Chentsova Galina ; Sister: Valentina

Chentsova, Galina Chentsova, Valentina Kolomiyets (Targonya), Olga Galina Chentsova lived with her sister Valentina in a house rented from the Gladshtein family in Starokonstantinov, Kamenets-Podolsk District (today Starokostyantyniv, Khmel’nyts’kyy District). When the Germans entered the town on July 8, 1941, Galina, a German language teacher, was recruited to work as a translator for the municipal authority. Galina used this position to help save Jews: she secretly took forms from her office, forged documents and handed them out to her Jewish friends and other people being persecuted by the authorities. In spring 1942, Galina and her sister made contact with Chaya Gladshtein, interned in the local ghetto, and the latter begged the Chentsova sisters to save her 14-year-old daughter Polina, and three-year-old cousin Sheyndla. The Germans had already murdered Sheyndla’s parents, as well as Polina’s father and brother. At the end of May 1942, shortly before the large-scale Aktion, carried out on June 23, the Chentsovas brought the two Jewish girls to their home. A few weeks later, equipped with false identity papers, Polina moved to the home of a friend of the Chentsova sisters, Olga Targonya in Shepetovka (Shepetivka). Olga lived alone and worked as a secretary in the local civilian hospital. Targonya took care of Polina for one year, during which time she introduced her to people as her niece. In the fall of 1943, the two of them joined the partisans. In the meantime, four-year-old Sheyndla, whose name was changed to Lyuba, stayed with the Chentsovas, who told their neighbors that they found the child abandoned at the railway station. In 1943, Galina managed to register her as her daughter and, thanks to the decency of the neighbors who knew about her true identity and kept it quiet, the Chentsovas managed to save the life of the young child. After the liberation, Sheyndla was adopted by her relatives and moved to another place. Galina Chentsova died in1946. Her sister Valentina was accused of anti-Soviet activities and exiled to Siberia. Ten years later she was rehabilitated for the lack of evidence. Olga Targonya married and left for Kiev. On March 7, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Galina Chentsova, Valentina Chentsova, and Olga Kolomiyets (Targonya), as Righteous Among the Nations.