Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with Seven Children

Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with their seven children, commonly known as the Ulma family, were a Polish Catholic family from Markowa who sheltered eight Jews during the German occupation of Poland in the Second World War. The family consisted of Józef Ulma, a farmer, horticulturalist, beekeeper, photographer and community participant; his wife Wiktoria, an educated homemaker active in local cultural and religious life; their six living children; and a seventh child who was unborn when the family was killed. The couple married on 7 July 1935 and built their household around farming, family prayer and participation in the Catholic community of Markowa. Józef was known locally for agricultural innovation and practical skills. He cultivated fruit trees, kept bees and silkworms, practiced photography and bookbinding, and helped introduce electricity to Markowa. He also participated in Catholic, agricultural and youth organizations. Wiktoria had attended local education and cultural programs and performed in an amateur theater group. Together, the couple worked toward acquiring a larger farm in Wojsławice, but the Second World War interrupted those plans. During the Holocaust, the Jewish population of Markowa was subjected to deportation, executions and searches. In 1942, eight Jews from the Szall and Goldman families sought refuge with the Ulmas. They were hidden in the attic of the Ulma home, where they remained until the spring of 1944. The arrangement exposed the family to extreme danger because German occupation authorities imposed the death penalty on Poles who aided Jews. The family was reportedly betrayed by Włodzimierz Leś, a member of the Polish Blue Police who had previously been connected with members of the Goldman family and had taken control of property belonging to the Szall family. In the early morning of 24 March 1944, German police from Łańcut, accompanied by Polish Blue Police officers, raided the Ulma farm. The eight Jewish fugitives were killed first. Józef and the pregnant Wiktoria were then executed, followed by their six children. Witness testimony indicates that Wiktoria went into labor during the massacre and that the newborn child was found during the later exhumation. In total, seventeen victims were killed in the operation. The perpetrators also looted the house and property of the murdered families. The killings were intended to intimidate the inhabitants of Markowa, but the surrounding population continued to hide Jewish fugitives. At least twenty-one Jews survived in or around Markowa through assistance from Polish families, although accounts differ regarding the circumstances of other wartime killings in the area. After the war, the Ulmas were reburied in Markowa cemetery. In 1995, Józef and Wiktoria were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. Pope Francis beatified the couple and their children in 2023, recognizing them in the Catholic Church as martyrs. Their liturgical memorial is observed on 7 July, the anniversary of Józef and Wiktoria's wedding. The family is remembered as a symbol of civilian resistance to Nazi persecution, sacrificial assistance to Jews, and the human cost of the Holocaust in occupied Poland.

Józef Ulma was born on 2 March 1900 in Markowa. Raised in a farming family, he became involved in Catholic and community organizations as a young man, including groups connected with the Archdiocese of Przemyśl, Catholic youth and rural youth movements. He completed military service in Grodno in 1921–1922 and later studied at the National Agricultural School in Pilzno. After receiving his agricultural diploma, he developed expertise in horticulture, beekeeping and silkworm cultivation. His work earned recognition from the Przeworsk District Agricultural Society in 1933. He was also active as a photographer, librarian, bookbinder and writer of local newspaper articles, and was credited with helping bring electricity to Markowa. Wiktoria Ulma, née Niemczak, was born on 10 December 1912. She received primary and secondary education in Markowa and attended courses at the People's University in Gać. She participated in an amateur theater troupe and was involved in local religious life. Józef and Wiktoria married on 7 July 1935 and supported themselves through farming. They had six children: Stanisława, Barbara, Władysław, Franciszek, Antoni and Maria. Wiktoria was pregnant with their seventh child when the family was killed. The household belonged to the Church of Saint Dorothy in Markowa and practiced family prayer and Catholic sacramental life. Before the war, Markowa had a substantial Jewish community. German occupation policies brought deportations, executions and searches intended to destroy Jewish life in the region. Beginning in 1942, many Jews attempted to evade deportation by hiding with Polish families, in farm buildings or in the countryside. The Ulmas sheltered eight people: six members of the Szall family and two daughters of Chaim Goldman, Golda and Layka Didner. The refugees lived in the attic of the Ulma house and sometimes helped with work to reduce the burden created by their concealment. The danger increased as German authorities hunted both Jewish fugitives and Poles who helped them. Włodzimierz Leś, a Polish Blue Police officer, was connected to property formerly belonging to the Szall family and had prior dealings with the Goldman family. Accounts identify him as the person who disclosed the refugees' presence to the German gendarmerie, apparently amid a dispute over property and the pressure of occupation. On 24 March 1944, a German police unit commanded by Lieutenant Eilert Dieken arrived from Łańcut, with the participation of several German personnel and Polish Blue Police officers. The eight Jews were discovered and shot. Józef and Wiktoria were then killed, followed by their children. The operation ended with the looting of the house and a forced burial of the victims. The bodies were initially buried near the house. In January 1945, relatives exhumed them in defiance of the former German prohibition. Witnesses reported that Wiktoria's child had emerged during or after the execution and was found in the parents' grave. The Ulma family was later given a funeral and reburied in Markowa cemetery. The massacre failed to eliminate all assistance to Jews in the locality. Neighbors continued to hide fugitives, and at least twenty-one Jews survived the war in Markowa with help from Polish families. Later historical discussion has addressed conflicting testimony concerning other killings in and around Markowa, including whether one survivor's account referred to events in a neighboring village or to separate wartime roundups. The family's postwar remembrance developed through historical research, Jewish-Polish commemoration and Catholic devotion. On 13 September 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Józef and Wiktoria as Righteous Among the Nations. In 2023, Pope Francis beatified the entire family as martyrs. Their feast day, 7 July, links their public liturgical remembrance to the date of their marriage. The family now occupies an important place in Holocaust remembrance and in Catholic accounts of moral resistance to Nazi persecution.

• 2023

  Beatification

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  Pope Francis beatified the family as Catholic martyrs, including the unborn child.

• 1995

  Recognition as Righteous Among the Nations

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  Yad Vashem posthumously honored Józef and Wiktoria Ulma for their effort to save Jewish lives.

• 1945

  Postwar exhumation and reburial

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  Relatives exhumed the family remains in January, after which the victims were given a funeral and reburied in Markowa cemetery.

• 1944

  Execution of the Ulma family and the hidden Jews

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  On 24 March, German police and accompanying Blue Police officers killed the eight Jewish fugitives, Józef and Wiktoria, and their six children. Wiktoria was pregnant with her seventh child.

• 1942

  Beginning of sheltering Jewish fugitives

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  The Ulmas took eight members of the Szall and Goldman families into hiding at their farm during the German occupation.

• 1935

  Marriage of Józef and Wiktoria

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  Józef Ulma and Wiktoria Niemczak married in Markowa on 7 July.

• 1933

  Agricultural recognition for Józef Ulma

  [1]Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org

  Józef received an award from the Przeworsk District Agricultural Society for his horticultural and agricultural work.

A historical and religious commemorative identity associated with Holocaust rescue, Polish Catholic martyrdom, remembrance of the murdered family, and recognition of aid given to Jews during the German occupation.

1. 1Ulma familyen.wikipedia.org