Gilad Levine Goldberg: "Looking for Zofia Wysmulska"
Termin: 20 października 2016 r., godz. 17:00
Miejsce: Sala Czarna, Brama Grodzka, ul. Grodzka 21
Spotkanie w języku angielskim
Pełny tytuł wykładu Gilada Goldberga:
"Looking for Zofia Wysmulska. A journey in the footsteps of the Righteous Among the Nations"
Wykład odbył się w ramach:
Jewish Heritage in the Lublin Region. Study Tour for Israeli Guides and Educators
Zofia Wysmulska i jej mąż Antoni
Gilad Levine Goldberg o swoim wykładzie:
In June 2015, I led a family delegation to meet with Józef Mazur, a Righteous Among the Nations from the village of Płouszowice near Lublin. Józef is the son of Wiktoria and Jan Mazur who for two years (1942-1944) were hiding nine members of my grandfather’s family, the Goldberg family, under a shed in their farm. After the war, my grandfather’s siblings kept in touch with the Mazurs, sending letters and packages behind the Iron Curtain.
In June 2015, I led a family delegation to meet with Józef Mazur, a Righteous Among the Nations from the village of Płouszowice near Lublin. Józef is the son of Wiktoria and Jan Mazur who for two years (1942-1944) were hiding nine members of my grandfather’s family, the Goldberg family, under a shed in their farm. After the war, my grandfather’s siblings kept in touch with the Mazurs, sending letters and packages behind the Iron Curtain.
When the old generation of my family passed away, the contact with the Mazurs stopped for more than 20 years. An opportunity to renew the contact arose when my father was invited to take part in a delegation to Poland. With the help of Slawomir Nowodworski, a tour guide from Lublin, I have located Mr Mazur in Płouszowice. The discovery led to an emotional meeting between Mr Mazur and a group of family members, among them some of the survivors’ children.
During the meeting with Mr Mazur, I asked him if he knew anything about the death of one of my grandfather’s brothers and his wife who were not among the family members hiding at the Mazurs’ farm. All we knew was that Nachum and Stefa were caught with others hiding in a barn and that they were burned alive.
Mr Mazur recalled that it had happened in a farm in a village not far from Płouszowice and that the farmer, Mrs Wysmulska was also killed by the Germans that day. That new piece of information made me start a research about Mrs Wysmulska and her actions during the Holocaust. In January 2016, I returned to Lublin. With the help of Slawomir Nowodworski, I located Wysmulska’s younger son, grandchildren and nephews and collected testimonies about the events that led to the tragedy on the night of September 25, 1943. I have also located the unmarked burial site of Nachum, Stefa and two other Jews in a field in what used to be Zofia Wysmulska’s farm in the village of Moszenki.
Upon my return to Israel, I presented those testimonies and other information to Yad Vashem where a committee of experts is to decide whether to declare Zofia Wysmulska a Righteous Among the Nations.
The reunion with Mr Mazur and the research on Wysmulska’s actions during the war is a historical and human adventure. It is a jigsaw puzzle made up of hundreds of stories, facts and emotions still influencing the lives of the people involved over 70 years later. But more than anything, it is a debt of honor to those who stood tall in the face of tyranny in the darkest of days.
A book about the journey in the footsteps of the Mazurs and Wysmulska is to be publish in self publishing in the USA in the coming weeks.
Gilad Levine Goldberg is a Lt. Col. (R) in the Israeli Defence Forces and holds a Master's degree in Information Since. He currently lives with his family in the USA.
Rodzina Goldbergów, Płouszowice, lipiec 1939 r.
Spotkanie z Józefem Mazurem, Płouszowice, Czerwiec 2015 r.