Zhilinskaya Maria ; Brother: Bondazuk Hrinko

Zhilinskaya, Maria Bondazuk, Hrinko Bronia Kidron (née Gewurz, b. 1928) lived with her parents and older sister in Mikulince, in the Tarnopol district of Poland. In 1939 the region was annexed by the Russians, and Bronia’s father’s produce-selling business was nationalized. In 1941 the Germans occupied the region and quickly implemented racial laws. Bronia’s father was sent to a forced labor camp and died shortly thereafter. Her mother and older sister were killed in an Aktion (mass execution); Bronia, however, survived thanks to the intervention of an uncle who was a member of the local Judenrat (Jewish council). She hid in the attics of abandoned houses, moving along when she sensed danger. Eventually she made her way to the forest, where she lived along the bank of a river. She would periodically approach farmers, who would provide her with food or shelter for a night, but because of the danger involved they were unwilling to help her for longer. In this manner Bronia survived for two years. In October 1943 Bronia knocked on the door of Maria Zhilinskaya, who took pity on the bedraggled girl and let her in. Maria fed Bronia, nursed her wounds, cleaned her head of lice, and allowed her to bathe properly. The next day she told Bronia that she was willing to take responsibility for hiding her. Maria consulted with her brother Hrinko, a bachelor who lived with her. Hrinko had a home of his own; it was empty, and they suggested that Bronia hide there, with the stipulation that if she were caught, she would claim that Hrinko was unaware that she was hiding there. Hrinko and Maria brought Bronia food each night. This arrangement lasted until March 1944, when the rescuers grew concerned that Bronia might be discovered by the flow of German soldiers returning from the eastern front. They hid her in the attic of a hayloft in the yard. Once the threat of discovery by German soldiers had passed and liberation was near, Bronia left her hiding place and moved in with Maria. Hrinko and Maria suggested, because of the strong anti-Jewish sentiment in the area that Bronia convert to Christianity and stay with them long term. Bronia, however, was unwilling to convert and instead took leave of her rescuers, heading back to her hometown of Mikulince. But the place no longer felt like home without her family and friends, and she continued wandering west. She eventually joined the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement and immigrated to Israel. Bronia’s rescuers moved from the region in which they lived during the war, and the whereabouts of their descendants, if any exist, are unknown. On July 31, 2012, Maria Zhilinskaya and Hrinko Bondazuk were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.