Pavlovski Petro ; Brother: Ignat

Pavlovskiy, Petro Pavlovskiy, Ignat Petro Pavlovskiy was a farmer living on a khutor near the village of Dorohostaje, district of Wołyń. In May 1942, Pavlovskiy, a Baptist, was driven by religious motives to offer shelter in his home to two Jews from the nearby town of Ołyka with whom he was acquainted: Michael Grinshtein (b. 1927) and his father, Shmuel. These two Jews stayed with him for 22 months throughout which time they were hidden in some hay in the threshing room. Pavlovskiy’s wife and six young children played an active role in helping the hidden Jews, bringing them food, emptying their waste bucket, and standing on guard when the Grinshteins went out to the yard to stretch their limbs. After the Grinshteins had been with them for four months, another eight Jews knocked on the Pavlovskiys’ door and asked for help. They were: Israel Podeszwa; his wife, Sara; their children, Aharon, Menachem and Fejga; Sara’ sister, Chaya-Lea (later Keselman); her son Aharon Gewantman; and a girl called Ronya Shvartsberg, all from the town of Ostrożec (Ostrozhets’). Before agreeing to hide them, Pavlovskiy consulted with the Grinshteins and asked his brother Ignat, who lived on a nearby khutor, for assistance. Thus Ignat’s family – wife and two daughters – also became involved with saving Jews. The Pavlovskiy brothers provided their wards with food and any other necessities and they always treated them well. On February 2, 1944, the Red Army liberated the area and nine of the hidden Jews were free. Israel Podeszwa had died from a blood hemorrhage while in hiding. Over time, they all moved from the Soviet Union to Poland, and from there they scattered around the world. Michael Grinshtein eventually settled in Israel, from where he regularly corresponded with the Pavlovskiys. On January 31, 1978, Yad Vashem recognized Petro Pavlovskiy and his brother, Ignat Pavlovskiy, as Righteous Among the Nations.