The Polish Post Office honored the Baranek family with a stamp
On March 24th of this year, the Polish Post introduced a stamp commemorating the tragic story of the Baranek family. This new philatelic publication is part of a series documenting the fate of heroes murdered by the Germans for helping Jews.
The stamp's designer, Jarosław Ochendzan, depicted a wedding photo with images of Wincenty and Łucja Baranek in the design. The new design also features portraits of the sons of the heroic family, Henryk Marian and Tadeusz Stanisław. A photo belonging to Wincenty Baranek's stepmother is also featured alongside it.
Along with the stamp, Poczta Polska introduced a first-day-of-circulation (FDC) envelope depicting the Baranek family home, located in the village of Siedliska near Miechów. It was on this property that a brutal crime took place – the murder of Poles and four Jews, all named Gottfried, whom they were hiding. Along with the image of the Baranek home, the envelope also features the Menorah, one of the most well-known and oldest symbols of Judaism. The stamp is complemented by a date stamp depicting hands holding the Star of David.
Local heroes from Miechów
On March 16, 1942, in the General Government, the Germans launched a criminal operation codenamed "Aktion Reinhardt," aimed at exterminating the Jewish population. A year later, on March 15, 1943, in Siedliska near Miechów, German officers murdered Wincenty and Łucja Baranek and their sons for hiding several members of the Gottfried family. Katarzyna Baranek, Wincenty's stepmother, who lived in the same house, was also killed, as were four of the five Jews in hiding.
National decorations awarded to the Baranek family
On July 3, 2012, Wincenty Baranek, Łucja Baranek, and Katarzyna Baranek were posthumously awarded the Righteous Among the Nations medal during a ceremony held at the Museum of Polish Jews. On December 24, 2012, Henryk and Tadeusz Baranek were honored with the same distinction.
By order of the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski of 8 November 2013, Wincenty Baranek, Łucja Baranek and Katarzyna Baranek were posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Poles constitute the largest group of recipients of the "Righteous Among the Nations" medal, awarded by the Israeli Yad Vashem Institute. It honors approximately 7,000 Polish families, including the Ulmas, Kowalskis, Maciejewskis, Brogowskis, and Czarnies, whose members risked or sacrificed their lives to help their Jewish neighbors.
The Polish Post Office honors the stories of Poles who saved Jews
In 2018, Poczta Polska introduced the first stamp commemorating the murdered Ulma family, who sheltered eight Jews during the occupation. That same year, the company also issued a postcard commemorating Sister Matylda Getter.
In 2019, another issue of the series reached customers and philatelists. It featured Edward Raczyński, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Polish Government in Exile, whose note was the first official report on the Holocaust, informing Western public opinion about the crimes. It was also the first official statement by a government in defense of all Jews persecuted by Nazi Germany.
In 2021, a feature was presented dedicated to the events from the Nawojowa and Kamionka Wielka communes in Małopolska, where members of the Rumin, Borek and Tokarz families paid with their lives for their help for the Jewish community.
In 2022, a stamp was introduced depicting Bronisława and Adam Kowalski with their children, who were brutally murdered by German gendarmes for helping and hiding Jews. In addition to the stamp, a limited edition First Day of Circulation (FDC) envelope was issued. It features an outline map of the Ciepielów, Stare Ciepielów, and Rekówka areas, where the tragic events unfolded.
That same year, Poczta Polska also prepared an exhibition presenting philatelic issues dedicated to Poles who saved Jews, which was on display at five post offices: Bydgoszcz, Tarnów, Łódź, and Lublin. The exhibition was organized by the Institute of National Remembrance. In 2021, this initiative took place at the main post offices in Warsaw, Katowice, Kraków, Poznań, and Gdańsk.
About the stamp:
Designer: Jarosław Ochendzan
Number of stamps: 1
Sales sheet: 50 stamps
Value: PLN 3.90
Circulation: 100,000 pcs
Printing technique: rotogravure
Stamp format: 31.25 x 39.5 mm
Paper: fluorescent
Date of introduction into circulation: March 24, 2023