Today, we honour our fellow citizens who, at great personal risk and at the risk of their families’ lives, saved Jews from the nazi genocide. These individuals did not seek glory or reward — their choice was guided by the values of human life, dignity, and compassion. This was reported by the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy.
More than 2,700 Ukrainians have been awarded the honorary title of Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem — Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. In reality, however, the number of Jewish rescuers among Ukrainians was significantly higher.
Heroes and Heroines by Name:
Maria Babych – Righteous Among the Nations, one of the first Ukrainian women to receive this honour.
Oleksandra Shulezhko – During the nazi occupation of Cherkasy, she established an orphanage. Of the 102 children in her care, 25 were Jewish.
Anastasiia Sushko from Lviv region – A mother of three, she sheltered a Jewish boy in her home.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church played a vital role in saving Jews in Halychyna. At the initiative of Church leader Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, over 200 Jews were rescued.
Olena Viter (Sister Yosyfa), abbess of a Greek Catholic convent – In a Lviv orphanage under her care, she hid Jewish children from the nazis.
Oleksandr Slobodianyk from Vinnytsia region – As a teenager, he saved a Jewish family. In April 2022, with help from the Jewish community, he himself was rescued from russian occupation in Kherson region.
More about the rescuers of Jews was shared here: https://www.facebook.com/share/19AbFcWeiU/?mibextid=wwXIfr
We remember.
We give thanks.
We honour their courage.