Vira and Vasyl Romanchuk

The common efforts of one single community may save the life even at the time of war and destruction.

When in the late autumn of 1941 two girls entered the village of Druha Khinchanka (currently, the part of Zhytomyr) it became their salvation. Hanna and Ida Holubchyk were desperately searching for shelter, and local villagers advised them to go to the house of Romanchuk’s family. Vira just gave birth to a child and they needed a babysitter. The young parents sheltered girls. Only a few weeks after Hanna and Ida confessed that they were Jews, who evade the terrible death. But Vira and Vasyl were not scared with this information. Almost all villagers knew about two Jewish girls hiding in their house, and about the death penalty that Germans promised for those, who will try to save the lives of persecuted Jews. Despite that, Vasyl and Vira decided to do what they could to save two girls.

Their black curly hair was cut off, and they got new names – Halyna and Lida. They were free to walk around and help Romanchuks with their farm.

In 1942 another Jew, Moisey Rushailo, came to Druha Khinchanka. He lost all the connections with his relatives and was in absolute ignorance about their destinies. Almost all villagers were sheltering him in turns. Tens of strangers knew about his Jewish origin but no one betrayed him. For some time Moisey Rushailo lived in the attic of Romanchuk’s house. Later he went to Zhytomyr, where he found shelter in the house of Semen Malchevskyi. He lived with him until the end of the Nazi occupation. Moisey successfully found his wife and son, who were saved by Anna Krolyk.

Hanna and Ida Holubchyk stayed with Romancuks for few more years after the end of the war. Later they found their aunt in Kyiv and went there, but never lost connections with Vasyl and Vira. They were friendly even after sisters’ departure to the USA.

During the Holocaust, only a few dozens of Zhytomyr’ Jews survived. An absolute majority of them survived because of the local non-Jewish citizens who risked their lives to save others.

According to the data of 2018, more than 200 citizens of Zhytomyr region were named the Righteous Among the Nations. And 29 of them did their heroic act in Zhytomyr.  A married couple of Romanchuks is among them. On October 25, 1994, Yad Vashem named Vira Romanchuk the Righteous Among the Nations. Almost ten years after, her husband Vasyl got the same honorable award.