Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations with Diploma- Saving Jews During the War

The presented set includes the Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations (Hebrew: ‏חֲסִיד אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם‎, Chasid Umot ha-Olam) – the highest Israeli civilian award given to non-Jews, awarded by the Yad Vashem Institute for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance in Jerusalem. This particular medal was awarded to the Polish family of Antoni and Józefa Orczykowski, along with their son Zenon. In addition to the medal and the wooden box, the set includes a diploma with an original folder and a photocopy of an invitation from the Israeli Embassy in Warsaw to the medal award ceremony, which took place on January 24, 2000, in Katowice.

Biographical Information of the Honorees:

Antoni and Józefa Orczykowski, along with their son Zenon and Mrs. Helena Politańska, lived as neighbors in an apartment building in Katowice before the war. After the German invasion and the annexation of Silesia into the Reich, Mrs. Helena Politańska was deported to one of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps, from which she escaped. In 1943, while seeking refuge, Mrs. Helena Politańska turned to the Orczykowski family for help, and they assisted her. Antoni and Józefa Orczykowski, along with their son Zenon, were fully aware of the dangers associated with helping someone of Jewish origin, yet they did not hesitate to shelter Mrs. Helena Politańska and provide her with care. Moreover, the Orczykowski family briefly hid Mrs. Helena Politańska’s nephew, Mr. Motek Krell, in their apartment in 1943, and in 1944, they also hid Mrs. Regina Sokołowska, a member of the Home Army (AK) who was being pursued by the Germans. Thanks to the Orczykowski family’s assistance, Mrs. Helena Politańska survived the war as the sole survivor of her entire family and later emigrated to Israel. In 1998, the Orczykowski family was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.

Description of the Title and Medal:

The title of Righteous Among the Nations was established under the Yad Vashem Law in 1963. Those awarded this title receive a specially minted medal with their name on it, a certificate of recognition, and the privilege of having their names inscribed on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The award is presented to the rescuers or their closest relatives in Israel or in their country of residence by representatives of the State of Israel. The Yad Vashem Law grants the institute the right to bestow honorary Israeli citizenship upon the Righteous Among the Nations, as well as posthumously grant commemorative citizenship in recognition of their deeds. The medal bears the Jewish saying, “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire” (Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5).

The medal was designed by Nathan Karp. On the obverse, there are hands grasping a lifeline intertwined with barbed wire. The barbed wire emerges from nowhere, while the lifeline encircles the globe and serves as a handle for turning it (symbolically expressing the idea that good deeds save the world, keeping it turning). Around the Earth runs the inscription in Hebrew: “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.”

On the reverse, at the top, there is a depiction of the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem. In the center is an inscription in Hebrew: “A token of gratitude from the Jewish people,” and at the bottom, inscriptions in French: “Le peuple juif reconnaissant” and the French translation of “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.” The edge of the medal bears the state emblem and the words “State of Israel” in Hebrew and English. The silver medal also has inscriptions “Silver 935” in Hebrew and English, “Silver” or “Sterling.”

Manufacturers of the Medals:

• In 1965: Kretschmer (approx. 50 medals), material – bronze.
• From 1965: Kretschmer and Hecht, material – silver.
• From 1980: Hecht, material – copper-nickel.

Exact Details of the Set:

• Medal: Diameter – 60 mm, thickness – 0.5 mm, weight – 105.40 g, material – copper-nickel, edge – No. 6492, with the inscription “State of Israel,” manufacturer – Hecht.
• Box: Width – 83 mm, height – 106 mm, thickness – 20 mm, weight – 132.67 g, material – olive wood.
• Diploma: Width – 240 mm, height – 340 mm, material – handmade paper.
• Folder: Width – 260 mm, height – 350 mm.