Polish WWII heroes honored with Elmhurst street renaming

A corner on 43rd Street was renamed to honor the legacy of Walentyna and Aleksander Janta-Połczyński. Photo courtesy of Dromm

By Rachel Vick

The corner of 43rd Avenue and Judge Street in Elmhurst has been renamed for a pair of Polish war heroes who lived in the area after being exiled from the country for fighting the oppressive regimes of 1940s Europe.

“Janta-Połczyńska Polish Heroes Way” commemorates the contributions of Walentyna Janta-Połczyńska and her husband Aleksander Janta-Połczyński to the neighborhood and local Polish community.

“The Janta-Połczyńska home in Elmhurst is a pillar of my district and a symbol of the Polish immigrant contributions in Queens,” said Councilmember Daniel Dromm, who organized the renaming. “The house stands as a monument to Polish citizens who fought against the scourge of fascism in Europe. I’m so proud to have named this street Polish Heroes way. We hope to preserve homes like this that are rooted in history.”

Walentyna served as Polish intelligence during World War II, using her bilingual skillset to undermine the Nazi narrative before immigrating to the United States in 1947 where she met and married Aleksander.

She was hired by the Polish embassy while studying in London in 1939 and served as personal secretary to General Wladyslaw Sikorski, the prime minister of the Polish government in exile and commander of the Free Polish Armed Forces, according to the New York Times.

Walentyna died last year at the age of 107 as one of the last surviving members of Polish officials exiled during the war.

The home they shared on 43rd Avenue became a gathering place for Polish immigrants, revolutionaries and creatives including Czesław Miłosz, Jerzy Giedroyc, Jan Karski and Marek Hłasko.

It is currently the subject of a campaign by the local community petitioning NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to preserve it as a historic cultural site.

“The street co-naming celebrates real people who embodied service, sacrifice, leadership, and Walentyna’s non-traditional women’s role in a leadership position,” said Preservation Consultant and New York University Adjunct Instructor Kelly Carroll.

“In a world where women’s education is still not a right, her story is a story worth preserving and sharing,” CArroll added. “Our only hope is that the celebration today will propel the house to priority status for the Landmarks Preservation Commission to act and save it for future generations.”