Mira Kwasowicer and her fiancee were in one of the transports to camp in Treblinka. The young marriage managed to jump out of the cart and started to run in the direction of Hołówka village. During the escape the boy was fatally shot by a German soldier. Mira, who passed the bullet, lay on the ground and saw two gendarmes coming to her. One of them aimed at her with a pistol but the other stopped him by the hand. The girl was a beautiful blonde and she knew German language well so she begged men to let her go. Miraculously, they did it. However, Mira did not know where to go, she was left alone.

She wandered for two weeks in the fields and forests. Finally, she came to Białystok: exhausted, hungry and cold. At Sitarska Street Mira knocked on the first door. It was opened by Marianna Kazuczyk. The woman invited the girl inside, fed her, washed and let her stay. After some time, German soldiers began broadcasting through tape recorders that the person who hides the person of Jewish origin would be shot. Danger threatened the whole family.

Marianna lived with her husband and son Zygmunt. Fearing for their lives, she helped Mira to find another hideout. The choice fell on a relative, Maria Kazuczyk. The woman lived alone in Janowicz, in a house under the forest.

Franciszek Kazuczyk was at that time a headman of Janowicz. He received an order from the municipality to report all hiding Jews. On his return home, he learned that Maria was staying with a Jewish woman who was brought by a relative from Białystok. This situation put Franciszek in a difficult position. The man went to Marianna – that’s how his daughter – Regina – remembers: „He went upset and angry at aunt and said:” What did you do best? You got rid of Mira for your safety, forgetting about mine? What do I have to do now?” He asked the question why she had set him before such a difficult decision: to choose the life of  Mira or the life his loved ones. Aunt said to her father, „You will decide about the fate of the Jew named Mira.”

Father returned home sad and with the need to make a difficult decision. He asked the question: „Report Mira to the municipality or not?” As he reports, the Germans will take her to Treblinka for destruction. My father was a good man and had a good, noble heart. His conscience did not allow him to deliver a beautiful and young girl, full of life, to death. He decided not to report Mira to the municipality. He told to grandma Marysia to order Mira not to leave the apartment during the day, and if necessary, hid in the forest.”1. The man decided to help and sent food to her through his daughter.

Franciszek lived in fear and under psychological pressure, but the worst was before him.

One day to Janowicz came German soldiers with dogs and started searching the whole village. Regina describes this event: „Father, as he had black hair – because of fear turned white. He was aware that when they found Jew named Mira at his grandmother’s, they will shot us all, and my father in the first place. I remember today – my father took the rosary in his hand, looked at us with tears in his eyes and says: „Children, we are in great danger, pray that our Mother protects us.” We were kneeling around with our father, we were five and mom, and we were praying rosary.”2. Maria and Mira were in a difficult position. There was no time to escape to the forest, and Maria did not know where she could hide Mira. Finally she hid her in a bread oven, which she laid with a cover – she put the pots with soup on the plate. She wanted to confuse the dogs. The woman closed the house for a padlock and with a rosary in her hand went to the church in Juchnowiec. She prayed for miraculous salvation of Mira. And I think there was a miracle, because the Germans with the dogs searched in detail all the buildings of the farmyard, while Marys’ grandmother’s cottage was bypassed and went with the dogs to the forest in search of others”3.

Mira lived at Marias’ until 1944, to the year in which the area was liberated by the Soviet army. A Jew went later to France, and from there to California, where the rumor about her was gone. It was at that time that a letter from the Yad Vashem Institute came to the Kazuczyk family, inviting them to the solemn ceremony of awarding with the „Righteous Among the Nations” medal. On November 23rd, 2011 at the request of Mira brave women were honored with the highest Israeli honor.

Bibliography:

  1. FLV, List od Reginy Lewoc [córka Franciszka], Juchnowiec, [brak daty].