Petrenko Ustinia

Petrenko, Ustinya Ustinya Petrenko (b. 1908) lived with her husband and two young children in the village of Shatura, Chernigov District (today Chernihiv District). When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, her husband was conscripted into the Red Army and she was left alone with the children. The Germans conquered the area where Petrenko resided on September 9, 1941, and in late October the same year two girls, 15 and 16 years old, both called Dveira Medvedeva, the daughters of two Jewish brothers, appeared in Shatura. Most of the village residents knew them well because their families lived there before moving to Nezhin in the 1930s. One of the girls was blonde with blue eyes, and the other had curly black hair and looked Jewish. Despite the risk involved with assisting Jews, some of the locals, including Petrenko, were not afraid to do so. Petrenko hid the girls in the basement of her home for a few weeks, during which time she forbade them from leaving the hideaway. One night, the village head paid Petrenko a visit and after telling her that he was aware that she was harboring the Medvedeva girls, he offered her his support and promised to do everything within his ability to protect them. He suggested that Petrenko dress the girls in local farmer’s garb and send them to work in the fields of the nearby kolkhoz. The Medvedeva girls stayed with Petrenko in Shatura for two-and-a-half years, with the assistance of the village head, who warned Petrenko in advance of the arrival of any Germans or police. In these instances, the girls were hidden in the fields, or left the village altogether for a few days, returning to Petrenko’s home only after the danger had subsided. Petrenko always treated the girls warmly and offered them encouragement during the difficult times. Over time, they both began to call her “mom.” The warm relations between Petrenko and her wards continued even after the war. When the blonde Dveira died at age 18, Petrenko mourned as if she hadlost a daughter. The other Dveira later immigrated to the United States and only renewed contact with Petrenko in the 1990s. On March 22, 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Ustinya Petrenko as Righteous Among the Nations.