Peremot Ivan and Tetiana

Ivan and Tetiana Peremot lived with their two adult sons in the town of Merefa in the Kharkiv region before the beginning of the German-Soviet war. The husband worked as a principal at a local school, teaching mathematics and physics, and his wife was a housewife. When the war began, both sons were evacuated to the east of the USSR along with the heavy industry enterprises where they worked.

In October 1941, the town of Merefa was occupied by German troops. A group of Wehrmacht officers were quartered in the Peremot house. Ivan and Tetiana were forced to give up two rooms in their house to the occupiers, and they themselves huddled in the hallway. But even despite such living conditions, the couple managed to save the Jew Viktor Rudnyk, a school friend of one of their sons.

Victor came to them in December 1941. He looked exhausted, having escaped from captivity and then spent several weeks reaching his hometown. Ivan and Tetiana told the Germans that this was their son, who had been released from a prisoner of war camp. The Nazis believed him and did not touch the man, seeing his condition.

Having recovered somewhat, Rudnyk decided not to tempt fate and not to expose the Ukrainian family to trouble. Ivan gave him the documents of one of his sons and helped him leave the town of Merefa. In the spring of 1942, Viktor joined the Red Army and in May he took part in the Second Battle of Kharkiv.

After the war, the survivor renewed relationship with his rescuers and was always grateful for their brave act.

In 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Ivan and Tetiana Peremot as Righteous Among the Nations.