Dlozhevski Vladimir & Dlozhevskaya Maria

Dlozhevskiy, Vladimir Dlozhevskaya, Mariya Vladimir Dlozhevskiy, a Russian Orthodox priest, lived with his wife, Mariya, and their only daughter, Olena, in the town of Gnivan (today Hnivan’, Vinnytsya District). Vladimir was in his mid 50s when Germany invaded the USSR on June 22, 1941. On July 17, the Germans entered Gnivan and the town remained under their occupation for two and a half years, although the neighboring villages south of Gnivan were included in the Romanian-controlled area of Transnistria. As soon as the persecutions of the Jews started, the Dlozhevskiys opened their doors to those in trouble. This was how the Panskiys, a family of five, ended up in the home of the Dlozhevskiys after they were ousted from their house. They enjoyed the Dlozhevskiys’ hospitality for many months, something made difficult by having to keep their presence a secret from the neighbors. When Abram Raikis was murdered together with several dozen other Jewish men at the outset of the occupation, Vladimir decided to help them as well. He offered Sonya, Abram’s widow, to come to his house whenever she could. There she would be able to eat and rest and feed all of her five children – Betya, Liza, Manya, Michail, and Filya. He would also give her food to take with her back home. Two other families, the family of Matvey Vainberg and the family of Shmuel Elis, soon turned to the Dlozhevskiys for help. They felt that it was getting to be more dangerous in Gnivan and they searched for ways to get out. The Dlozhevskiys helped the Panskiys find a guide to lead them across the Yuzhnyi Bug River to Transnistria. He did the same for the Vainbergs. As for Shmuel, his wife, Molka, and daughter, Anya – they were hidden in Vladimir's cart and moved, one by one, to the town of Voroshilovka, where they remained in the Jewish ghetto until the liberation. The Jews of Gnivan were murdered on June 20, 1942. Sonya and her children were among the victims. Fortunately, the bullets missed 12-yearold Michail, who, the night after the slaughter, climbed out from under the dead bodies and came to the Dlozhevskiys. They dressed the boy, supplied him with money, and sent him west to Romanian-occupied territory. After the war, all the Jews who had been helped by the Dlozhevskiys maintained contact with their rescuers. In 1956, Vladimir’s funeral was attended by dozens of Jews. The local Jewish community continued to give Mariya Dlozhevskaya their respect for the many years that she outlived her husband. On February 23, 2003, Yad Vashem recognized Vladimir and Mariya Dlozhevskiy as Righteous Among the Nations.