Maslo Ivan and Teklia

Ivan Maslo and his wife Teklia lived in the town of Skole in the Lviv region. During the Holocaust, the couple saved the Jewish Kol family, who lived next door.

When the Germans occupied the city, Telka Kol and her children Yakov, Bela, and Roza were sent to the ghetto in the neighboring town of Kamianka-Strumylova (now – Kamianka- Buzka). The older ones, Yakov and Bela, were immediately taken to forced labor. Yakov was soon killed, and Telka and her daughters managed to escape to their hometown. The family was sheltered by neighbors Ivan and Teklia Maslo. For a while, the situation in the city was relatively safe; Jewish women could even go outside and help the family with household chores. Ivan tried to listen to rumors about possible raids, but one day the Germans unexpectedly descended on the city. Telka was at the market, and they recognized her immediately and killed her. Having heard about the raids, Ivan managed to hide Bela and Roza among the corn in the field, thus saving both his own and the girls’ lives. The Germans searched almost every house in search of Jews, checking homes several times.

The sisters could no longer remain in the Ukrainian family. Ivan managed to get documents for Bela in the name of Hanna Karaskevych and send her to forced labor in Germany. Soon, Ivan also placed Roza in the group of Ukrainians. The sisters lost contact with each other for many years.

After the war, Roza returned to Skole, got married and gave birth to a son. Only in 1957 did she receive the long-awaited news from Bela, who lived in Canada. A year later, Roza and her family left Ukraine. This emigration severed ties with the Ukrainians who had saved her life for decades. Contacts were restored in the 2000s.

In 2013, Yad Vashem recognized Ivan and Tekla Maslo as Righteous Among the Nations.

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