Story of Beautiful Love: A Lifetime of Regret for Love
On a day in April 1940, 19-year-old Polish boy Bielecki was sleeping at home in the town of Auschwitz when a group of German soldiers broke in. Suspecting him of being a “resistance fighter,” they arrested him and sent him to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In the camp, he had no name, only a number: 243. Death loomed constantly over the place, and a common saying was, “The only way out of Auschwitz is through the crematorium chimney.”
One day in September 1943, while working in a grain warehouse in Camp No. 2, Bielecki encountered a beautiful Jewish girl who gave him a stunning smile. This moment electrified him, and he found ways to secretly contact her. Through their conversations, he learned her name was Cybulska.
In January 1943, she and her parents, two brothers, and sister were captured and brought to Auschwitz Camp No. 2. Her parents and sister were immediately sent to the gas chambers and killed, and her two brothers died of illness soon after, leaving her alone to work for the Nazis. In her pain, she told Bielecki, “I have no relatives left, and I will soon be killed too.” Bielecki comforted her, saying, “From now on, I am your family, and I will find a way to get you out!”
The long-lost care and concern made Cybulska feel very close to Bielecki. Shyly, she told him, “If you can get me out, I will stay with you for life!” In that hellish place where death could come at any moment, they pledged their lives to each other.
From then on, Bielecki’s mind was consumed with thoughts of escaping the “death factory.” In July 1944, while working in a military uniform warehouse, he stole an SS officer’s uniform and a pass when the guards were not looking. He modified the name on the pass and obtained a sweater and boots for Cybulska, along with some food and a razor.
On July 20th, he told Cybulska about the escape plan: “Tomorrow, an SS officer will come to take you for questioning—that will be me in disguise. Don’t be alarmed, or we will both be sent to the gas chamber.”
On the afternoon of July 21st, Bielecki, dressed in the stolen SS officer’s uniform, came to the laundry where Cybulska worked and calmly told the guard in German, “I am ordered to take Cybulska to the police station for questioning. She will then be transferred to another detention site.” The guard had no doubts about his identity and ordered Cybulska to follow Bielecki to the police station. Under Bielecki’s “escort,” they smoothly reached a side gate.
Bielecki handed the tampered pass to the sleepy gate guard, who saluted him and said, “Thank you, please go ahead.”
After walking a good distance, Bielecki turned back to see the guard had returned to the duty room. He then urgently told Cybulska, “Quick, hide in the bushes and wait for the right moment to escape.”
In the darkness, they scrambled through the forest, stumbling countless times on thorns and wading through streams, with only one thought in mind: to escape! Many times, Cybulska, exhausted, sat down and said to Bielecki, “You go on without me. I don’t want to drag you down.” Bielecki replied, “Since we escaped, how can I leave you?” Without another word, he carried her on his back and continued limping forward.
After nine nights of stumbling through the forest, they finally reached the home of Bielecki’s uncle in Krakow. To avoid being discovered by the Nazis, Bielecki’s uncle suggested Cybulska hide on a farm 40 kilometers from Krakow. After settling Cybulska, Bielecki embraced her and said, “Once the war is over, I will come immediately to marry you.”
In January 1945, after Krakow was liberated, Bielecki eagerly went to the farm to find Cybulska, only to learn she had left four days earlier.
Bielecki went mad searching for Cybulska, but no one knew her whereabouts. For years, he never stopped looking for her, always believing she was still alive somewhere, waiting for him. He decided to remain single for life, guarding this beautiful love.
One morning in May 1983, Bielecki received a phone call from New York. The caller addressed him by his nickname, “Jurek, do you remember a Jewish girl named Cybulska? She is calling you now.”
At that moment, Bielecki was so shocked he couldn’t speak. After a long pause, he choked out, “My little Cybulska, where have you been all these years? I’ve been searching for you in vain!”
Forty years later, they finally met at Krakow Airport. Cybulska told Bielecki that the farm where she had been hiding was liberated 20 days before Krakow. She thought he would come for her soon, but after more than ten days without seeing him, she tearfully boarded a train to Warsaw, planning to go to the United States to find her long-lost uncle.
On the train, she met another Jewish man, Zacharowicz, and they quickly fell in love and married, then went to New York to find her uncle and settled there. Seven years later, Zacharowicz passed away. To relieve her loneliness, Cybulska hired a Polish maid for company.
One day in 1982, she recounted her escape from Auschwitz, and the maid was shocked, saying, “A few days ago, I saw a man named Bielecki on Polish television telling this story. Could he be the one you mentioned?” Overjoyed, Cybulska decided to find Bielecki, and after many efforts, finally contacted him in May 1983.
A small misunderstanding had separated the deeply loving couple for so long, and they couldn’t help but lament, “It was all because of this damned war!” After a brief reunion, they had to part again. At the airport, Cybulska tearfully told Bielecki, “I’m sorry. If you are willing, come with me to the United States now. Life there will be much better than what you have here.” Bielecki apologized, saying, “I have a complete family and a lovely son here. I can’t leave them.” As soon as he finished speaking, Cybulska threw herself into his arms, crying uncontrollably and murmuring, “It’s all over. I will never return to Poland.” She then ran to her flight, crying.
Afterward, although Bielecki wrote many letters to Cybulska, she never replied. When he learned that Cybulska had recently passed away in New York, Bielecki wrote an article in memory of their special love journey: “It was a great love. I truly loved Cybulska and planned to marry her and be together forever. It was the hateful war that ultimately kept us apart. I often dream of her at night and wake up crying alone.
Although this love left me with lifelong regrets, if history were to repeat, I would do it all over again without hesitation. Because no matter how inhumane the war, it cannot destroy beautiful love!”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
