Vilmans Petrunela

Vilmans, Petrunela Petrunela Vilmans was the nanny of Maja, the only daughter of David and Rebecca Zarch, of Daugavpils, Latgale. On June 26, 1941, the city was captured by the German troops and on July 9, David Zarch was arrested and shot in the local prison. His wife, Rebecca and daughter, as well as other Jews, were forced to move to the ghetto on the outskirts of the town, to an old half-burned barracks without windows, water or any other facilities. Before moving to the ghetto the Zarchs left all their belongings for Petrunela’s safekeeping. Later, while Rebecca was taken for work in town, she managed to make contact with Petrunela who started bringing food and forest fruits to the Zarchs. Sometimes, inside the loaf of bread, a golden coin or a chain were hidden, and Rebecca used them for bribing the guards at the gates who “did not notice” 12-year-old Maja going back and forth with her mother, because Rebecca was afraid to leave her in the ghetto alone. In autumn 1942, Petrunela persuaded the Zarchs that Maja should not return to the ghetto but remain with her. For a period of several weeks, Petrunela and a Jewish girl lived with Petrunela’s uncle, but as it was no safer there, Maja was brought back to her mother. In late October 1943, after the ghetto liquidation, Rebecca and her daughter were transferred to the Kaiserwald camp in Rīga, and then sent to the Stutthof camp. They both miraculously survived to witness the end of the war. Some time later, Rebecca and Maja (later Abramowitch) settled in South Africa, and renewed contact with Petrunela. The rescuer, a very devout Catholic, had not sold any of the Zarchs possessions, although she lived in great poverty, and returned everything to the family. She died in May 1979, leaving no children. On June 28, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Petrunela Vilmans as Righteous Among the Nations.