Jaroslawa Lewicka, the last of the Righteous Among the Nations living in Israel, passed away in Haifa on Tuesday night. She was 91.
Lewicka was born in Poland in 1935 and raised by her mother, Katarzyna, and grandfather, Alexander Levitska.
She began helping them save Jews during the Holocaust at the age of six, delivering food and medicine and serving as their messenger. In 1942, when a sealed ghetto was established in the nearby city of Zolochiv, the family continued its rescue efforts. Because of her young age, she delivered supplies without arousing the Nazis’ suspicions. The family’s home was about two kilometers from the ghetto. Jarosława regularly walked the distance carrying a small schoolbag in which she concealed food for starving Jews.
Along the way, she had to evade German and Ukrainian police officers, but she continued carrying out her mission.
In 1943, her family sheltered two Jews in their home. They provided food to a group of 25 Jews hiding in the basement of a destroyed building about two km. away until the arrival of the Red Army in 1944.
In 1989, Lewicka, her mother, and grandfather were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. In 1995, she immigrated to Israel, became an Israeli citizen, and settled in Haifa.
Lewicka’s life story was documented in Maya Klinger-Cohen’s book Only Red Candies.
Celebrating her 91st birthday
In January, dozens of students from the Basmat School in Haifa celebrated Lewicka’s 91st birthday at the Beit Gil HaZahav assisted-living facility in the Kiryat Eliyahu neighborhood.
The students read birthday greetings to her, sang in Hebrew and Russian in her honor, and presented her with a bouquet of flowers and a birthday cake.
Lewicka was very moved by their gesture and thanked them. She praised their dedication to holding the celebration in her honor for the fourth consecutive year.
“I’m happy that you’re happy,” she told them. “I’ve always been happy to help Jews. The most important thing is that there should finally be peace in the world.”
The gathering was held under the auspices of the Haifa Municipality’s Municipal Institute for Holocaust Studies, which works to commemorate the Righteous Among the Nations and preserve the memory of the Holocaust.
As part of its activities, the institute runs a joint program with the Rotary Moriah-Haifa Club and the Basmat School in which students learn about the actions of the Righteous Among the Nations, gather information about them, and work to preserve their memory.
Eleven Righteous Among the Nations are buried in Haifa’s Latin Cemetery. The Haifa Municipality also has established a special garden in the Ramat Alon neighborhood dedicated to honoring their memory and deeds.
Symbol of courage, humanity
“Jaroslawa Lewicka was a symbol of courage, humanity, and kindness,” Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said. “At the age of just six, she risked her life to save Jews during the Holocaust, demonstrating that even in the darkest of moments, humanity can prevail over fear and evil.”
“Her actions remind us all that heroism is not measured by age or physical strength, but by the willingness to stand by others, even at the cost of personal danger,” he said. “Jaroslawa was one of those rare individuals who chose goodness during a time when evil reigned. She leaves behind a moral legacy that transcends the boundaries of time and place.”
“Haifa was privileged to be her home for over three decades, and we will continue to commemorate her story and pass on her legacy to future generations, especially among our youth,” Yahav said. “On behalf of the residents of Haifa, I extend my condolences to her family and to all those who cherish her memory. May her memory be a blessing.”