In a poignant ceremony, Polish President Andrzej Duda unveiled a new monument in the small town of Ciepielów, dedicated to the memory of over 30 Poles killed by the Nazis in 1942 for assisting Jews during the Holocaust. The monument commemorates the tragic events of December 6, 1942, when 30 members of five families were murdered in retaliation for sheltering Jews who had fled ghettos and transports to the Treblinka death camp.
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The ceremony took place as part of Poland’s National Day of Remembrance for Poles Who Saved Jews Under German Occupation, an annual event established by Duda in 2018. The monument, which includes inscriptions in Polish, English, and Hebrew, honors the victims, 19 of whom were under 18, including 10 children aged six or younger.
During his speech, Duda praised the courage of those who risked their lives to help Jews despite knowing the deadly consequences of their actions. “This will to support another person, perhaps a sense of Christian duty, perhaps of brotherhood, or simply an inner sense of opposition, simply a peasant ‘no’ to persecution, made these families take in people seeking help,” Duda remarked.
W Ciepielowie (woj. mazowieckie) Prezydent RP @AndrzejDuda wspólnie z mieszkańcami odsłonił pomnik Polaków ratujących Żydów w czasie II wojny światowej. Pomnik nawiązuje do wydarzeń z początków grudnia 1942 roku.
Wówczas w Starym Ciepielowie i pobliskiej wsi Rekówka miała… pic.twitter.com/DpdJJJcZgM
— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) March 24, 2025
The event also highlighted the broader context of Polish solidarity during the war. Approximately 1,000 Poles were killed for aiding Jews, and over 7,000 Poles have been recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations for their bravery in saving Jews.
Duda was joined by Karol Nawrocki, head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), who emphasized that the monument stands not only as a tribute to the heroes but also as a condemnation of the German perpetrators of these atrocities. Nawrocki stressed the importance of remembering both the victims and those who perpetrated these crimes.
The idea for the monument was first proposed in 1992, marking the 50th anniversary of the massacre, but it was not until 2017 that the project was revived with support from the PiS government and the IPN. The monument now stands as a testament to the immense sacrifice and solidarity of those who defied Nazi oppression to save their Jewish neighbors.
The ceremony drew attention to the enduring legacy of Poland’s wartime resistance, ensuring that the memory of these unsung heroes will not be forgotten.
Today in Ciepielów southeast of Radom, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and the IPN Head Karol Nawrocki unveiled a design by sculptor Marek Dryniak, honoring the local residents murdered by the German Gendarmerie in December 1942 for aiding persecuted Jews, which was a capital… pic.twitter.com/a3U6QUhzGt
— Institute of National Remembrance (@ipngovpl_eng) March 24, 2025
You know, they’ve dedicated this in memory of Poles who were killed by Germans for helping save Jews – but what about those Poles who were killed by their fellow Poles for helping save Jews? There were, unfortunately, many like that – I am aware of one from my grandparents’ town who was killed by his fellow Poles after the town was liberated by the Russians – because during the German occupation, he’d helped local Jews find places to hide. I wish I knew his name, as it definitely deserves to be remembered – but all I know is that he worked in a medical profession (but was not a doctor – a dentist? Nurse? Pharmacist?) and was called “der Tzadik” by the local Jews.
The monument would be much bigger had it been dedicated to the Poles who helped kill Jews.
Now say it with me because it’s illegal to say it in Poland:
The Poles helped the Germans. The Poles killed Jews.
“I call on heaven and earth to testify, that Jew or Gentile, man or woman, slave or maidservant, all receive holy revelation according to their actions.”
– Tanna Debei Eliyahu
יהי זכרם לברכה
I didn’t know poles saved yidden
Hope they don’t have too hard of a time cramming in all those names onto the memorial…