Before the outbreak of the war, Helena Brodawska-Kubicz lived in Warsaw and studied at the Free Polish University. At the time, she had many Jewish friends and acquaintances among the students and the professors at the University. During the occupation, she joined an underground organisation called the “Racławice” Peasants' Organisation of Freedom, which was later incorporated into the Peasants' Battalions. She provided aid for her Jewish teachers and friends. “At the time, despite the extraordinary circumstances, I did not cease any contacts with my friends, even those of Jewish origin. I still kept in touch with them and did all I could to help them” - she said after the war.
She started helping Jews in 1940, when Germans created the Warsaw Ghetto. Later on, she moved to work for the underground in the Lublin region. She described her activities as follows: “What we did was providing Jews with Polish birth certificates and other documents that allowed for them to register their place of residence and find employment.” In 1942, she came back to Warsaw and did similar work there.
Among the people she helped were Zofia Kubar and Narcyz Lubnicki, who were hiding on the “Aryan” side of the town. She also helped Marian Małowist, who had escaped from the ghetto, to reach the village of Jabłoń (Radzyń Podlaski County, Lublin District) and find shelter. She found a new apartment for Irena Rosińska, a teacher at a crafts and art school in Warsaw. Irena Rosińska's nephew, a radio technician, lived for a couple of weeks in Helena's flat in Koło. She also provided aid for Hanka Szapiro (alias Rawicka), Wanda Cwajgenhawtówna-Wyrobkowa, Aleksander Mierzejewski, and Janina Aszkenazy.
During the occupation, Helena Brodowska-Kubicz organised secret education. The classes were attended and taught by Jews, for example by prof. Adam Zieleńczyk, Benedykt Bornsztein and Maria Librachowa. It was also a good opportunity to provide Jews with food and medications.
After the war, Helena kept in touch with the people that she had helped during the occupation.
