Kuzin Maria

Kuzin, Maria Mina Charin, later called Omer, was 16 in 1942, when she escaped from the Warsaw ghetto and arrived in the town of Lapy, in the Bialystok district, where her brother worked as a doctor in the local hospital. After meeting with her brother, Mina began working in one of the estates close to the town, until one day all the Jews of the vicinity were ordered to report to the nearby police station. The owner of the estate, considering it her lawful duty to obey the German order, decided to drive the Jewish worker to the Gestapo and hand her over there. When they were on their way, Mina asked her employer to stop near the home of Maria Kuzin, a practical nurse who worked with her brother, so she could say goodbye to her. Kuzin, who knew very well what fate awaited Mina, asked the owner of the estate to continue on her way and promised she herself would accompany the Jewish woman to the Gestapo. Mina was hidden in a hiding place arranged for her in the yard of Kuzin’s home, where she remained for a few months. When the German searches of the houses in the vicinity became more frequent, Kuzin transferred the Jewish refugee to a nearby village, where she found shelter in the home of the local priest, who looked after her with devotion and generosity. She remained there until her liberation in July 1944. Even while Mina was in the priest’s home, Kuzin continued to visit her, to provide her with her needs and to boost her morale. Everything that Kuzin did to rescue the Jewish girl stemmed from her profound love of humanity and her religious faith, and she received no remuneration. After the war, Mina immigrated to Israel and invited Kuzin, who had saved her life, to visit her there. On June 28, 1966, Yad Vashem recognized Maria Kuzin as Righteous Among the Nations.