Kostiukevich Konon & Stepanida ; Son: Aleksandr ; Son: Lukash ; Son: Aleksey ; Son: Fedor ; Daughter: Odarka

Kostyukevich, Konon Kostyukevich, Stepanida Kostyukevich, Aleksander Kostyukevich, Lukash Kostyukevich, Odarka Kostyukevich, Aleksey Kostyukevich, Fyodor Konon and Stepanida Kostyukevich, a farmer couple in their 60s, owned an isolated farm not far from the village of Karasin, 20 km north of Sarny (Volhynia, today Rivne District). Farming was not their only source of income; Konon also worked as a blacksmith, having his workshop near his home. The Kostyukeviches had five children in the family, but two were not living at home; Aleksander and Lukash both married during the German occupation and had moved to the town of Ozeri. Starting in late 1942 the Kostyukeviches became involved with the upkeep of the Jews hiding in the forests surrounding their farm. Jews from this area had been brought to the Poleska camp and on August 27, 1942, the execution of the inhabitants began. As the Germans began to take the interned Jews to their death, hundreds of them attempted to escape. Those who were not shot while running away reached the forests, split into groups, and started their struggle to survive. Needing food to eat, they would occasionally turn to the local farmers, and the Kostyukeviches were among those who helped. When the weather became cold they brought 12-year-old Naftali Turok, the son of the Jewish blacksmith son from Karasin and the only survivor of his family, into their home. Naftali, or as he was called then, Tolka, was treated as a family member; he ate and slept with together the other children. However, he never let down his guard, and when strangers were sighted approaching the farm, he would hide or run back into the forests. Some time later two other Jews, Yosef Wolf and Zvi Burko, also came to stay with the Kostyukeviches. The two were ill with typhus and their chances to survive in the forest were very low, so Konon allowed them to stay in the attic and cared for them there. After their recovery Yosef and Zvi remained with the Kostyukevichesand helped Konon in his workshop. By this time they had moved out of the attic and into a nearby shed, which was concealed by the trees. They were also joined by another Jew in the shed, Yosef Perelstein. They all survived until the liberation by the Red Army in January 1944. After the liberation, the surviving Jews hurried to move to Sarny since the Ukrainian ultra-nationalist Bandera bands were very active in the area. Konon felt that his life might also be in danger, for the fact that he had provided the Jews with help became widely known. He left for Sarny too alone, intending to rent an apartment for the whole family and to bring them there later. During his absence the ultra-nationalists surrounded the farm and murdered Stepanida and the three younger children, 18-year-old Odarka, 15-year-old Aleksey, and 12-year-old Fyodor. On that day two other families, one Jewish and one Ukrainian, became their victims. Konon died of typhus two years later. Naftali Turok left the Ukraine and later settled in Israel. On November 16, 2005 Yad Vashem recognized Konon and Stepanida Kostyukevich and their children, Aleksander, Lukash, Odarka, Aleksey, and Fyodor as Righteous Among the Nations.