UKRAINIANS ASSISTING JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUSTTEXTUAL AND PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDS
The following is a collection of photo and textual records that can be found in the UCRDC Archive on the topic of Ukrainians who assisted Jews during WWII. This includes memoirs and original documentation from Ukrainians who were involved in safeguarding Jews, press and journal articles related to the topic, and bibliographies listing relevant material compiled by UCRDC.
Dr. Michael Shkilnyk was actively involved in the rescue of Jews during World War II. His family donated files documenting his story and the story of others who were involved in such heroic acts. These documents are:
•Invitation that Dr. Shkilnyk received for the National Interfaith Convocation to celebrate the restoration of religious freedom and the independence of Ukraine. This convocation was organized by the American Forum for Jewish-Christian Cooperation and took place on March 22, 1992 in Washington, DC.
•"Rescue of the Great Rabbi" - A personal memoir by Dr. Michael Shkilnyk, in which he describes the rescue of Aaron Rokach, the Rabbi of Belz (Western Ukraine). [ Rescue of Rabbi.pdf ]
•Scans of the correspondence between Yad Vashem and Dr. Shkilnyk [ SHKCorrespondence.pdf ]
•"Зізнання Шкільника" - А confession by Petro Pyasetskyj (Петро Пясецький) from February 17, 1963 about how the foresters and Ukrainian villagers living in Western Ukraine helped hide Jews in the forest and gave them work in order to keep them safe. [ Ziznannya Skhilnyka.pdf ]
•"Молитвою врятовані" - A memoir recounting how father Emilian Kovch (Еміліян Ковч) and his daughters Iryna and Lidia were captured by the bolsheviks, and their subsequent escape.
[ Molytvoyu Vriatovani.pdf ]
A paper prepared by UCRDC researcher and interviewer Orest Zakydalsky on the topic of Ukrainians saving Jews during the Holocaust. This paper was presented at the «Праведники – рятівники життя: історичний досвід та моральні уроки», conference in Lviv, Ukraine (The Righteous – Saviors of Life: Historical Experience and Moral Lessons, International Academic Conference), May 17-19th, 2011.
Conference Organizers: Tkuma All-Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies; Hesed Aryeh Lviv Oblast Jewish Charitable Fund; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Ukraine.
It was also presented at the Seventh Annual Danyliw Research Seminar on Contemporary Ukraine held at the University of Ottawa on October 20-22, 2011, organized by the Chair of Ukrainian Studies.
Both Ukrainian and English versions of this paper can be found HERE. [ Orest Zakydalsky Danyliw Seminar paper.pdf ]
The Ukrainian version was also published in Tkuma’s Holocaust Studies journal, which can be found under the following link: http://www.tkuma.dp.ua/images/public_dounload/2013_holocaust_stadies_6.pdf
The article on the conference in Lviv appeared in Svoboda Ukrainian newspaper on July 8, 2011 and can be viewed HERE.
YAD VASHEM, RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS
Since Yad Vahem began honoring non-Jews who helped save Jews during the Holocaust, many Ukrainians have found themselves the recipients of this honour. A list of the Righteous Among the Nations Honored by Yad Vashem from Ukraine by January 1, 2016 can be found HERE.
During the years of the second world war, Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky helped dozens of Jews find refuge in his monasteries and even in his own home. Resources to help you become better acquainted with the work of Metropolitan Sheptytsky can be found HERE.
A collection of bibliographies compiled by the researchers of UCRDC for further reading on the topic of Ukrainians and Jews and the historical and current connection they share can be found HERE.
Shimon's Returns. Dir. Slawomir Grunberg, Katka Reszke. Grunberg Films, 2015. Film.
A documentary shot in Poland, Ukraine, and Israel that tells the story of Holocaust survivor Shimon Redlich, who returns to places from his childhood and reflects upon his struggle to survive during the years of World War II. The film also features archival footage from the 1948 Yiddish film "Unzere Kinder", where Shimon played a small role as a child actor.
Trailer can be accessed online HERE