Righteous Among the Nations
Description: The Wierzbicki and Kostanski families in the Warsaw ghetto.
Image copyright: http://www1.yadvashem.org/
When the ghetto was sealed in November 1940, 15-year-old Jan, helped by his mother, began smuggling food into the ghetto. The very meager food rations allocated by the Germans to the ghetto condemned its inhabitants to starvation.
Jan's help was not limited only to his smuggling activities. Despite the walls that now separated them, he also took great pains to continue his contacts with the Wierzbickis. Unlike others who passed by the ghetto and remained unmindful of the fate of those who had been locked behind the walls, Jan kept up his friendship with his neighbors.
When the deportations from Warsaw began in the summer of 1942, Jan managed to enter the ghetto and smuggled Aizik Wierzbicki and his children Noach and Necha out to safety. The threesome found shelter in an apartment belonging to Wladyslawa’s brother, who was in prison at that time. After four weeks, they were taken out of Warsaw to a friend of Wladyslawa’s. In March 1943, Jan took them out of the ghetto and brought them to the new place, where a hideout had been prepared. They also took in another Jewish family friend, Walter Cykiert. One month later the Germans proceeded to liquidate the Warsaw ghetto and the uprising broke out.
After the war, Wladyslawa married Aizik Wierzbicki and Jan married Necha Wierzbicka. In time, they all settled in Australia.
On February 10, 1983, Yad Vashem recognized Wladyslawa Wierzbicka-Konstanska and her son, Jan Konstanski, as Righteous Among the Nations.
Source: http://www1.yadvashem.org/righteous_new/poland/konstanska.html
