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385:, the Gardening Commando labour squad. She worked in the confiscated gardens around the nearby village of Rajsko, involved in the cultivation of vegetables and other ancillary labours. By the summer of 1943, the resistance movement in the camp became organised and brought Kotarba into their ranks. Her reputation as a skilled courier traveled with her from
405:. At registration, the prisoner-clerks registered Lena as a Polish political prisoner on account of her non-Jewish looks. The two women developed a deep and lasting friendship. Kotarba was aware of the other woman's perilous position and did all she could to help her as well as her sister, Guta, who arrived in Auschwitz from the concentration camp at
417:). As a courier, Kotarba delivered medicine for the prisoner-doctors and brought in other supplies, which they shared. She used her resistance contacts to have Lena Mankowska allocated to lighter duties when she fell sick, and cooked soup for her on a small stove in her block.
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liberated the women in May 1945. After liberation, the two friends parted. Maria
Kotarba returned to her home in Poland, remained single and died in 1956, aged 49, never having returned to the health she enjoyed before the war. She was buried in
474:. Eight years later James Foucar successfully resubmitted her testimony, which was approved by Yad Vashem on 8 December 2005 based on Kotarba's qualifications for inclusion. Lena Lakomy was posthumously recognised as a
381:, where she lived, and vowed to aid any Jew she could. Arriving at Auschwitz in the winter of 1943 she was allocated the prisoner number 27995, and after a range of camp duties, in the middle of 1943 was assigned to
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made an unsuccessful attempt to get Maria, her "Angel of
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in open coal wagons. Kotarba found her Jewish friend almost dead in the snow and carried her to her own
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with her friend Henia Trysk. Lena
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on 18 September 2005 for risking her life to save the lives of
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The State Museum
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland. James Foucar,
300:(4 September 1907 — 30 December 1956) was a courier in the
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592:. Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau. 20 October 2006.
430:In January 1945, the SS evacuated the camp through
320:on 6 January 1943. Maria Kotarba was recognised as
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554:(Posthumous Honors for the "Mommy of Auschwitz")
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495:Yad Vashem Remembrance Authority, Maria Kotarba
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552:Pośmiertne honory dla "Mateczki z Auschwitz",
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348:Kotarba's Righteous Among the Nations Diploma
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438:. The two women arrived separately at
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690:Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust
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27:Polish resistance fighter (1907–1956)
373:in September 1939, Maria Kotarba, a
126:and saving Jews during World War II
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1413:Polish Righteous Among the Nations
1382:History of Poland during 1939–1945
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625:Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem,
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354:Polish Righteous Among the Nations
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522:109.5 KB) at www.auschwitz.org.pl
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1022:Related articles by country:
637:"Angel of Auschwitz honoured"
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476:British Hero of the Holocaust
759:Princess Alice of Battenberg
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557:25 October 2006, Gazeta.pl,
399:Lena Mankowska (née Bankier)
340:Auschwitz concentration camp
50:Auschwitz concentration camp
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794:Helen of Greece and Denmark
681:Righteous Among the Nations
516:Angel of Auschwitz honoured
322:Righteous Among the Nations
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607:"My Angel of Auschwitz"
536:"Maria Kotarba, Poland"
122:being a courier in the
1230:Armed Resistance (ZWZ)
1158:Camp of National Unity
1127:Polish Socialist Party
609:26 October 2005, p. 31
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358:Kotarba was born near
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894:Klymentiy Sheptytsky
450:sub-camp, where the
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1310:Konfederacja Narodu
742:Notable individuals
403:Ghetto in Białystok
1270:Peasant Battalions
1265:Gwardia Ludowa WRN
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809:Constantin Karadja
719:Seven Laws of Noah
633:Auschwitz-Birkenau
534:McDonough, Chris
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383:Kommando Gartnerei
371:invasion of Poland
364:Austrian Partition
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310:political prisoner
181:Seven Laws of Noah
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709:Holocaust victims
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332:prisoners in two
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148:Among the Nations
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1142:Labour Party
949:Rudolf Weigl
909:Tina Strobos
874:Anton Schmid
799:Feng-Shan Ho
789:Jane Haining
754:Gino Bartali
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899:Ona Šimaitė
548:(in Polish)
464:Lena Lakomy
440:Ravensbrück
393:Friendships
368:Nazi German
111:Nationality
1397:Categories
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1235:Gray Ranks
1187:Opposition
1097:Parliament
1087:Government
992:Lithuanian
814:Jan Karski
724:Yad Vashem
635:, Poland,
623:Yad Vashem
605:, London,
482:References
468:Yad Vashem
326:Yad Vashem
229:Lithuanian
195:By country
186:Yad Vashem
64:1907-09-04
1377:Education
1287:Home Army
1257:Home Army
1111:Political
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997:Norwegian
829:Carl Lutz
617:Resources
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360:Nowy Sącz
318:Auschwitz
259:Ukrainian
234:Norwegian
224:Hungarian
146:Righteous
73:Nowy Sącz
1207:Military
977:Croatian
972:Austrian
697:Overview
645:homepage
452:Red Army
444:barracks
432:Birkenau
415:Mateczka
375:Catholic
249:Romanian
209:Croatian
204:Austrian
106:, Poland
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379:Gorlice
306:Gestapo
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239:Polish
219:German
131:Awards
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308:as a
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71:near
52:photo
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88:Died
58:Born
641:PDF
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659:v
286:e
279:t
272:v
245:)
241:(
66:)
62:(
20:)
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