Saving Kyiv’s Jews During the Holocaust: The Story of Archpriest Oleksiy Hlaholyev and the Bondarenko Family

“My husband’s relatives sought advice and help from the family of Father Oleksiy Hlaholyev¹ … Father Oleksiy went to intercede for me with Professor Ogloblin, who was the mayor at the time. Ogloblin knew our family. Eventually, he approached the German commandant about the matter. The commandant informed him that the issue of the Jews fell exclusively under the competence of the Germans, and they would resolve it as they saw fit. My situation was hopeless. Hiding with my husband’s relatives would mean putting them at risk of execution. Father Hlaholyev’s wife, Tetyana Pavlovna, had a desperate idea to give me her passport and baptismal certificate so that I, Izabella Naumovna Yehorycheva-Mirkina, could use them. With these documents, I was advised to go to a village where some peasants we knew lived… My photograph needed to replace Tetyana Pavlovna’s on the passport. Fortunately, the process was more straightforward because the passport edges were burned and water-damaged when Hlaholyev’s apartment caught fire. The seal was unclear and blurred. The photo swap was successful… I lived in the village under the name Hlaholyeva for eight months.”²

This is how Izabella Mirkina, a Holocaust survivor, recalled in her memoirs the help and rescue in Ukraine during World War II. This article attempts to analyze individual cases of saving Jews in Kyiv, specifically through the stories of the Kyiv priest Oleksiy Hlaholyev and the Bondarenko family during the Holocaust.

The Ukrainian lands in the first half of the 20th century witnessed tragic chapters of history. World War II with the Holocaust that occurred in its course is a separate subject of this period. About 6 million Jews perished in the genocide, including 1.5 million killed on the territory of present-day Ukraine. One of the symbols of the extermination of Europe’s Jews during the Holocaust is Babyn Yar in Kyiv.³ In just two days, on September 29-30, 1941, around 34,000 Jews were shot by the Nazis in this ravine. Over the next several years, tens of thousands more Jews, Soviet prisoners of war, Ukrainian nationalists, Roma people, Communist Party activists, and other “enemies of the Reich” were also killed there.⁴

The Hlaholyev Family

Archpriest Oleksiy Hlaholyev was born in 1901 in the family of Father Oleksandr Hlaholyev (Олександр Глаголєв⁵), a professor at the Kyiv Theological Academy who taught ancient Hebrew and biblical archaeology.⁶ It is known that in 1905, his father, Archpriest Oleksandr Hlaholyev, opposed the Jewish pogrom in Kyiv. The editor of “Russian Globe” (Chicago), Hennadiy Mesh (Геннадій Меш), wrote about these events: “In the fall of 1905, the avalanche of pogroms and killings once again sent people to the streets. A small religious procession, fully dressed, holding a cross and khorugvys (church banners), crashed into the enraged crowd. Orthodox priests Oleksandr Hlaholyev and Mykhail Edlynskyi (Михаил Едлинский) headed the procession. They walked across the Kontraktova Square and Hostynnyi Dvir to get to the Jewish shops, urging the crowd not to engage in this wicked, unchristian act. Some people recognized their pastors and took off their hats. The crowd was hesitating, losing people, and eventually dispersed. And this happened more than once.”⁷

It is also worth noting that Father Oleksandr Hlaholyev, an expert on the Talmud and the Christian Old Testament, defended the Jews as part of an expert commission during the 1913 Beilis trial, arguing that the Talmud prohibits the use of human blood, and thus the accusation was unjustified. His well-reasoned theological arguments were used to defend the case.

After graduating from the Kyiv-Podil Theological School, Oleksiy attended the Tula Theological Seminary, transferring to the Kyiv Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1919. Later, in 1923, he graduated from the Kyiv Theological Academy, though because of the Soviet government’s anti-religious policies, he could not fully serve in his ministry. In 1932, Oleksiy Hlaholyev was arrested and accused of counter-revolutionary activity. Still, due to a lack of evidence, he was released, albeit stripped of his voting rights as the son of a religious official. In 1941, Oleksiy Hlaholyev was ordained and began serving as a pastor at the Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin in Podil district.

