Diki Vasili & Dikaya Anna ; Son: Nikolai

Dikiy, Vasiliy Dikaya, Anna Dikiy, Nikolay Anna and Vasiliy Dikiy and their son Nikolay lived in the village of Kulyga, Vinnitsa (today Vinnytsya District). They were friendly with the brothers Yakov and Volf Nakhlis. On July 17, 1941, the Germans conquered the area and the persecution of Jews began: stiff fines were imposed, and homes were marked with the Star of David. On August 18, Volf was killed, and then in December, Vasiliy came to Litin to fetch Volf’s baby, Ida, who was born in October. Vasiliy left the baby outside a neighbor’s house, where there were no children. As expected, the neighbors brought the baby into their home, without knowing she was Jewish. Thus Ida was saved. In June 1942, following an Aktion in the ghetto, Dikiy brought Ida’s mother, Nehuma, to his home. From then on, his wife, Anna, often brought Ida over to her house, ostensibly to play with her but actually so that mother and daughter could spend time together. In November 1942, Yakov’s wife, Riva, and her daughters, Fira, Chana, and Betya were brought to the Dikiys’ home hidden in the cart of their Ukrainian friend Yefim Mukomel*. The Dikiys hid the five Jews in a narrow room that Vasiliy and Nikolay constructed for this exact purpose, which could only be entered from the attic. In September 1943, Yefim Mukomel secretly brought Yakov Nakhlis to the Dikiys to join his family. Yakov had escaped the labor camp for Jewish artisans and found refuge for several days with the Mukomels. With the help of Dikiy, who provided the Jews with suitable clothing and found them a good guide, the six Jews moved in November of that year to Transnistria, which was under Romanian control. The day after their departure, police arrived at the Dikiys’ home and carried out a thorough search. They slaughtered all the Dikiys’ animals and arrested Vasiliy. Nikolay managed to escape. Only after long negotiations and the intervention of Kulyga villagers did the police commander agree to accept a payment inreturn for Dikiy’s release. The members of the Nakhlis family, including Ida, survived the war. They maintained a warm relationship with their rescuers for many years thereafter. On April 12, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Vasiliy and Anna Dikiy and their son, Nikolay Dikiy, as Righteous Among the Nations.