Poles and the Holocaust. The Case of Professor Brodowska-Kubicz: Parallel Relations

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the merits of Helena Brodowska-Kubicz, later a professor of the University of Lodz and a researcher of the history of Polish peasantry, in saving the population of Jewish origin during World War II. Born in a village near Lublin and active in the peasant movement since the 1930s, she joined the underground movement after the German invasion of Poland. She became a soldier of the Peasant Battalions and joined the Headquarters as the chief of communications. She protected Jews by providing them with false documents, finding accommodation and employment, sending them to the countryside to live with peasant families. Most of them survived the war thanks to her help. For this activity, Brodowska-Kubicz was honored with the Righteous Among the Nations Medal in 1991. The article uses fragments of memories (letters, testimonies) of people who survived thanks to it. In addition, voice is given to the heroine, who describes the backstage of the help provided. The goal is to restore the memory of the merits of Brodowska-Kubicz, which have long been kept silent due to the historical policy pursued by the authorities of Polish People’s Republic.