Throughout World War II, during the Nazi occupation of Kyiv, Father Oleksiy Hlaholyev, along with his wife Tetyana (Тетяна) and their teenage children Magdalyna (Магдалина) and Mykolay (Миколай), helped to save the Jewish families.. In early October 1941, Mariya Yehorycheva (Марія Єгоричева) asked the Hlaholyev family to help her Jewish daughter-in-law, Izabella Mirkina (Ізабеллa Міркінa). Despite the German order for all Jews in the city to gather at a designated place on September 29, with documents and valuables,⁸ Izabella and her 10-year-old daughter, Iryna, were hiding at Mariya Yehorycheva’s place. However, staying there for too long was extremely dangerous. To help Izabella, Tetyana Hlaholyeva gave her passport, which allowed Izabella to leave Kyiv and hide in a village for a while. Meanwhile, her daughter Iryna (Ірина) stayed with Mariya Yehorycheva.⁹

These events were also described in Izabella Mirkina’s memoirs as detailed quoted in the opening paragraph. However, as Karel Berkhoff noted, the account often attributed to Izabella likely belongs to Father Oleksiy Hlaholyev himself.¹⁰ During Soviet times, the story of the Hlaholyev family was largely silenced, likely due to the USSR’s national prejudices against Jews and its anti-religious communist policies. At the end of November 1941, Mirkina returned to Kyiv, feeling it was dangerous to stay in the village. The Hlaholyevs took her in, and her daughter joined her after some time. For the next two years, they lived with the Hlaholyevs at the church estate on 7 Pokrovska Street, and in summer, they went to the village together. After the war, Izabella Naumivna Mirkina-Yehorycheva was a housewife, and her daughter Iryna graduated from the Forestry Institute and worked as a research associate at the Kyiv Botanical Garden.

Rescuing the Jewish Families

There is also evidence of several other instances of Jews being rescued by the Hlaholyev family. One such case involved the Shevelyov family: Polina Davydivna Shevelyova (Поліна Давидівна Шевельова) and her mother, Yevheniya Akymivna Shevelyova (Євгенія Акимівна Шевельова). Polina Davydivna, a young 28-year-old woman, was married to a Ukrainian, Dmytro Lukych Pasichniy (Дмитро Лукич Пасічний). They lived in a large house at 63 Saksahanskoho Street. This is where the infamous German decree reached them on September 29, 1941. Instead of the women scheduled to come to Lukyanivka, Dmytro Pasichny showed up at the appointed time. Realizing that sending his wife and mother-in-law to the Jewish cemetery meant sending them to their execution, he decided to hide them from the Germans. This was extremely difficult, as their Jewish origin was known in the apartment block. The opportunity for rescue came after a meeting with the aforementioned Mariya Yehorycheva, who had previously worked with his wife. Understanding the circumstances, she advised him to contact Archpriest Oleksiy Hlaholyev.¹¹ Father Oleksiy, understanding the situation, agreed to help. Going through old church records, he found a civil registry form, specifically a certificate of baptism, which had been cancelled long ago and was no longer valid. On this form, a metrical extract of baptism was written for Pelaheya Danylivna Shevelyova (Пелагея Данилівна Шевелєва), born in 1913 to Orthodox parents. Dmytro Lukych Pasichniy obtained the official seal for the certificate by peeling it off an old document issued to a dentist, which had once given him the right to open a dental office. Unfortunately, the year on the seal did not match the year on the certificate of baptism issued to Polina Davydivna. With this highly questionable document, Polina Davydivna and her mother were secretly housed in a small place at 6 Pokrovska Street, under the church congregation’s care, where Father Oleksiy Hlaholyev was the priest.

The Hlaholyev family also helped to save the family of Mykola Heorhiyovych Hermaize (Миколa Георгійович Гермайзе).¹² According to their passports, the family was registered as Ukrainians. Mykola Hryhorovych and his adopted son, Yuriy (Юрій), were arrested on suspicion of being Jewish. While the Hlaholyev family searched for witnesses and the necessary documents to prove that Hermaize was not Jewish, a tragedy occurred. Afterward, it was necessary to find a way to save Lyudmyla Borysivna (Людмила Борисівна), as her papers were destroyed when her husband and son were killed. The grief-struck woman endured horrific times after the loss of her loved ones. The Hlaholyev family continued supporting her, visiting and helping her as much as possible. However, one day, neighbors of Lyudmyla Borysivna Hermaize brought terrible news that she had been arrested and taken to the Gestapo. After hearing this, Tetyana Pavlivna Hlaholyeva rushed to the Gestapo office, where she presented a letter from Father Oleksiy Hlaholyev attesting to Lyudmyla Borysivna Hermaize’s non-Jewish origin. The Gestapo officers treated Tetyana Hlaholyeva very harshly, took the document, and sent her away with nothing. Later, it became known that Lyudmyla Borysivna had been held there for five days and was scheduled to be taken to Babyn Yar on the sixth day but was instead left at the Gestapo office.¹³

Lyudmyla Borysivna remained at the Gestapo for some time until an investigator visited Tetyana Pavlivna Hlaholyeva and asked, “Is Hermaize Ukrainian?” Tetyana Hlaholyeva was forced to sign a statement confirming the truth of her testimony, with the warning that if it were discovered that Hermaize was Jewish, Hlaholyeva would be executed along with her. Tetyana Pavlivna declared that she had known the Hermaize family for a long time, as they were parishioners at the church where her husband’s father had served, and that there could be no doubt about her nationality. After this, Lyudmyla Borysivna was released. At home, Lyudmyla Borysivna faced another devastating blow. She learned that her elderly 70-year-old mother had been discovered by the Germans and sent to Babyn Yar. Gestapo arrested her again and killed three months later.¹⁴

