Franciszek Adamczyk

At the beginning of 1943, Franciszek Adamczyk, who lived in Krężnica Okrągła (Lubelskie Province), was hiding Jews in his house, the number of which amounted to about 20. They sheltered at Adamczyk’s house only at night. During the day they hid in the forest. The youngest daughter of Franciszek said: “They came to us to put them up, because we were living very close to the forest, in the colony and far away from the village.” (RFWA, Adamczyk, audio record, ref. no. 811_2907, the narrative of Stanisława Gryglicka [daughter, eyewitness], dated 16.02.2015).

Franciszek and his wife Eleonora had three children: Celina, Kazimierz and Stanisława. During the occupation they led a poor life and very often they did not even have bread. Franciszek’s wife was worried that someone could report them. One evening, when the Jews came to them once again, Eleonora asked her husband to say no because helping them could be too risky. But Franciszek helped them again. He promised to his wife, that it would be the last time.

Unfortunately, that night German officers raided their house. Stanisława remembers that the Germans dragged her father out in the yard and began to beat him heavily. The Jews began to run away towards the field and the forest, in response to which the Germans began to shoot. As a result of this commotion, one officer was shot. Nobody knows how it happened. He was transported to hospital, where he died. Some Jews managed to run away, but the Germans shot seven or more of them.

Stanisława recalled what happened with her father later on. He was taken to the police office and was arrested. Afterwards a special officer from Niedźwica was brought over. His surname was Lajchman. “He was shooting at my father. It is said that he asked three times what he should do with him because he did not see any guilt in him.” (RFWA, Adamczyk, audio record, ref. no. 811_2907, the narrative of Stanisława Gryglicka [daughter, eyewitness], dated 16.02.2015). As a penalty for providing shelter to Jews, Franciszek was shot dead at about 2 pm on the 6th of February 1943 at the police station in Bełżec. He was 34 years old.

Among the people who were hiding at Adamczyk’s house, there was a 12-year-old Jewish girl who survived. She was given a birth certificate from one of the neighbours with the name of his female cousin who died of typhoid. That is how she managed to survive under a false identity. Later on she went to the USA, where she got married. After that, she moved with her husband to the Czech Republic. Her name was Stanislava Coubalova. In 1957 she started to exchange letters with the Adamczyk family and then she visited them. She is no longer alive.

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