Kocherha Mariia, Perebyinis Olena

Mariia Kocherha lived with her little granddaughter Liuba in the village of Nyzhchi Vereshchaky in Kirovohrad region. Her daughter Olena Perebyinis spent most of her time in the neighboring village of Birky, where she worked as a tractor driver on a collective farm. At the beginning of August 1941, the area was occupied by the Nazis. Olena visited her mother and daughter from time to time, and once, at the beginning of April 1942, she came with seven-year-old Mykhailo Nizhevenka. The boy, originally from Leningrad (current – St. Petersburg, Russia), was staying with his grandparents in the village of Oleksandrivka. On March 29, his relatives were shot, but he miraculously survived, got out of the firing pit and, wandering, reached the village of Birky. Olena saw him there by chance. From the appearance of the child, the woman immediately understood where he came from. Since the place of execution was not far from the village and the occupiers could look for fugitives, she brought the Jewish child to her mother.

Mariia accepted Mykhailik with joy. She told the neighbors that he was an orphan. The boy recovered from the experience and slowly got used to his new family. Subsequently, he began to call Mariia grandmother, together with Liuba, he helped her in the household.

In January 1944, the troops of the Red Army passed through the village and several officers were quartered in the house of Mariia Kocherha. After learning about Mykhailik's story, they sent information about him to the radio station. In this way, the boy's mother found out in Leningrad that he was alive and was able to take him home in May 1944. The two families were friends for many years, sometimes visiting each other.

In 2000, Yad Vashem recognized Mariia Kochergha and her daughter Olena Perebyinis as Righteous Among the Nations.

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