Death for Humanity
Exhibition on the occasion of the beatification of the Ulma Family
August 23-September 14, 2023

Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York
233 Madison Avenue (Jan Karski Corner), New York, NY 10016

On August 23, 2023, at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, the Consul General inaugurated the “Death for Humanity” exhibition which tells the story of the Ulma family from the village of Markowa in German occupied Poland. The Ulma family were murdered for hiding Jews during World War II. 

The exhibition depicts the story of the Ulma family, which ended dramatically on March 24, 1944, when the Ulma family’s farm, located in the Polish village of Markowa, was entered by officers ordered by German gendarmerie commander Eliert Dieken. Nazi Germans murdered the Jews hidden by the Ulmas, and then also the family: Jozef and Wiktoria, who was then in an advanced pregnancy, as well as the children Stasia, Basia, Franek, Wladzio, Antos and Marysia, age 7 to 1.

The Ulmas have already been posthumously honored with the title of Righteous Among the Nations, and a beatification – recognition as blessed by the Roman Catholic Church in the acknowledgement of their extraordinary sacrifice – is scheduled for September 10, 2023 in the village of Markowa, Poland. 

“Helping Jews was punishable by death. The Ulma family was aware that by giving aid they were risking their lives and those of their family. This threat, however, did not stop Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma from helping their neighbors. The exhibitioncommemorates the tragedy of the victims of the Holocaust and the heroism of the family of those, risked their lives to help others. The story of Wiktoria and Józef Ulma must not be forgotten,” said Polish Consul General Adrian Kubicki.

The exhibition is displayed at the Polish Consulate General building New York (Madison Avenue and 37th Street), in cooperation with the Polish Cultural Institute in New York. The exhibition was prepared by the Institute of National Remembrance’s Branch in Rzeszów, and distributed internationally by the Polish National Foundation. The exhibition is held under the patronage of the Committee for the Celebrations Accompanying the Beatification of the Ulma Family appointed by the President of the Republic of Poland.

The Righteous! How Poles rescued Jews from the Holocaust

Book Authors: Grzegorz Górny and Janusz Rosikoń
Publication Date: 2013
Publisher: Rosikon Press

This book is recommended by the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

The book “Righteous” tells the story of Poles rescuing Jews during the Nazi occupation of Poland, many of whom paid the highest price for their actions (like the families of the Ulmas, Kowalskis and Barankowie, for example). At least ten Poles in the know were needed to save one escapee from the ghetto, writes the author. Hanna Krall remembers a network of 42 people of good will who were involved in saving her life as a young girl. Thus, conspiring in defense of the Jews was a much wider phenomenon than is usually assumed. This richly illustrated volume shows the political and social context of Nazi genocide. The phenomenon of saving Jews is presented in a broader historical perspective as well as through individual histories. Based on material from the archives, the volume is a rich collection of facts, textual and documentary, describing the situation of the Polish and Jewish populations under Nazi occupation, and their mutual relations. Witnesses to history who appear in the pages of this book include, among others, Władysław Bartoszewski, Marek Edelman, Irena Sendler and Shewach Weiss. Learn more…