Georgiy Korneliuk

Anna and Ivan Korneliuk lived in the city of Iziaslav (Kamyanets-Podilsky, now Khmelnytsky) region together with their children Georgiy (born in 1924) and Galina (born 1928).

During the war between Germany and the Soviet Union Ivan worked at the railway station.  It was there on July 6, 1941 that he met Elena Heidelberg (in marriage – Leikina) and her two-year son Vladimir.  Because Elena was married to a Soviet officer, she was ordered to evacuate to the east.  However, when she came to the station, the German army had already entered the city.

Ivan was a pity for Elena and her son, and he invited them to his home.  In a few days, seeing how Germans treated Jews, he was forced to hide Elena and Vladimir – either on the attic or in the basement.

After the first punitive action on August 25, the same year, Maxim Bondarenko, his neighbor, appealed to Ivan Korneliuk, asking him to hide his Jewish bride, Frida Sverdlyk, who was known by the whole district well.  For several weeks, Sverdlyk was hiding in the house of Korneliuk together with her son Jorge.

At that time, Jora was baptized and Anna Korneliuk became his godmother. At the end of 1941, Frida and Maxim left Izyaslav and went to the far village. Elena and son remained in the house of Kornelyuk.  Children, George and Galina, helped their parents to care for the family of Heidelberg.

In 1943 Georgiy went to the partisans.  For half a year, nothing was heard about him until one night he came home only to tell the family that soon in the Iziaslav area fighting will begin and they have to leave.  The same night, the families of Korneliuk and Heidelberg fled from Izyavas and returned home together after the liberation of the city.  It turned out that the house of Heidelberg was destroyed, so Elena and her son lived in the family of Korneliuk for several months.  Families maintained warm relations all their lives.

On March 28, 1995 Yad Vashem honored the whole family of Korneliuk with the honorary title “Righteous people of the world”.