Saved

First and last name: Julia Cebula
Place during the war: Węglówka, Podkarpackie Voivodeship (former Lwowskie Voivodeship)

In August 1942 Gloria Strenger (born on Dec. 15, 1931) from Żmigród Nowy (Jasło district) found shelter in the house of the teacher Jan Barut and his wife Ludwika. Gloria’s mother along with her two younger daughters was hiding in the nearby forest. Gloria’s father, Józef Strenger, escaped from transport during deportation of Jews from Żmigród and then he started cooperating with the Polish resistance movement. In 1943 the Gestapo arrested Strenger’s wife and two daughters. The Barut family feared that the woman could not withstand tortures during investigation and would show the Germans the hiding place of her oldest daughter. Barut family decided to change the Gloria’s hideout. They transported Gloria from Żmigród to Węglówka to the house of Julia Cebula, sister of Ludwika Barut. Julia Cebula reminisced in the story from 1988:

I myself had two children and I felt sorry for that beautiful little Jewish girl – I agreed to leave her even though I was aware of the danger to which I exposed myself and my family. Basia – so we called her – was playing, running with my children.

Gloria Heller nee Strenger (Basia) wrote about Julia Cebula:

Ms. Julia Cebula sheltered me throughout the year, here I also went through many difficult moments. Ms. Cebula treated me like her own two children, here I also had a Polish forename Basia. I remember one particularly horrific moment when German soldiers came to our house and searched for Jewish children. Ms. Cebula then courageously stated that only her children were here.

After the war Józef Strenger emigrated with Gloria to the USA. Gloria Heller finally settled in Israel, where she bore a son and two daughters.

Julia Cebula was one of those people who knowingly contributed to saving the entire generation by sheltering one person of great worth

– Józef Strenger wrote.

---

On Feb. 28, 1983 Julia Tekla Cebula was awarded the medal of the “Righteous Among the Nations”.

---

---

See also:

Story of Julia Cebula at Yad Vashem website