Wiktoria and Jozef Ulma

Markowa, Poland… Fall 1942 – Jozef Ulma and his wife, Wiktoria, lived in the small town of Markowa, Poland with their six young children – Stanislawa, Barbara, Wladyslawa, Franciszka, Maria, and Antoni. Jozef worked on his farm and was a photographer. He documented the life of his family and their rural town through his photography.

In the summer of 1942, the Ulma family witnessed the execution of the Jews of Markowa. The Jewish families were taken from their homes and murdered.  Their bodies were buried in a former animal graveyard. Some Jews managed to escape the killing and went into hiding in the surrounding area. In November 1942, the local fire brigade was ordered to search in and around the town for the Jews who had escaped, and to hand them over to the Germans.

The Szall family from Lancut, a nearby town, came to Markowa to find a place to hide during the hunt for the missing Jews. When they asked Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma for help, the couple did not hesitate.  The Ulma family also agreed to hide two sisters, Golda and Layka Goldman. The Jews slept in the attic of the Ulma’s home, but they did not remain hidden during the day.  The Jews staying at the home worked on the farm with Jozef.  The farm was on the outskirts of town, but it was not long before neighbors and others knew there were Jews there.

It is not certain who denounced them to the Germans, but a study conducted by Mateusz Szpytma for the Polish IPN (Institute for National Remembrance), states that it was probably a policeman from Lancut by the name of Wlodzimierz Les. Wlodzimierz had helped the Szall family in return for payment before they went to the Ulma family and was still holding on to the Szall’s belongings. When they wanted to retrieve their property, it is believed that Wlodzimierz turned them in.

On the night of March 23, 1944, the German police came to Markowa from Lancut. The Germans raided the Ulma farm and found the Jews. All of the Jews were shot and killed. Then the Germans murdered the entire Ulma family – Jozef, Wiktoria, who was seven months pregnant, and their six small children – Stanislawa, Barbara, Wladyslawa, Franciszka, Maria, and Antoni. The eldest child in the Ulma family had just begun to attend classes in primary school.

Fear swept through the area, reaching the other Polish families that were hiding Jews. Searches were conducted by the Germans and Poles to try and find more Jews in hiding. The next morning, the bodies of 24 Jews were found in the local fields. These Jews were murdered by the Polish families they had been hiding with for over a year and a half. However, there were some families in Markowa that continued to hide Jews at great risk to themselves, including Jan and Maria Wiglusz who hid Yehuda Erlich.

A monument in remembrance of Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their six children was inaugurated in Markowa in 2004.

On September 10, 2023, the Catholic Church beatified the entire Ulma family for their martyrdom during World War II for sheltering Jews, marking the first time an entire family was beatified together. Stanlee Stahl, Executive Vice President of The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous attended this ceremony.

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