Józef Zwonarz maintained a clandestine underground shelter beneath his private workshop in Lesko, providing a sanctuary for four Jewish adults for over two years during the German occupation of Poland. Operating in extreme proximity to Gestapo, Schutzpolizei, and Ukrainian police headquarters, he utilized his technical expertise to sustain the hidden individuals until the Russian army arrived in 1944.
Early Life and Professional Background
Born in 1899 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Zwonarz was of Hungarian descent. During his youth, he resided for a period in Budapest before eventually settling in Lesko. Professionally, he worked as a mechanic and an engineer. Beyond his technical career, he was an active association football player, joining the local team Sanovia in 1923. He served in the Polish military following the nation's independence in 1918, participating in the Polish-Soviet War and the 1939 Defensive War.
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In 1942, Zwonarz first assisted Nathan Wallach and his wife Jafa by arranging accommodation for their young daughter with an associate, Jan Kakol. After the Wallachs escaped a mass execution at the Zaslaw labour camp, Zwonarz provided them with refuge in a pit measuring roughly 1.5 by 1 meter. To ensure the safety of his five children and wife, Franciszka, he kept the project secret, leading his spouse to incorrectly suspect him of infidelity due to his redirected resources. He covertly wired the shelter to the city's electricity grid to bypass meter fluctuations.
Liberation and Recognition
As frontlines shifted in 1944, Zwonarz moved the hidden group into his home's cellar after Russian artillery shelling compromised the underground pit. Following the liberation of Lesko, he provided the survivors with his personal wristwatch and a ten-dollar bill to assist their resettlement. In 1967, Yad Vashem recognized both Józef and Franciszka Zwonarz with the Righteous Among the Nations award. Zwonarz died in 1984 and is buried at the municipal cemetery in Lesko.
Fast facts
- Born: 1899, Ivano-Frankivsk
- Died: 1984, Lesko
- Citizenship: Poland
- Primary occupations: Engineer, mechanic, footballer
- Languages spoken: German, Polish, Hungarian
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1967)
- Burial site: Municipal cemetery in Lesko
Questions readers ask
What was the occupation of Józef Zwonarz?
He was a trained engineer and mechanic who also played association football for the local team Sanovia.
How did Zwonarz keep his rescue efforts secret from his family?
He constructed a hidden shelter beneath his workshop and hid the existence of the refugees from his wife and children to protect them from potential interrogation.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1967
- Worked as engineer, association football player and mechanic
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