Poluhorodnik Oleksandr, Oleksandra, Valentyn and Ihor

Oleksandr and Oleksandra Poluhorodniks from the city of Mariupol (formerly Stalin's region, currently – Donetsk region), lived with their two sons, Valentyn, born in 1926, and Igor, born in 1927. The Jewish family of Voins, in the number of 13 people, lived in the same yard. The youngest member of the Voin family, Semen, was the same age as Valentyn and Ihor Polugorodniks, so they spent time together playing in the yard.

In 1941, on October 8, when Germans occupied Mariupol, all Jews were ordered to register. In mid-October, all Jews were to appear at several gathering points for the so-called "resettlement," which, as is already clear, did not take place. And within a few days, all Jews were killed in the nearby village of Ahrobaza. But, fortunately, it turned out that not everyone was killed, because late at night on October 21, the youngest son of the Voins came to the house where the Poluhorodniks lived and asked to stay with them, because the house where he lived was sealed. It turned out that he was the only member of his family who survived. Within a week, Semen left the house of the Poluhorodniks to fight on the side of the Red Army. Poluhorodniks had no choice but to release him because they were facing the death penalty for hiding Semen. Semen told Ihor Poluhorodnik, his childhood friend and savior of his life, about the adventures after escaping from Mariupol. And Ihor told the same story:

"In 1941, I, Ihor Poluhorodnik, was 14 years old, and our family lived in Mariupol. A Jewish family of 13 people lived with us in a separate house in the backyard. Semen Yankelevich Voin, a 17-year-old soldier at the time, lived in this family. Comparing to the Voin family, we had a small one: three children, father and mother.

Germans occupied Mariupol on October 8, 1941. We had refugees in the city, who managed to escape during the Kyiv massacre and said that the Nazis did not spare anyone. But no one believed them. No one could have imagined that such a large number of people, tens of thousands, could be shot in two days.

When the Germans occupied Mariupol, all Jews were registered. They were forced to wear stars on their chests and badges on their sleeves. After the execution of all the Jews of the city, Semen Voin came to us after he was taken to be executed together with whole his family. 12 people died, he survived. After getting out of the grave, he waited for the end of the curfew and made his way to our house. His own house was closed and sealed, and there was an announcement about the death penalty for looting Jewish apartments.

None of our acquaintances, except Semen, survived. Our house was very well located - only our relatives lived in the yard: sisters, nephews and brothers. Four or five families who helped each other - and Semen. The house stood isolated, and no one entered the yard. We were not afraid. However, Semen decided to make his way to the frontline - leaflets had already been pasted on the walls of the houses stating that those who sheltered Jews were threatened with immediate massacre.

At the end of October, Semen moved towards Taganrog and was captured by a German patrol near the village of Velyki Saly. He had no documents; the Germans forced him to carry water for the artillery battery, and later Semen told me that he managed to escape only for the reason that ours began bomb the village from the air and the Nazis rushed to the guns. On the banks of Don, Semen reached the Soviet troops. He was under the inquiry for several days at the Bataysk commandant's office, and then sent to Magnitogorsk, to his cousin. "

Semen Voin graduated from the music school, became a conductor, and conducted a military orchestra. Then he returned to Mariupol, where he worked as a conductor at the Palace of Metallurgists.

Ihor Poluhorodnik worked for many years as a physical education teacher in the city of Taganrog, Rostov region.

On January 2, 2003, Yad Vashem awarded Oleksandr and Oleksandra Poluhorodniks, as well as their sons Valentyn and Ihor, with the title of "Righteous Among the Nations."