A 97-year-old Righteous Among the Nations has been successfully evacuated from Ukraine

Lydia Savchuk, recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, has successfully evacuated from Ukraine along with her family members. This was reported on Telegram by the Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky. According to the Ambassador, the evacuation of the 97-year-old woman and her relatives was facilitated by the diplomatic mission of the Jewish State in cooperation with the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center.

In his publication, the head of the Israeli diplomatic mission in Ukraine shares the story of how Lydia Savchuk was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations. The EAJC press service presents the account in full below:

“Stepan Savchuk resided in Vinnytsia with his wife Nadezhda, daughter Lydia, and son Valentin. Following the outbreak of the war between the Soviet Union and Germany in June 1941, Valentin was conscripted to the front, and there was no news of him until the liberation of Vinnytsia on March 20, 1944.

Anxiety over their own son prompted them to open their doors to another Soviet soldier who had escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp. This soldier, who had no acquaintances in Vinnytsia, introduced himself as Ivan Petrov and preferred to remain silent about his past. Over time, Petrov realized that Lydia had friends within the Jewish community, and that she and her parents regularly provided them with food and even sheltered them in their home. Consequently, he decided to reveal his true identity: he was Isaac Tartakovsky, a Jewish native of Kyiv. He had been captured in September 1941 but managed to escape.

Isaac had arrived in Vinnytsia hoping to secure employment; he slept in public parks or abandoned buildings. By the time Tartakovsky reached the Savchuks, he was in a state of utter despair. They agreed to hide him in their attic. Providing constant encouragement, they found the right words of support and treated Isaac with great warmth and empathy.”

In April 1943, the Savchuks were ordered to vacate their house to accommodate German troops. Together with Tartakovsky, they relocated to the outskirts of the city, presenting him to their new neighbors as a relative. There, Tartakovsky lived openly, hiding only during document inspections.

Following the liberation of Vinnytsia, Isaac Tartakovsky returned to the ranks of the Red Army. After the war, he settled in Kyiv and became a renowned artist. In 1951, he by chance met Lydia Savchuk on the street, which allowed him to reconnect with her family. Two years later, Isaac Tartakovsky and Lydia Savchuk were married. On January 2, 1995, Yad Vashem bestowed the honorary title of 'Righteous Among the Nations' upon Stepan and Nadezhda Savchuk, as well as their daughter Lydia.”

It is worth noting that the Moshe Mirilashvili Center for Research on the Holocaust in the Soviet Union has been operating at the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem since 2016. The Center's mission is to initiate and promote pioneering research into the history of Jews during World War II within the territories that were part of the USSR at the time of the Nazi invasion on June 22, 1941.

The Moshe Mirilashvili Center organizes conferences and seminars on various academic topics, conducts research, and administers web-based projects. Furthermore, the Center prepares various materials for publication and supports the publishing of books, article collections, and annotated archives of historical documents.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress continues to provide vital assistance in evacuating civilians from conflict zones in Ukraine. In addition, the EAJC has provided urgent financial support to the Jewish community of Moldova to assist with refugee relief efforts. A special humanitarian aid fund for Ukrainian Jews is active under the auspices of the Congress. Anyone wishing to support can make a donation via bank transfer or directly on the website.

Photo: Michael Brodsky's Telegram channel.