During the German occupation the Banasiewicz family (Franciszek with his wife Magdalena, daughter Maria and son Tadeusz) lived in Orzechowce near Przemyśl.
Within 1942–1944 the Banasiewicz family was hiding, in the bunker prepared in the farm buildings, fifteen Jews from the Przemyśl ghetto – Solomon Ehrenfreund, Izaak Ehrenfreund and his wife Janina, Jakub Nassan and his wife Eugenia, Marceli Teich, Fela Schatner, Fajga Weidenbaum, Edmund Orner, Beniamin Schtampater, Beniamin Reinharz, his wife Berta and son Samuel and Józef Wajndling with his wife Lotka. When the Jews appeared in the house, Franciszek Banasiewicz said to children: ” Whenever you see the Germans nearby, run away from home, go anywhere, just away!”. The Banasiewicz family maintained communication with the Jews in the ghetto through Michał Kruk and Maria Kuras. Both were arrested by the Germans for organizing transfer of Jews from the ghetto. Kruk was hanged in the Przemyśl ghetto, and Kuras was deported to the camp in Płaszów. Then the fear fell on the Banasiewicz family “ and if she does not stand torturing and say who helps the Jews?”. Maria Kuras did not denounce anyone. The Banasiewicz family and the Jews hid by it survived the German occupation.
On Jul. 17, 1991 the Banasiewicz family was awarded the medal of the “Righteous Among the Nations”.
On Feb. 9, 2010 the Banasiewicz family was decorated with the Commander’s Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński. Tadeusz Banasiewicz received the crosses in Rzeszów from the hands of Maria Kaczyńska, the wife of the President of the Republic of Poland.