Alabusheva Maria

Alabusheva-Brandt, Mariya Mariya Alabusheva-Brandt was a widow who lived in Mariupol, in the district of Stalino (today Donets’k District). The Jewish Zaslavskiy couple lived in her neighborhood with their granddaughter, Ira Karpovich. The Germans conquered Mariupol on October 8, 1941, and, two days later, under the pretext of transferring the Jews elsewhere, they were assembled at several gathering points in town. Alabusheva, who escorted her neighbors to the appointed place, offered to care for six-year-old Ira in her home, for the time being. Ira stayed with Alabusheva for only one night and the following day Alabusheva took Ira to her family because her name appeared on a list of local Jews. On October 18-20, 1941, the Jews of Mariupol were taken to the death pits. On their last journey, Ira’s grandmother managed to persuade one of the guards that Ira was not Jewish and the child was permitted to stand by the wayside while her identity was being clarified. When darkness fell, Ira fled to Alabusheva’s home, where she found shelter. For six months, from November 1941, a senior German officer was billeted in Alabusheva’s house. Ira was introduced to him as Alabusheva’s daughter, and he even grew fond of her. When the house searches in Mariupol intensified and after the officer had left Alabusheva’s home, Ira was moved to an orphanage, where she was registered under a false name. Alabusheva visited Ira there once a week, brought her food, and taught her how to behave as a Christian. During the war, Ira’s mother was in the army. Afterwards, she returned to Mariupol and found her daughter. Ira and her mother were deeply grateful to Alabusheva for saving Ira during the occupation and they were her neighbors until she died. In the 1990s Ira (by then Tsipurskiy) immigrated to Israel. On July 21, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Mariya Alabusheva-Brandt as Righteous Among the Nations.