Zubkov Vasyl and Maria

Nelli Zypina was born to the family of Lev and Zinaida Gordon, in the city of Horlivka. In 1935 her brother Emmanuyil was born. Mother was a housewife and father was a mining engineer in rescue team.

After the first year in school, she visited her grandfather in Dnipropetrovsk for the summer vacation. His name was Boris and he was 67 years old. There was also Nelli’s aunt Rozalia at the age of 43. They lived on Dniprodzerzhynska (now Vernadskoho) street.

«When the war started, grandfather and aunt were waiting that my parents will come for me. But the opposite happened. As we found later, the father was mobilized for the Red Army and mother with my little brother was evacuated to the East (Chkalov region) » From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

Because of the fast-approaching of Nazi forces to Dnipropetrovsk Boris and Rozalia also made a decision about the evacuation. But aunt Rozalia was a doctor, so it was impossible for her to get the proper documents for evacuation fast. When Rozalia finally got those documents, it was too late…

«There was panic on the streets of the city and on the railroad stations. One day we finally entered the wagon of the train. But suddenly the terrible bombing started and our wagon was damaged, so we failed to leave the city again. Grandfather said that we should stay in the city. Then we stayed in the apartments of our relatives who managed to leave Dnipropetrovsk» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

Since the first days of occupation the hard times begun for Jews. According to the orders of occupants, they wear special marks with David’s star. In one of the October evenings, the local janitor told that the whole family should appear in ordered place with personal belongings and food. It was a death penalty for disobedience. On October 12, there was a convoy of people on the nowadays prospect of Yavornytskoho. Some people were sure, that all Jews will be deported to Palestine. But they were stopped near Tonelna Balka ravine and ordered to leave their personal belongings. Then, there was the sound of gunfire from the ravine. In the evening, those who were alive tried to leave the convoy, but Nazi troops start shooting, so no one escaped.

Then, a cold autumn night comes. People were standing extremely close to each other to get warm. There were dead bodies of those who died because of these terrible conditions. Little boys and girls were crying, old people praying.

«In the morning we heard the sound of machinegun again. During the day more and more lorries with Jews were coming to the place. My aunt Rozalia was crying, she said that I will die because of her fault. I was trying to encourage them. From time to time I was taking them by the hands and lead to the end of the line, just to delay the hour of our death» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

At the end of the second-day family came to the edge of the ravine. Fortunately, just a moment before the shooting started, Nelli felt on the ground. Maybe, her grandfather pushed her and saved her life in this way. Nelli backed to consciousness because of the cold and the weight of dead bodies. She was getting out from under the killed people when someone said: “Get up!”. That was a German officer who spoke Russian.

«I’ve got a fever and I was crying. I told him that I came from Donbas and I am a Russian. I also said that my being here is a mistake. I wasn’t looking like Jewish, but he was observing me for a long time. Then he took me by the hand and led me to the personal belongings of those, who were killed. He took the large headscarf and gave it to me. Furthermore, he gave me some bread and led me thru the lines of soldiers» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

Later, Nelli found herself on the dump without knowing where to go. There was a policeman near, so she asked him for help. He said, «Don’t talk to me, just follow!». The girl was following him till he disappeared, but she found their house.

«Our flat was closed, and I knocked on the door of our neighbor Nastya. I used to play with her children. She opened a door and put me to bed. Only one week after I managed to stand up from that bed» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

Nastya told her neighbors, the family of Zubkov, about the Russian girl from Donbas, who was visiting her Jewish relatives in Dnipropetrovsk and now she is absolutely alone. Nastya said that she can’t host a girl for a long time, because she has no food for her own children. After a ponder, Zubkovs decided to hide the girl in their house.

«My foster mother Maria was a janitor before the war. Father Vasyl was a groom and had a horse with the cart. It helped us to survive the occupation. After some time, I got used to my new family. I was extremely disturbed by the fact that local boys called me “Jew”. Obviously, they saw me before with my grandfather and aunt. My disturbance was not baseless…» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

Two months after a German officer with a few soldiers visited Zubkovs. They said, that according to anonymous information Jewish girl is living with them. Maria Zubkova was crying and told them, the Nelli is a Russian and her far relative.

«They looked on me and failed to find any Jewish features. I was bright-eyed with strait bright hair. Officer agreed but ordered Zubkovs to adopt me officially in the office of local authorities. Till that moment I will be under the arrest. Mother should attend police every two months and father need to bring documents from the native village of mother Maria» From memoirs of Nelly Zypina

Nelli was under the Nazi arrest for two months. She was interrogated and beaten many times. The prison cell was made of concrete, walls were wet. Nelli was cold and afraid. During the interrogations, she was telling the same story about her Russian origin, the mother who died of typhus and father who died mining coal.

«My answers were plausible because I grow up in such an environment and heard a lot of stories about mines and miners. Father Vasyl returned from village with a wright document. Finally, I was released. With this document, Zubkovs adopt me officially and I became Nelli Zubkova» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

After the Nazi retreatment from the city, some Jewish families returned to Dnipropetrovsk. Doctor Chyhrynska started a search of Nilli’s parents. She told her story to each Jewish patients and was asking them to find people with surname Gordon. On March 14, 1945, Nelli’s cousin visited Chyhrynska and after she acknowledged the fate of Nelli, she run to her mother and told that girl is alive. Together they went to Zubkov’s house, exactly when Nelli was going to the shop with her foster mother Maria.

«I was so happy but tried not to show this to my foster relatives, who risked their own lives to save mine. One day after my cousin sent a message, my father came for me from Donbas. During all post-war times, we were maintaining nice relations with my saviors» From memoirs of Nelli Zypina

In 1968 Vasyl Zubkov was in critical condition because of illness. Nelli visited him before his death. His wife Maria died in 1982, in one of the hospitals where Nelli found a place for her.

In 1998, according to the statement of Nelli Zypina, her saviors Maria and Vasyl Zubkov were awarded Righteous Among the Nation award posthumously.