Boiko Valentyna

In 1937, Valentyna Boiko, a 37-year-old woman, together with her husband and children, rented half of the house in the town of Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Vinnytsia region. The Jewish family of Shvakhmans lived in the second half of the house. On the eve of the war, families were in warm relations.

After the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union Yankel Shvakhman was mobilized to the Red Army. His wife Khana stayed with two children, 10-year-old Malka and 2-year-old Faina, in Mohyliv-Podilskyi. On July 19, 1941, Germans and Romanians occupied the town. The life of local Jews was changed dramatically. The robberies, terror, and persecutions became an everyday reality.

Since September of 1941, this territory was under the control of the Romanian administration. Jews stayed in the city, but they were forced to live on strictly designated streets. The ghetto was encircled with walls and barbed wire. Khana with her daughters also should have moved to the ghetto.  

But Valentyna Boiko didn’t turn her back on her neighbors. She was glad to shelter them or to, at least, bring them food to the ghetto. Less than a year after the creation of the ghetto, Romanian police started the deportations of local Jews to the camps in Transnistria Governorate. In October of 1942 Valentyna Boiko set up a shelter under the barn, so since 1943 family of Shvakhmans lived there.

Valentyna was also hiding two other Jewish families in that shelter – Frishman and Tubis.

While the escapees were hiding in her house, Valentyna provided them with food and other necessary things. During all the period of occupation, the lives of Valentyna, her children, and her ‘’guests’’ were under the threat. She managed to remove some things from Shvakhmans’part of the house, including the sewing machine. Using it, Khana was supporting Valentyna in her attempt to save them all. At the same time, Valentyna was baking and selling bread. Valentyna Boiko was also in permanent contact with local partisans. On March 19, 1944, the Red Army entered the town of Mohyliv-Podilskyi and the Jews were free to leave their shelter. Yankel Shvakhman returned home and found his family saved by Valentyna Boiko.

On July 18, 2002, Valentyna Boiko was named the Righteous Among the Nations.