Datskova Klavdia

Zaritskaya (Datskova), Klavdiya Klavdiya Datskova (b. 1925) lived with her parents in Zhmerinka, in the Vinnitsa District (today Vinnytsya), and she was friendly with Olga Binshtein, a Jewish girl her age. On July 17, 1941, the German and Romanian forces occupied Zhmerinka and later that month the local Jewish population became subject to persecutions. Olga’s parents felt that they were not able to protect their daughter from the mob, so they urged her to look for shelter at her non-Jewish friends. Thus, one evening in late July, Olga knocked at the Datskovs’ door. Klavdiya and her parents greeted Olga warmly and, despite the risk involved with hiding a Jew, suggested that she stay in their home as long as needed. Olga remained hidden for several weeks. Zhmerinka was handed over to Romanian control and the new authorities established a ghetto for the Jews in early September 1941. Olga’s parents moved to the ghetto but soon decided to leave for the neighboring town of Shargorod, also in Romanian-controlled Transnistria, where they had relatives. Olga joined them and the Binshteins spent the occupation years in the Shargorod ghetto. After the liberation, in March 1944, Klavdiya left her hometown without knowing what had become of her friend Olga (later Trachtenberg). They were reunited in the 1950s, when both women were living in Vinnitsa, and they continued to maintain contact with each other thereafter, even following Olga’s immigration to Israel. On August 2, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Klavdiya Zaritskaya (née Datskova) as Righteous Among the Nations.