Lukavskaya Maria ; Son: Lukavsky Juzek

Lukavskaya, Mariya Lukavskiy, Juzek The farmer Mariya Lukavskaya lived in the village of Starunya, district of Stanisławów (today Ivano-Frankivs’k District). Her husband, Jurko, worked in the local dairy owned by the Goldshtein family, residents of the same village, and the Lukavskiys and the Goldshteins were friends. When the Germans conquered Eastern Galicia, Jurko Lukavskiy was sent to the forced labor in Germany, leaving Mariya alone with their three children, 12-year-old Juzek, nine-year-old Petro, and two-year-old Donia. Soon the local Jews were deported to the ghetto in nearby Nadwórna (Nadvirna). In November 1942, Icko, the Goldshteins’ 31-year-old son, appeared at the Lukavskiys’ home, pale, with filthy clothes, and a petrified look on his face. After coming in and eating, Goldshtein told the Lukavskiys about the Aktion in Nadwórna that took place on October 24, during which the last remaining Jews were shot to death. Icko had fallen into the death pit, injured, and that night, after the Germans had left, he crawled out and spent almost a week heading back towards his native village, hiding during the day and on the move by night. From that day until January 1944, Icko hid on Lukavskaya’s farm. In winter he stayed under a haystack in the barn and in spring Lukavskaya made a safer hiding place for him in a hole under the barn and Juzek took the responsibility of bringing Icko food every day and cleaning out his hideaway. In January 1944, the family of Mordechai Thune, a local Jew, was discovered hiding with the Lukavskiys’ neighbors, and were killed together with their rescuers. On hearing this, Icko decided to leave his shelter and headed to the forest, where he met other Jews. After the liberation, he moved to Poland, married, changed his surname to Sztork, and in 1950, immigrated to Israel. It was only in 1990, after Lukavskaya’s death, that he managed to find her daughter in Ukraine. On February 8, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Mariya Lukavskayaand her son, Juzek Lukavskiy, as Righteous Among the Nations.