Jerzy Bielecki, 1921–2011
The Pole who saved his Jewish lover from Auschwitz
Cyla Cybulska always regretted losing contact with the man who had helped her escape from Auschwitz during World War II. Believing him dead, the Brooklyn immigrant told her story in 1982 to a Polish cleaner, who recalled hearing a man on Polish TV tell a similar tale. Shortly afterward, the two were reunited in Poland, where Jerzy Bielecki greeted his former lover with 39 roses, one for every year they had spent apart.
Bielecki, a Catholic, was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 19 on the false suspicion of being a resistance fighter, said the Associated Press. Cybulska was later shipped to the camp with her family and thousands of other Polish Jews. Her parents and sister were immediately sent to the gas chambers, but Cybulska was put to work in the same warehouse as Bielecki. “They met, and their love blossomed.”
Bielecki soon began plotting their escape, said The New York Times. He secretly pieced together an SS guard’s uniform, and forged documents allowing him to transport a prisoner to a nearby farm. In July 1944, the pair executed their plan. Having been waved through a checkpoint by a “sleepy guard,” they fled to safety. Bielecki found a hiding place for Cybulska and, “though much in love,” decided to join the Polish underground instead of staying with her. “They would not see each other again for 39 years.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bielecki was named a Righteous Gentile by Israel’s Yad Vashem institute in 1985 for saving Cybulska’s life, and the pair remained close friends until her death, in 2005. He often lamented what might have been were it not for the war. “Fate decided for us,” he said. “But I would do the same again.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
6 scenic white water rafting destinations to get your heart racing
The Week Recommends Have a rip-roaring time on the water
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Dangerous substances in Lunchables are raising concerns over children's health
In the Spotlight High levels of lead and sodium were recently found in the snack packages
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Fired art
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Benjamin Zephaniah: trailblazing writer who 'took poetry everywhere'
Why Everyone's Talking About Remembering the 'radical' wordsmith's 'wit and sense of mischief'
By The Week UK Published
-
Shane MacGowan: the unruly former punk with a literary soul
Why Everyone's Talking About The Pogues frontman died aged 65
By The Week UK Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Legendary jazz and pop singer Tony Bennett dies at 96
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
Martin Amis: literary wunderkind who ‘blazed like a rocket’
feature Famed author, essayist and screenwriter died this week aged 73
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, is dead at 84
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Barry Humphries obituary: cerebral satirist who created Dame Edna Everage
feature Actor and comedian was best known as the monstrous Melbourne housewife and Sir Les Patterson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mary Quant obituary: pioneering designer who created the 1960s look
feature One of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century remembered as the mother of the miniskirt
By The Week Staff Published