Julian Bilecki

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Julian Bilecki (1928–2007) was a Polish farmer who helped his family hide 23 Jews during the Holocaust and was later named Righteous Among the Nations.

In 1943, almost all of the 3,000 Jews in Podhajce, Eastern Galicia, were killed. A small group, many of them children and teenagers, escaped the ghetto as it was being liquidated. They sought help from the Bilecki family. On June 6, 1943, 23 survivors reached the Bilecki farm after receiving aid from Hershko Grau and Shiko Zisser.

The Bileckis hid the 23 in a wooden bunker in the forest near their farm, camouflaged with branches. They fed them daily and, when locals discovered the first bunker, they built a second and then a third to keep them safe. To avoid leaving tracks in the snow, a young Julian Bilecki is remembered for delivering supplies by moving carefully among the trees.

In late March 1944, the Red Army liberated the area. After the area was freed, Julian’s cousin Roman emigrated to the United States, while Julian stayed in Europe. The survivors later sent packages of food and clothing to the Bilecki family, who remained poor in Ukraine, and they kept in touch by letters.

In 1990, the Bilecki family was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem (with two extended family members recognized in 1996). In 1998, Julian and his son Jaroslav traveled to New York City with help from the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous to meet five survivors at JFK Airport. One survivor recalls Julian’s tearful reaction: “I see you all have gray hair. I too have gray hair. I thought I would never see you again. All I did was help. It is very pleasant that people remember. Now I am getting paid back by God.”

The survivors arranged for the Bilecki family to receive the Righteous Among the Nations honor. Julian Bilecki’s life and actions are remembered as a brave act that saved lives during a dark chapter of history.