Dubinskiy Jozef & Dubinskaya Maria

Dubinskiy, Yosef Dubinskaya, Mariya Josef Dubinskiy, a carpenter, was a Sabbatarian. He lived in the village of Berezolupy, Wołyń (today Volyn’ District), with his wife, Mariya, the daughter of ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche). After the Germans conquered the area, on June 25, 1941, they established a forced-labor camp for Jews and Dubinskiy was appointed to manage a carpentry workshop set up at the site. Dubinskiy developed good relations with the interned Jews and regularly brought them food. When the camp was due to be liquidated, in August 1942, Dubinskiy warned several Jews, among them Dov Torczaniuk, and they managed to flee in time. During the Aktion, Mariya Dubinskaya hid Torczaniuk’s two daughters, Hadasa and Shoshana in her home. The following day they left for the nearby forest, where they were reunited with their parents, sisters, and Hadasa’s one-year-old baby. Life in the forest was unbearably difficult, the Torczaniuks and other Jewish refugees with them suffered from hunger and cold. One day they were surprised to see Mariya Dubinskaya near their hiding place; she was bringing them bread, socks and a heater, for warmth. She walked many kilometers not knowing if she would find the Torczaniuks or not. In the following months, as the Germans and their helpers continued to search the forest, one of the bunkers was discovered and all its inhabitants killed, among them Dov Torczaniuk his daughter Hadasa and other Jews. The remnant of the group split up and every one hid separately. One day, in autumn 1943, the Dubinskiys received a note from Pnina Torczaniuk, another daughter of the family, asking if she and Shoshana could hide with them temporarily. The Dubinskiys welcomed the Jewish girls into their home, and cared for them devotedly. During their time in hiding there, Josef Dubinskiy used to quote verses from the Old Testament for the Jewish girls, giving them hope for better times. After three months the women were urged to leave the Dubinskiysbecause neighbors knew of their existence. Shoshana perished at the end of 1943. Pnina survived the war, was reunited with her mother and the youngest sister Shulamit, who were hidden by friendly farmers, and the three of them immigrated to Israel. The Dubinskiys left for Germany. On June 20, 1990, Yad Vashem recognized Josef and Mariya Dubinskiy as Righteous Among the Nations.