TARNAWSKI, Miriam – widow of Wilhelm Tarnawski (1911-1994)
Wilhelm (Wilek) Tarnawski lived with his Jewish wife in Kopyczynce in the district of Tarnopol in Eastern Galicia during the war. Between 1941 and 1944, he hid 17 of his wife’s relatives in his home. These included Josef and Sara Fried and their two children; Chaim Leib and Helena Kleiner and their child; Eliezer and Mina Fried and their child; as well as Bronia Rozenblatt, Shlomo Fried, and Yacov Preminger.
The Tarnawskis occupied the ground floor apartment but the relatives were hidden in the attic and in a bunker in the cellar. One of the peculiarities of the house was the absence of any stairs; passage from one floor to another required a ladder. From time to time, Wilhelm’s wife had to join her hidden relatives despite her non-Jewish appearance. In 1957, Wilhelm immigrated with his wife to Israel.
On June 29, 1978, Yad Vashem recognized Wilhelm Tarnawski as Righteous Among the Nations.
(Excerpt from”The Encyclopedia of the Righteous Among the Nations”, Poland, Yad Vashem Publications, p. 811-812)
