Novitzkaya Tatiana ; Daughter: Ziulikova Galina (Novitzkaya)

Pekhota (Novitzkaya), Tatyana Zyulikova (Novitzkaya), Galina Tatyana Novitzkaya (later Pekhota) and her daughter Galina (later Zyulikova) lived in the village of Guzolovka, in the district of Minsk. In late 1941, an acquaintance of Tatyana’s asked her to shelter in her home a mother and daughter from Minsk, whose home had been burned to the ground. Irina Rukhovets and four-year-old Inessa (later Yurkevich) had been hiding for the previous six months in the home of Leonid Putan* in Minsk and some friends had helped them move to Guzolovka when they sensed danger. Although Rukhovets and her daughter had false identity papers, Novitzkaya knew they were Jewish. Despite this, she agreed to shelter them in her home and she took care of all their needs. Some neighbors who realized that Novitzkaya’s guests were Jewish threatened to inform on them and, furthermore, Novitzkaya suffered from economic hardship. In 1943, when all the adult residents of the village, including Novitzkaya and Rukhovets were sent to work as forced laborers outside the village, their daughters were left to fend for themselves. The full burden of taking care of young Inessa fell on 11-year-old Galina, who protected her charge and looked after her devotedly. Shortly before the liberation, Novitzkaya and Rukhovets managed to take their daughters from the village and hide in the forest until the Red Army arrived. The two families maintained a close friendship for many years after the war. On November 12, 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Tatyana Pekhota and her daughter, Galina Zyulikova, as Righteous Among the Nations.