Lesnychenko Hanna and Iryna

Hanna Lesnychenko and her daughter Iryna lived in Odesa. Among their neighbors and friends was the widow Olga Kryvorukova (nee Tales). Olga’s husband was repressed in 1937. She remained with two children. The elder daughter Maria was of the same age as Iryna. The girls studied at the institute in Odesa. The junior son Sasha (Oleksandr) studied at secondary school.

After the occupation of Odesa, Olga and her son were deported to the ghetto in Domanivka village, where they died. During the deportation, Maria managed to escape, came back to her flat and lived there for some time. However, during the series of raids, she asked her neighbors to help. Hanna and Iryna hid the girl in the basements, the entrance to which was on their staircase. Maria had been hiding there for several weeks, until the situation in the city got better and she could come to their flat. Iryna tried to support her friend in her grief. In the spring of 1942, Maria managed to find her father’s relatives and went there. After the war, Maria Bebeshko (Kryvorukova) lived in Moldova. She had friendship with her saviors all her life.

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On November 14, 2001, Hanna Lesnychenko and her daughter Iryna Yehorova (Lesnychenko) were recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations.