Kushniruk Olga and Vansovych Felix

Olga Kushniruk lived in Berdychiv, Zhytomyr region. Her husband, a Pole Felix Vansovych, worked as an accountant at the sugar factory.

On July 8, 1941, the city was occupied by the Nazi troops. As Berdychiv was predominantly the Jewish town, it became the place of the mass extermination of people. On August 7–8, 1941, the mass displacement of the Jews to the ghetto started. It was located near the city market and the neighboring Staromiska, Muromska and Shteinivska streets. They were allowed to take only clothes and underwear. The Jews were settled in the old hovels, 5-6 families together, and a few dozen people in a room. The resettlement had to take one day, and in real life this term was reduced to 2–3 hours. It was allowed to leave the ghetto only to go to the market and buy products, but only after 6 p.m., when there were almost no sellers and products at the market. Leaving the ghetto at different hours was forbidden. On September 15–16, 1941, the most massive shooting of the Jews from Berdychiv and the area occurred. The doomed people were driven in large groups, and the sick and disabled ones were transported to the sites of execution by trucks. The groups of 30–50 persons were driven to the already dug pits, where they gave all their valuables and money to the officer, after which they were executed. In total, 12,000 people were executed on that day. Only very few were fortunate to survive shooting.

Once, the factory worker asked Felix Vansovych to hide 5-year-old Raya Ferdman, who lost all her family.

Raya lived with her aunt, and the worker who asked Felix Vansovych, was their neighbor. He hoped that Olga and Felix, who had no children, wanted to adopt little Raya. Vansovych and Kushniruk were happy to take the child to their house. They treated the girl with care and love, and told the neighbors that Raya was the daughter of Vansovych from his first marriage.

Later, some neighbors began to view at Raya with suspicion, and the authorities started to interrogate the girl, Olga Kushniruk and Felix Vansovych. By that time, Raya had already been baptized, given the Ukrainian name and taught the Christian rituals, traditions and prayers. Thanks to this, she convinced the investigators that she was not a Jew. Soon, the family was released free.

However, after this case, Raya was strictly prohibited to leave home and told not to speak to people in the military uniform at all. On January 5, 1944, the Red Army recaptured Berdychiv. On that day, Felix Vansovych took Raya on his hands and said: “Now you may not fear of anyone”.

Right after these events, Felix volunteered to the front. He died in March 1944. Raya lived with Olga Kushniruk until Olga’s death.

On October 13, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Olga Kushniruk and her husband Felix Vansovych as the Righteous Among the Nations.