Another Pole has been recognized with the Righteous Among the Nations medal and diploma. The highest Israeli civilian award given to non-Jews was received in Poznań by Henryk Wierzchowiecki's son, Ryszard. In 1942, his father saved his friend Helena Becher, née Szewa Majer, from the Holocaust.
The award ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Jewish Religious Community in Poznań. The medal and diploma, awarded posthumously to Henryk Wierzchowiecki in 2022, were presented to his son by Bosmat Baruch, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Poland.
The story of the rescue
Born in 1906, Henryk Wierzchowiecki lived in what is now the Podkarpackie Province – in Bircza, near Przemyśl. Later, he moved with his family to Grochowce. Szewa Majer, an acquaintance of Wierzchowiecki's, who had escaped from transport after the liquidation of the ghetto in Bircza, also ended up there. Henryk arranged false documents for her, claiming that she was a relative of his deceased wife, Helena. The woman eventually emigrated to the United States, where she died in 1953. Her children are still in contact with the son of Henryk Wierzchowiecki, who died in 1975.
Poles recognized by Yad Vashem
According to data from early 2023, nearly 28,500 people from 51 countries have been honored with the Righteous Among the Nations medal. Poles constitute the largest national group, with 7,280 people.
_____________________________________
Heschel Center News