Sacrifice of Ulma family 'a light for all' says Israeli ambassador

The sacrifice of the Ulma family lights a path which everyone should follow, Israel's Ambassador to the Holy See said in an article published on the Vatican News website on Friday.

The beatification of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children, including the unborn baby Wiktoria was carrying, who were murdered in March 1944 for aiding Jews, will be held on Sunday in village of Markowa where they lived.

Rafael Schutz, as quoted by the Vatican News website, said: "The extreme sacrifice of the Ulma family recalls the debt that humanity owes this family and all Righteous Among the Nations who stood up to evil to the extent of losing their lives."

"Their sacrifice lights the path that we all should follow and should not be used for any kind of historical revisionism," he added.

According to the Vatican News article, the town of Markowa had integrated many Jews into its social fabric, as evidenced by the photographs, documents, and artifacts now displayed in the Ulma Museum which pays tribute to all Poles who defended and aided Jews in escaping the brutality of the Nazis.

"That history has left an indelible legacy written in the blood of numerous Polish families who paid the ultimate price for siding with the Jews by hiding them in attics, cellars, or other secret locations," the article reads.

In Markowa, among the 120 Jewish residents during World War Two, 21 managed to survive extermination due to the generosity of Polish families.

"The bravery of many Poles defied the terror imposed by Nazi laws in October 1941, which decreed that anyone assisting Jews would face death," the Vatican News wrote.

Józef and Wiktoria Ulma were honoured with the title Righteous Among the Nations in 1995.

To date, there are 7,232 officially recognised Polish Righteous. These are non-Jewish individuals who have been honored by Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, for risking their lives to aid Jews during the Holocaust.