As he was unable to be present at the event, World Society Vice-President, Alon Goldman wrote the following, which was read by Krzysztof Strauss:

It is never too late to do the right thing!

On behalf of the Jewish people, the State of Israel, Yad Vashem, and the descendants of the Jews of Częstochowa, today, we stand  in awe and deep gratitude honouring the work of a man who chose good – even when evil ruled the world.

Father Bolesław Wróblewski, with rare courage and a strong moral spirit, risked his life to save Jewish children in the Holocaust. Through acts of kindness, compassion and courage, he gave them shelter, hope and life – when many others chose to remain silent or hide their faces.

I first heard the name of Priest Wróblewski and the story of his rescue efforts in the Holocaust in 2018. When I began to investigate, I discovered that, since 2007, Yad Vashem has had an open file with a recommendation to award him the title of “Righteous Among the Nations”, a recommendation given by Miriam Rothschild (née Rubin). Yad Vashem had difficulty in accepting the testimony and relying solely on Miriam’s recollections since, at the time, Miriam was a three-year-old girl, and what does such little girl remember?

Miriam family’s roots are deeply rooted in Polish soil in Radomsko and Częstochowa. Her parents, Moshe Alexander Rubin of Radomsko and Deborah of the Schlesinger/Silberszcz family from Częstochowa, were married in the Częstochowa ghetto in 1940.

Miriam was born in Częstochowa on 2nd March 1942. During the liquidation of the “Big Ghetto” in September 1942, in a wicker basket with a note containing her personal details and with the help of a family friend, little Miriam was delivered to a children’s home at ul. Kazimierza 1, which was run by the “Convent of the Sisters of the Handmaids of Częstochowa” and the responsibility of the Father Bolesław Wróblewski.

Miriam was there until 11 December 1944. A month before the liberation of Częstochowa, she was adopted by the Dobosz family from  Elbląg near Gdańsk.

Miriam’s mother did not survive the Holocaust. She was shot by the Germans during the liquidation of the “Small Ghetto” Her father, who survived the HASAG forced labor camp in Częstochowa, rushed to the children’s home on the first day following liberation and asked to have Miriam returned to him.

At the children’s home, they gave him the information that was written in the documents (incorrect information) and, beyond that, were not willing to help him reclaim his daughter. Moshe, Miriam’s father, did not give up. For over two years, he continued to search for his little daughter until May 1947, when he wrote to his wife, a childhood friend whom he married after the War, “My dear, the sun has risen again”, after he had managed to find Miriam and reach an agreement with her adoptive parents to return her to him.

On 13 May 1947, Miriam’s father and his little daughter appeared at the offices of the “Koordinatsia” (a Jewish organization which worked to return Jewish children to their parents), where they filled out a card and photographed Miriam. (pic left)

According to what I have been told, Father Wrobelwski saved many children during the Holocaust but, over all the years, no list or additional testimony from survivors has been found about his work.

During my search for testimony, I met Father Jan Związęk, who simply told me, “You will not find such a list. Such a list meant a death sentence in the Holocaust for anyone in who possessed it and for anyone listed on it.”

I continued searching around the world and came across Lucy Nisker in Canada and Dr. Zilberschatz in Haifa, who were with Miriam in the children’s home. However, they were unable to assist with the testimony.

In my search in the archives of the Ghetto Fighters Museum in Israel, I was surprised to find Miriam’s coordination card, written in Yiddish and containing the name of Father Wroblewski, a card filled out by a coordination activist and Miriam’s father, two adult,s who mention the priest as the girl’s saviour.

And so, without being able to discover any more names of children saved by the priest, approval was received to award the title of “Righteous Among the Nations” to Father Wróblewski.

What he did is a candle of remembrance for humanity in a dark period and, today, he joins the ranks of “Righteous Among the Nations” – those unique individuals, who illuminated the face of humanity with precious light.

May the legacy of Father Wróblewski be living testimony for us and for future generations that, even in the most difficult moments, it is up to man to choose – and to save.

Yes, It is never too late to do the right thing!

Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Ryszard Stefaniak, Deputy Mayor of Czestochowa for the partnership, assistance and hosting of the ceremony in Częstochowa, Mr. Aleksander Czyżewski from the Embassy of Israel in Poland for the organization and taking care of all the details, and the Director of the Czestochowa Museum, Ms. Katarzyna Ozimek, for directing the ceremony.

Below, thanks to Marcin Bocian, is a video of the event (with English subtitles):