Admiration
is not always the immediate reward for heroes. Those that choose to do what is
right are at times on a very lonely and perilous path.
The
story of the Ulma family in war torn Poland is heartbreaking and tragic. Their
story will move you to anger and some tears.
Their
story is not about despair. Their story is about bringing light to the darkness
of unrepentant evil. They chose to help their neighbors, a decision that cost
them everything, at least in this life.
The
Ulmas’ deserve our admiration not only for their actions. They also deserve our
admiration for reminding us that there is hope and faith. Hope and faith that
some will walk the right path no matter how dark the world seems to be.
In Poland, by contrast, the punishment was execution, often applied collectively. Yet Polish and Jewish historians estimate that several hundred thousand Poles were engaged in such efforts.
Wiktoria and Józef Ulma were among them. These were devoutly Catholic, modest farm folk with six children (Wiktoria was pregnant with a seventh) who took the Fifth Commandment seriously.
Knowing the risks, they nonetheless hid two Jewish families. After being denounced, they and the Jews they hid were killed by the Germans. The Ulmas’ cause for beatification is under study in Rome. As a German pope, Benedict XVI is said to have wanted to beatify the Ulmas, but unfortunately did not have the time."
"The Ulma Family (killed in 1944): During the Holocaust, penalties for aiding Jews in Western Europe were lenient or non-existent.
In Poland, by contrast, the punishment was execution, often applied collectively. Yet Polish and Jewish historians estimate that several hundred thousand Poles were engaged in such efforts.
Wiktoria and Józef Ulma were among them. These were devoutly Catholic, modest farm folk with six children (Wiktoria was pregnant with a seventh) who took the Fifth Commandment seriously.
Knowing the risks, they nonetheless hid two Jewish families. After being denounced, they and the Jews they hid were killed by the Germans. The Ulmas’ cause for beatification is under study in Rome. As a German pope, Benedict XVI is said to have wanted to beatify the Ulmas, but unfortunately did not have the time."
