Sidorchuk Volodymir & Zofia ; Son: Yosef

Sidorchuk, Volodymyr Sidorchuk, Sofya Sidorchuk, Yosef Volodymyr (Vladek) Sidorchuk, his wife, Sofya, and their son, Yosef, were farmers and lived on the outskirts of the town of Brody, Tarnopol District (today L’viv District). The Germans conquered the area on June 30, 1941, and, within a short time, they started taking steps against the Jews in the town and its environs. Until the summer of 1942, the Jews were allowed to remain in their homes. Then, they were ordered to move to the ghetto; some preferred not to do so and looked for places to hide. At this time, Sidorchuk visited his friend Yehuda Spodek and offered him and his family shelter in his home; Spodek accepted the offer. The Sidorchuks dug a hole the size of a small room, supported by wooden poles, in a concealed corner of their barn, an air hole was created, and it was covered with boards, upon which they placed straw. The hideaway was very low and those inside it could only sit or lie down. The entrance was through the rabbit hutch that was connected to the barn. The Spodeks – Yehuda, his wife, Chana, and their 14-year-old daughter, Tsipora - hid in this place for 18 months. Sofya or her son Yosef brought them food and drink every day, and Yosef also brought them newspapers and sometimes sat and talked with them. One night every few weeks, the Sidorchuk family welcomed the Spodeks into their home so they could bathe and wash their clothes. As the war front approached Brody, in March 1944, the Sidorchuks’ home was blown up. The Jews fled to the forest and Chana soon fell ill and died. Spodek, who also fell ill, managed to reach a hospital, where he was identified as a Jew and killed. Tsipora was sent ostensibly as a Ukrainian, using false identity papers, to forced labor in Germany. When she returned to Brody in 1945, she discovered that a Ukrainian nationalist gang had murdered Sidorchuk because he had helped Jews during the war. Tsipora (later Rom) maintained contact with Sofya and Yosef formany years thereafter, even after she immigrated to Israel, where she hosted Yosef in 1993. On September 1, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Volodomir and Sofya Sidorchuk, and Yosef Sidorchuk, as Righteous Among the Nations.