Hava Feodosia with family

Mykhailo and Ahafia Hava together with their children Vasyl and Feodosia lived in the village Vasylivka of Kirovohrad region. Jewish family of Rovynski was their neighbors. Children of Rovynski and Hava families were friends. With the beginning of Nazi occupation, the haunting of Jews also begun. After the registration in the office of local authorities, the family of Rovynski was hiding in Hava’s house.

In the spring of 1943, Lazar Rovynski with his son was caught by Germans. Lazar’s younger son, 13-years old Yakiv was hidden by Hava family in the feeder for cattle with a double fold. Not the interrogations of his Ukrainian mother, neither search in the house helped Nazi to find Yakiv. Hiding place in cattle feeder was safe, but not comfortable. So Yakiv couldn’t stay there for long. During the summer he was hiding in steppe and getting food from Feodosia.  

When autumn came Mykhailo invited Yakiv Rovynski to Hava’s home again. One night, the village headman came to the house, when Yakiv was there. Feodosia quickly hid him behind the furnace. She was covering him, till the headman leave their home.

After the liberation of the village from Nazi troops, Yakiv returned home, where his mother was waiting for him. Yakiv’s older brother also survived, but their father, Lazar Rovynski, was killed. Mykhailo Hava was conscripted for the Red Army and went for a front. Since March of 1944, he was a submachine gunner. Mykhailo participated in a few huge soviet operations in Ukraine and Moldova. He died in January 1945 near Budapest, far away from his native village.

In November of 2002 Hava’s family was awarded to Righteous Among the Nations award.