Kitkovski Vladimir

Kitkovski, Vladimir The Burstein family lived in the village of Shumsk, in the Tarnopol district of Ukraine. Michael and Miriam Burstein had three children: Shimon( b.1912), Yaakov (Jack, b. 1915), and Malka (Molly, b. 1920). In September 1939 their village became part of Soviet Russia; in July 1941 the Germans occupied the region. The Germans established a ghetto in the town, and the Bursteins lived there (except for the eldest son, Shimon, who had been conscripted into the Red Army and would eventually be killed at the front). Yaakov worked for a farmer named Vladimir Kitkovski in the neighboring village of Wolkowce, and this connection helped the family survive in the ghetto: Vladimir gave Yaakov food that he would then bring home to his family. This arrangement lasted until August 1942, when the ghetto was sealed. Shortly afterward, Vladimir lingered near the ghetto fence until he saw Yaakov pass, then called him over. He told him that there were rumors that the ghetto was to be liquidated and that Yaakov could hide at Vladimir’s father’s home if he could manage to get out. The rumor quickly became a reality. On August 18, 1942, the Germans rounded up the Jews of the ghetto and gathered them near a large synagogue, from where they were to be marched to pits that the Ukrainians had prepared in advance. This was the fate of Yaakov and Malka’s parents. But Yaakov and Malka managed to escape the ghetto just before the roundup, and they went to Vladimir’s father’s home. After two weeks, Vladimir’s father’s wife—Vladimir’s stepmother—became sufficiently concerned about the ongoing searches for Jews and the punishments for those found hiding them that she demanded that Yaakov and Malka leave. With nowhere else to turn, they came to Vladimir’s house; Vladimir and his wife agreed to hide them in the attic of their cowshed. Though they were of limited means themselves and had three small children of their own, they cared for Yaakov and Malka for 18 months, providing them with food and a safe place to stay. Despite the pressure from Vladimir’s stepmother, who repeatedly encouraged Vladimir to rid himself of the danger that harboring Jews posed, he did not waver from his commitment to keep them safe. Yaakov and Malka stayed in touch with their rescuer following the war. Even after they immigrated to the United States, they remained in contact and assisted Vladimir however they could. On October 23, 2012, Vladimir Kitkovski was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.