Humanity against fear: Stories of Ukrainians who saved Jews during Holocaust
In Ukraine, people honored the memory of the Righteous Among the Nations (screenshot)
People who saved Jews from the Nazis during World War II, risking their own lives and the safety of their loved ones, are called the Righteous Among the Nations. Israel has recognized 2,707 Ukrainians with this title — the fourth-highest number in the world. Their memory is honored annually on May 14. Here is how the Righteous Among the Nations are honored in Ukraine.
Rescue under the threat of death
On May 14, a traditional interfaith prayer was held at the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Preserve to honor the Righteous Among the Nations. Ukraine has been observing this day for the fifth consecutive year.
"Once, when Ukrainians opened their doors to Jews, they were not heroes, but they became them. That’s why they’re called the Righteous. May 14 was chosen deliberately. It was on this day, 77 years ago, that the State of Israel was founded. This country emerged also thanks to the Righteous because they saved Jews around the world," said Roza Tapanova, General Director of the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Preserve.
The international documentation and research center on the genocide of Jews, Yad Vashem, has recognized that 2,707 Ukrainians selflessly helped Jews during the Nazi occupation. Their names are inscribed on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
Roza Tapanova (screenshot)
"Our event is about who Ukrainians were during World War II. It’s about reclaiming our history and countering Russian narratives. For a long time, we had a "Holocaust of memory." All the places associated with the Jewish tragedy were either built over or their choices. Their heroism must be portrayed truthfully — they were ordinary people who made extraordinary choices every day," Tapanova said.
In addition to the 2,707 Ukrainians recognized by Israel as rescuers of Jews, there are about 4,500 more Righteous of Ukraine and Righteous of Babyn Yar.
"In the Soviet Union, you were not allowed to speak about saving Jews, and information about victims was suppressed. Now we must tell these stories through real people," Tapanova added.
On May 14, an interfaith prayer was held in Babyn Yar to honor the Righteous Among the Nations (screenshot)
Twelve lives saved in secret
One of the Righteous Among the Nations was Nina Hudkova — a doctor who saved 12 Jewish boys in Kyiv.
"My mother worked as a doctor at a kindergarten that, during the war, was turned into an orphanage because many children had lost their parents. She changed the documents of Jewish children to conceal their origins. For two years, she hid 12 boys in a cellar because SS officers often came to inspect the place," said Nina Hudkova’s son, Yurii Zaichenko.
One of the rescued boys was Caesar Katz. During the Nazi occupation of Kyiv, his mother died, and his grandmother and older brother fled the city. In September 1941, 3-year-old Caesar was being taken to Babyn Yar for execution. A maid managed to hide him in nearby courtyards.
"This maid learned about the orphanage where my mother worked. She gave the boy the name Vasia, her surname, Fomin, and left him at the orphanage. After Kyiv was liberated, the Mykhailovskyy family adopted him. They had come to adopt a girl, but Caesar ran up to them crying "Mom, Dad," and their hearts melted. From then on, Caesar Katz became Vasyl Mykhailovskyy," Zaichenko said.
Yurii Zaichenko (screenshot)
Years later, Katz-Mykhailovskyy told his story in the newspaper "Khreshchatyk." Afterward, parents of other adopted children also spoke about Nina Hudkova’s actions. In 1994, she was awarded the title of Righteous of Babyn Yar, and a year later, Yad Vashem officially named her among the Righteous Among the Nations based on these testimonies.
"My mother never spoke about those tragic stories of World War II. She believed saving children was a duty of any sensible person. Now I’m in contact with Yad Vashem and dream of visiting Israel to see the Wall of Honor, where the name of my mother, Nina Hudkova, is engraved among the Righteous," Yurii added.
Voices of those who survived
Among the participants at the memorial event for the Righteous Among the Nations were Jews who survived the Holocaust. They are the last witnesses to the crimes of the Nazis.
"I’m one of those who survived the Sharhorod ghetto (in Vinnytsia region —ed.). Our family was saved by the family of Filip and Kylyna Sambirski — they are Righteous Among the Nations. Today, most of those who saved us are no longer alive, but those they rescued remain," said Borys Zabarko, head of the Association of Former Juvenile Prisoners of Ghettos and Concentration Camps.
Today, around 220,000 Holocaust survivors remain worldwide, including 6,200 in Ukraine.
Borys Zabarko (screenshot)
"I was born on the eighth day of the war. My father was Jewish, and my mother was Russian. My father’s entire family —my grandmother, grandfather, and his sister— were executed in Babyn Yar. My six-year-old sister and I were miraculously saved by our German grandmother. She hid us in sheds in Podil. That’s how we lived for several years," said Inna Yakivna.
During the war, her mother joined the partisans, survived, and lived until 1985. Her sister later moved to Israel and died just one month shy of her 90th birthday.
"I have a wonderful family: two children, four grandchildren, and already two great-grandchildren," said Inna Yakivna.
Inna Yakivna (screenshot)
The event was organized by the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Preserve and the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation "For Your Sake."
