Babych Mariia

Mariia Babych lived in the city of Rivne. She worked as a nanny for the Jewish family of Osipov. When the German-Soviet war broke out, Itzhak Osypov went to the front, and his wife Mina and their one-year-old daughter found themselves in a difficult situation. The orders of the new authorities restricted the rights of Jews in every possible way. Realizing the danger, Mina decides to entrust little Irit to Mariia, and she herself moved to the ghetto.

At that time, Mariia Babych had already been helping Jews she knew. She took the baby to her home and presented it as her daughter.

Soon she found out that Mina was killed in the Sosonky ravine during a mass shooting in early November 1941. For the next four years, she took care of Irit, bringing her up as if she was her own child.

After the war, Itzhak Osypov returned to Rivne and found his daughter. Irit was the only member of the Osypov family who survived the Holocaust in the city. Mariia Babych became part of their family and later emigrated to Israel with Itzhak and Irit.

On May 1, 1962, the Avenue of the Righteous was built in Yad Vashem. On that day, the first 11 trees were planted in honor of the Righteous Among the Nations. They were planted by rescuers from different countries, as well as the Jews they saved. Among the participants of the ceremony was a Ukrainian woman from Rivne, Mariia Babych.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Golda Meir took part in the official ceremony.