Kindrat Kirilo

Kindrat, Kyrylo Kirilo Kindrat lived in the village of Stasiowa Wola, district of Stanisławów (today Sloboda, Ivano-Frankivs’k District). In summer 1943, Kindrat afforded shelter in his home to his former teacher, Professor Isaac Shlezinger, who had fled from the Lwów ghetto after losing his wife and two daughters. Kindrat prepared two hiding places for Shlezinger: one in the loft of the barn and the second in the garden, inside a hole meant for storing potatoes. As Kindrat’s home was on the edge of the village, far from the neighbors and with two sides facing a field and a forest, the hiding place was relatively secure, and when the cold, harsh winter arrived, Kindrat decided to bring Shlezinger into his warm home. Kindrat brought a large wall cupboard and he hid his ward in the space between the wall and the cupboard every time his dog, which was kept out in the yard, barked. For a year, until the liberation of the area, Kindrat took care of all of Shlezinger’s needs and he kept the secret of his presence tightly guarded. In July 1944, Kindrat and Shlezinger moved to Bursztyn (Burshtyn), where they found work in education. In the late 1940s, Shlezinger moved to Poland, from where he immigrated to Israel. He corresponded with Kindrat for many years. On December 30, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Kirilo Kindrat as Righteous Among the Nations.