88 years ago, on October 6, 1937, Blessed Barbara Ulma, one of the seven children of Blessed Wiktoria and Józef Ulma, was born in Markowa. Her short life, cut short by the German occupiers, became part of a story of courage and solidarity that connects the memory of Poles and Jews.
The house in Markowa
The Ulma family ran a small farm in Markowa. The head of the family, Józef, was involved in fruit growing, beekeeping, and silkworm breeding, among other things. He was also passionate about photography and modern technologies, while Wiktoria took care of the home and raised the children. The surviving photographs show their everyday life – ordinary, cheerful, rooted in faith and work.
Help given out of conviction
During the German occupation, the Ulmas decided to hide eight Jews from the Goldman, Grünfeld, and Didner families. They were aware of the risk, but they were guided by their conscience. In Józef and Wiktoria Ulma's Bible, underlining and the word “yes” were found next to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Most likely after a report from a local blue policeman, on March 24, 1944, German military police commanded by Eilert Dieken murdered all the inhabitants of the house – first the Jews in hiding, then the hosts, and later their six small children. Wiktoria was heavily pregnant at the time, and her seventh child was born at the moment of the execution.
Blessed are the merciful
On September 10, 2023, the Ulma family was beatified in Markowa. It was the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that an entire family—parents and children—was elevated to sainthood.
The Ulms are also the patrons of the Museum of Poles Saving Jews in Markowa, which opened in 2016. The museum, founded on the initiative of Dr. Mateusz Szpytma, current deputy head of the Institute of National Remembrance and a member of the Ulm family, tells the story of Józef, Wiktoria, their children, and many other families from the Podkarpacie region who helped Jews. Their testimony remains an important part of our collective memory – a reminder that even in the dark times of the Holocaust, it was possible to remain faithful to humanity.
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