Polishchuk Gnat ; Sister: Tarasova Nadezhda (Polishchuk)

Polishchuk, Gnat Tarasova, Nadezhda Gnat Polishchuk lived with his elderly mother in the village of Stadniki, Wołyń (today Stadnyky, Rivne District). Polishchuk’s married sister, Nadezhda Tarasova, lived with her two young children in the house opposite. Before the war, the Rondel family lived in nearby town of Ostróg (Ostrih) and, until the German-Soviet war broke, out Polishchuk had business relations with them. In summer 1942, Polishchuk brought home 11-year-old Liza Rondel, whose mother was born in Stadniki and whose father was killed when the Germans invaded the area. Rondel was hidden alternately in the granary, the basement, and in the barn, and when house searches were being conducted she hid in a hole camouflaged with planks in a nearby field. Polishchuk’s closest family members knew that he was harboring a Jewish child and his sister Tarasova was actively involved in the rescue. In early autumn 1942, Joel Rubinsztejn, a resident of Ostróg, joined Rondel in her hideaway after his wife and two children had been murdered. When the area was liberated, in February 1944, he joined the Red Army, and he later moved to Israel. Rondel stayed with the Polishchuk family until she commenced her studies in Zdolbunov (Zdolbuniv) in 1949. Rondel maintained a warm relationship with Polishchuk and Tarasova for many years after the war. In 1991, she immigrated to Israel. On June 29, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Gnat Polishchuk and his sister, Nadezhda Tarasova, as Righteous Among the Nations.