The Skalski Family
Kazimierz Skalski Father
born 26 April 1905 in Warszawa (mazowieckie)
Michalina Skalska née Marczewska Mother
born 10 August 1911 in Płońsk (mazowieckie) – died 1974
Irena Basiak-Skalska Daughter
born 23 March 1929 in Warszawa (mazowieckie)
Recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations:
29 January 1992
- Irena Basiak-Skalska
- Michalina Skalska née Marczewska
- Kazimierz Skalski
Help Was Extended to:
Chil Kirszenbaum
Irena Kirszenbaum née Bugajska
Stanisław Osiński
Osiński
Józef Parzęczewski
Marcel Parzęczewski
Guta Najkron
Józef Najkron
Story of Rescue
April 2011, Zuzanna Benesz/translation: Beata Murzyn
During the Nazi occupation, Kazimierz and Michalina Skalski and his daughter Irena lived on Brzeska Street in Warsaw.In the years 1942-1944, they hid over a dozen Jews coming from Mińsk Mazowiecki and Radomsko.
The fugitives were all referred to the Skalski family by a notary named Hert, who came from Mińsk Mazowiecki.He established contact with Kazimierz Skalski in 1942, asking him to hide Chil Kirszenbaum and his wife Irena.The Skalskis prepared for them a hiding place in one of the rooms in their apartment.The entrance was concealed with a cupboard.
Thanks to the help of Hert, there were many other Jews who came to hide in the Skalskis’ apartment: the Osiński brothers, the Parzęchowski brothers, Guta and Józef Najkron, a woman with an 8-year-old daughter, a 9-year-old girl and 3 men with unknown names.The room was quickly filled with the newcomers.It was more and more difficult for the Skalskis to obtain food.They were helped by Chil’s sister, Maryla Parzęczewska.However, during the Warsaw Uprising obtaining food for so many people became so hard that many a time Irena Skalska was forced to steal potatoes from the field in order to get enough food for everybody.
The Skalskis survived many German inspections.Brzeska Streetwas located near the Eastern Train Station – an important transport junction during the Nazi occupation.Many Germans stationed there.This was the reason why the apartment was exposed to constant inspections.However, the hiding place was never detected during repetitive Nazi visits.
All the fugitives survived World War II.The Kirszenbaums and the Parzęczewskis emigrated to Israel, Stanisław Osiński and the Najkrons – to the USA.After the war, the Kirszenbaum family and the family of Stanisław Osiński maintained regular contact with the Skalskis.