{"id":20519,"date":"2025-04-23T13:00:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T10:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=20519"},"modified":"2025-04-23T21:48:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:48:38","slug":"neidel-family-meets-descendants-of-the-polish-couple-who-saved-their-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/neidel-family-meets-descendants-of-the-polish-couple-who-saved-their-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Holocaust Survivor Locates Descendants of the Polish Family Who Saved his Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1910, in a quiet Polish village, two young girls\u2014Rozalia, a Catholic, and Minshe, a Jew\u2014began first grade together. They studied side by side, played, grew up, and eventually went their separate ways. But the bond they formed never faded. Thirty years later, when the Nazis invaded Poland, that childhood friendship became a matter of life and death.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Neidel family \u2013 Minshe, her husband Meir, Tuli, and Sarah | Photo: Rega Shel Chochma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Neidel family\u2014Minshe, her husband Meir, eight-year-old Tuli, and nine-year-old Sarah\u2014fled in a desperate search for shelter. They arrived at the farm of Rozalia, Minshe\u2019s childhood friend. Without hesitation, Rozalia and her husband, Micha\u0142 Kopacz, opened their door and took all four of them in.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Street posters warned: “Anyone who helps Jews\u2014death is their sentence.” German poster. Archive | Photo: Rega Shel Chochma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the time, hiding Jews was a capital offense. Posters plastered throughout towns warned: \u201cAnyone who helps Jews\u2014death is their sentence.\u201d Still, Rozalia, Micha\u0142, and their four children\u2014Josek, Marian, Janek, and Witek\u2014shared their home, their food, and their lives with the Neidel family. They never asked questions, never sought payment, and never demanded anything in return.<\/p>\n

Disaster loomed near when little Witek began playing with other village children and innocently said, \u201cWe have dolls at home.\u201d The villagers grew suspicious\u2014who were these \u201cdolls\u201d? Sensing the threat, Rozalia acted quickly. She took a chicken, chopped off its head, and warned him: \u201cIf you say again that we have dolls at home\u2014this is what will happen to your head.\u201d From that day forward, Witek did not speak for five years.<\/p>\n

Gratitude\u2014Eighty Years Later<\/strong>
\nEight decades passed. The story lived on, but the Christian rescuers had faded into history.\u00a0Only last year, following a family-led investigation, the Kopacz family was found and invited to Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, I was having dinner with a friend in Poland,\u201d said Jeff Neidel, Tuli\u2019s nephew. \u201cI told her the story. She asked me, \u2018Jeff, you really don\u2019t know where those children are? Nothing at all?\u2019 I said, \u2018No.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
“I found the family.” Tuli Neidel with descendants of the Kopacz family | Photo: Rega Shel Chochma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeff\u2019s friend launched a search and eventually posted a moving message on Facebook: \u201cI found the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a powerful reunion in Jerusalem, four generations of the Neidel family met with three generations of the Kopacz family. They embraced, cried, and shared one simple, unforgettable sentence: \u201cYou gave us life. We will never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
The names of Micha\u0142 and Rozalia Kopacz unveiled on the Righteous Among the Nations wall at Yad Vashem | Photo: Rega Shel Chochma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
“You gave us life. We will never forget it.” Descendants of the Neidel family | Photo: Rega Shel Chochma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Neidel family fled the Germans, they knocked on a single door in Poland. Rozalia and Micha\u0142 Kopacz opened it\u2014and became silent heroes. Eighty years later, their descendants met in Jerusalem and said with gratitude: “You gave us life.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":20526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,2276,88],"tags":[4607,2116,3711,3721,4606,2093,2933,4604,4605,4424],"class_list":["post-20519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-judaism","category-people","category-will-remember","tag-family-reunion","tag-holocaust","tag-holocaust-remembrance-day","tag-holocaust-survivors","tag-michal-kopacz","tag-poland","tag-rega-shel-chochma","tag-righteous-among-the-nations","tag-rozalia-kopacz","tag-yad-vashem"],"yoast_head":"\nHolocaust Survivor Locates Descendants of the Polish Family Who Saved his Life - REGA news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Holocaust Survivor Locates Descendants of the Polish Family Who Saved his Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the Neidel family fled the Germans, they knocked on a single door in Poland. 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