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Jan Skarbek - born June 15, 1885 in Paszczyna near Dębica, was a Polish Roman Catholic priest, chronicler. Honorary citizen of Oświęcim - he received this title from the city authorities in 1934. Father Skarbek was known, among others on cultivating interfaith relations in Oświęcim and maintaining friendly relations with the last rabbi of Oświęcim, Eliasz Bombach.

Education
In 1909 he was ordained a priest and a diploma in theology at the Jagiellonian University. He was also a law graduate of the same university in Krakow. He was ordained a priest in Krakow in 1909. His first pastoral institution was the parish of St. Adalbert and St. Catherine in Jaworzno. In 1914. it ended up in nearby Szczakowa, and a year later in Pleszów, near Krakow. In January 1926, Fr. Skarbek became the parish priest of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Oświęcim and held this position until his death.

Interwar period
He came to Oświęcim in 1926. He was a town councilor for many years. In 1934, he was awarded the title of an honorary citizen of Oświęcim. He was active in a number of charity, social and educational organizations, and was also involved in maintaining proper interfaith relations in Oświęcim. In 1929, he became chairman of the building committee of the Oświęcim gymnasium (nowadays: Stanisław Konarski Secondary School in Oświęcim).

World War II
During the war, Father Skarbek collaborated with the resistance movement at the Auschwitz camp. He was involved in helping escapees from the KL Auschwitz camp, including by issuing false baptism records.

On the night of July 1-2, 1942, German policemen arrested the parish priest, Fr. Treasurer and one of the vicars. The priests were beaten and the presbytery was plundered. The parish priest's housekeeper was also arrested. Father Skarbek was imprisoned in Oświęcim, Katowice, Mysłowice and Bielsko. After his release, the Germans did not allow him to return to Oświęcim and he did not return there until 1945; then he continued to act as a parish priest.

He died on February 2, 1951 in Oświęcim and was buried in the parish cemetery in Oświęcim.

Activities for interfaith relations
Father Jan Skarbek tried to build relations with the Jews of Oświęcim based on mutual respect. He maintained good relations with the local rabbi Eliasz Bombach. According to the memoirs of Henryk Flaumen, Fr. Skarbek met the rabbi of Oświęcim in the park, where they talked together in Hebrew.