The ceremony took place at the White Stork Synagogue in Wrocław, southwestern Poland.
The Righteous Among the Nations medal is Israel’s highest civilian honor for non-Jews, awarded by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. It recognizes those who risked their lives and safety to rescue Jews during the Holocaust.
To date, over 28,000 individuals worldwide, including more than 7,200 Poles, have received this distinction.
Bosmat Baruch, head of public diplomacy at the Israeli embassy in Poland, presented the medals and certificates to the families of the honorees on Monday.
The recipients included Karolina and Ludwik Gawliński; their children Czesława, Stanisław and Anna Gawliński; Antonia Kolankowska; and Joanna Mikołajczyk, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
Among the honorees, Joanna Mikołajczyk provided refuge to Jakub and Adela Jabłoński (née Berkowicz) in 1942 during the liquidation of the Wieluń ghetto.
Her family later secured false documents for the Jabłońskis, allowing them to survive under assumed identities until the war's end.
Joanna’s husband Zygmunt and their children were honored by Yad Vashem in the 1990s for their role in the rescue.
The Gawliński family provided shelter to Krystyna Karmi (née Sorger) during the Holocaust.
Originally from Obertyn (now in Ukraine), Krystyna and her family were forcibly relocated to the Kołomyia ghetto in 1942. After her parents were executed, Krystyna found refuge with the Gawliński family.
Though she faced further peril and had to flee again in 1944, she survived and now lives in Israel.
The Israeli ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, emphasized the moral imperative of honoring those who saved Jews during the Holocaust.
In a letter read at the ceremony, Livne said, as quoted by the PAP news agency: "In the darkest times of human history, they risked their lives and the safety of their loved ones to save people who were often complete strangers. Their courage and moral clarity are an eternal example of what it means to stand against evil and injustice."
Livne also stressed the importance of preserving and teaching these stories.
"We must ensure they are not forgotten so that future generations can draw inspiration and learn from their lessons,” he added.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, dzieje.pl