Pavlishyn (Dzhivulska), Anastasiya

Peasants Vasyl and Maryna Dzhivulsky lived in the village of Rublyn not far from the town of Zolotyy Potik, Ternopil region. This religious couple of Sabbatarians had 4 daughters. On the eve of the war three of them, 15-year-old Anastasiya, 12-year-old Kateryna, and 9-year-old Pavlyna lived in the parents’ home. Their married daughter Hanka lived in another village.

The area was occupied by Nazi on July 3, 1941. Few months later Ita Kirshenbaum, the daughter of Vasyl’s ex-employer, came to the Dzhivulskys and asked if they could hide her family for money. They agreed.

One night, Ita Kirshenbaum, her 18-month-old daughter Tsipora, Ita’s brother Gertzel Strauber, his wife Malka, their daughter Genya Tova, Ita’s sister Sosia Petrover, her husband Shay, and their two children Esther and Miriam, Ita’s brother-in-law Mykhael Erlikh, Avraham Kupferman, his wife Frima, and their two children arrived to the Dzhivulskys’ home.

Secret place in the stable became a shelter for 14 Jews. Vasyl, Maryna and their three daughters did care about these wretched people. They were bringing them food, support them morally, and did their best for Jews to feel as comfortable as possible under such circumstances.  All money paid was spent on food for these 14 people in hide. Rescuers had to go to other villages to purchase food not to attract attention to their family as the amount of food needed showed more than five people were fed. As the stable was not a proper place for a baby, the Dzhivulskys took Ita’s daughter Tsipora home and presented her as their granddaughter, Hanka’s daughter.

At some point, hiders ran out of money and wretched people were starving. The Dzhivulskys had no funds either so every night they were going to the fields to pick root vegetables and fruits and whatever they could find to feed those hidden and themselves. It lasted like that for 6 months until the expulsion of the Nazis from the region on April 14, 1944.

After the war, survivors left the USSR and the Dzhivulskys were exiled to Siberia.

Only in the 80-ies Ita managed to find her rescuers and stayed in touch with them for the lifetime.

On December 19, 1974, Yad Vashem recognized Vasyl and Maryna Dzhivulsky as Righteous Among the Nations.

On June 11, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Anastasiya Pavlishin, Kateryna Dzhivulska, and Pavlyna Kuzevich (Dzhivulska), as Righteous Among the Nations.