOTOS

  • Helena Wysocka

    Helena Wysocka