Mass murder in Stary Ciepielów and Rekówka

On 6 December 1942 Germans murdered 31 Poles who were hiding Jews in their households in the villages of Stary Ciepielów and Rekówka. The action was one of the elements of a wider repressive operation aiming at discouraging Poles to provide any help to Jews. 

Although it was punishable with death, many Poles continued to risk their lives in helping their Jewish friends and neighbours or any unknown Jews, no matter what 'measures' were taken by the German occupant to make it impossible. Further reading as for the Righteous among the Nations is recommended.

In Stary Ciepielów and Rekówka mainly Kowalski, Kosior, Obuchiewicz and Skoczylas families were affected with Kowalski family loosing all family members but one. The son - Jan was the only survivor.

A 20 man German unit appeared in Stary Ciepielów early in the morning of 6 December 1942. Houses of Kowalski, Obuchiewicz and Kosior families were encircled. Inside women and kids aged 7 months to 18 years old as well as men adults were captured. Two Jewish men were found together with books in Hebrew and Yiddish which testified that they must have been residing in the place. 

As for the murder, the Kosior family together with the captured Jews was executed and burnt in a nearby barn. The other detainees were also gathered in one of the houses, shot and burnt as Germans set fire to the building in which they were kept. There are reports that some of the kids survived and attempted to escape but got caught a few hundred meters from the scene and were executed anyway. Some stories say that the youngest kids were not killed and the mercy of the German opressors let them die in the flames.

A film based on the events in Stary Ciepielów and Rekówka was produced in 2009 and is entitled "Rodzina Kowalskich" (Eng. The Story of the Kowalski family). Below a link to the film which may be watched on Youtube. 

Truly recommended!

Source: Youtube.com

Read more:

• Władysław Bartoszewski, Zofia Lewinówna: Ten jest z ojczyzny mojej. Polacy z pomocą Żydom 1939–1945. Warszawa: Świat Książki, 2007. ISBN 978-83-247-0715-7.

• Szymon Datner: Las sprawiedliwych. Karta z dziejów ratownictwa Żydów w okupowanej Polsce. Warszawa: Książka i Wiedza, 1968.