In 1939, Tadeusz Pankiewicz was a pharmacist in Krakow when the Nazis arrived. Unfortunately, his family’s pharmacy, called "Under the Eagle," was located in the part of the city that the Nazis turned into the Jewish Ghetto in 1941. The Nazis ordered all non-Jewish businesses to move to other parts of the city, but Tadeusz managed to convince them to let him stay.

He became friendly with the German officers, and he and his employees were the only non-Jews among the 15,000 Jews imprisoned in the ghetto. Tadeusz, who had always cared for people, continued his work as a pharmacist, helping in any way he could. He secretly provided medicine and medical care to the people in the ghetto and even gave out hair dye to help people escape. As the Gestapo raids grew more frequent, he warned people about upcoming raids, gave out tranquilizers to keep children quiet when hiding, and allowed people to meet and hide in his shop.

In March 1943, the Nazis destroyed the Krakow Ghetto and sent the residents to Belzec and Auschwitz. The city was declared “Judenfrei” (free of Jews)—but there was still a secret. In the basement of Tadeusz’s pharmacy, he had hidden Torah Scrolls and other religious items that were sacred to the Jewish people of Krakow. They were kept safe, waiting for a time when they could be returned.


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