“Righteous of Babyn Yar”

In 1992, the Israeli World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem awarded the title “Righteous Among the Nations” to all the families who tried to save the mother and daughter of the Myrkyn-Yegorychev family. “One of the main tasks of Yad Vashem, on behalf of the State of Israel and the entire Jewish people, is to express gratitude to non-Jews who took great risks to save Jews during the Holocaust” is a quotation from the Law on Yad Vashem, enacted by the Knesset in 1953.¹⁵ The criteria for awarding the title “Righteous Among the Nations” to those who helped Jews during their most difficult times were defined in 1963. At that time, a public commission headed by a judge of the Supreme Court of Israel began its work. This commission examines each case, makes decisions, and is fully responsible for awarding the title. Persons recognized as a ”Righteous Among the Nations” are awarded a medal, a certificate of honor, and the privilege of their names being added to the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem”.¹⁶ The official Yad Vashem website gives a clearly defined set of criteria and rules for awarding the title of Righteous Among the Nations.¹⁷ According to the Yad Vashem statistics, 2673 people from Ukraine have been awarded this status.¹⁸ This list can still grow, as it does not include everyone who helped Jews during World War II, but only those cases where the rescued individuals or their families approached Yad Vashem to request this title.

The title “Righteous of Babyn Yar” was established by a public initiative of the all-Ukrainian Jewish Council. Since 1989 it has been awarded to people who provided information about the rescue of Jews from the Nazi genocide in Ukraine. The leading supporter of introducing the title “Righteous of Ukraine” was a public figure, President of the Jewish Council of Ukraine, head of the “Babyn Yar Memory” fund and “Memory of the Victims of Fascism in Ukraine” fund, Ilya Mikhailovich Levitas (Ілля Михайлович Левітас) (1931–2014). He also initiated the introduction of the title “Righteous of Babyn Yar”.¹⁹ This title is explicitly awarded to those who hid Jews during the occupation of Kyiv. It was approved in April 1989 and has been awarded to more than 4500 individuals. The awarding of this honorary title is one of the main tasks of the Babyn Yar Foundation, which was founded on 22 October 1988, simultaneously with the establishment of the Kyiv Society of Jewish Culture. In November 1989, the Kyiv Teacher’s House hosted the first meeting of Kyiv residents with survivors of the massacre and their rescuers. More than 600 people attended the meeting.²⁰ The first righteous Babyn Yar family recognized was the Hlaholyev family.²¹ At the same time, Magdalyna Hlaholyeva (married name – Palyan (Пальян)) was awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of Israel,” which she visited in 1995. In 2010, Palyan (Hlaholyeva) Magdalyna Oleksiyivna was awarded the Order of Merit, Third Class.²²

The Bondarenko Family

It is worth noting that other families, including the Bondarenko family, also undertook the rescue of Jews in the city during the Holocaust. The head of the family, Ivan Andriyovych Bondarenko (Іван Андрійович Бондаренко), lived with his large family in the city of Kyiv, in the Podil district, on Shchekavytska Street. A deeply devout Christian, he managed to join the pilgrims who, in 1914, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre when Jerusalem was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Ivan Andriyovych was born in 1878 (according to other sources – 1879). His wife, Maria Frolivna (Марія Фролівна), was about half a decade younger, born in 1883 (possibly 1884). By the start of the German-Soviet war, two of their children were already adults and had their own families. Their daughter, Lyudmyla Bondarenko (Людмили Бондаренко) (born in 1902, married name – Chekhova (Чехова)), had a teenage daughter, Natalia (Наталя) (born in 1926). Ivan Jr. (born in 1913) and his wife Anastasia (Анастасія) (born in 1915) were raising two young children, Volodya (Володя) and Hannusia (Ганнуся). When the fighting began, Ivan Jr. was mobilized to the front.²³

Lyudmyla Chekhova (Bondarenko) (Людмила Чехова (Бондаренко)) worked as a librarian at the park “Berezoviy Hai” in the Kurenivka district and had a close friend at work – a Jewish woman named Revekka (Ревекка) (according to other sources – Rakhil (Рахіль)) Kohut (Когут) (born in 1911, or, possibly, in 1916). Her friend lived with her three-year-old son in the Demiyivka district on Sovska Street.

One night in early October 1941, Kohut knocked on the Bondarenko family’s door. After letting their night guest inside, the hosts learned that most of her family had been executed at Babyn Yar. She had miraculously survived by falling into the ravine alive. Lying beneath the bodies of the executed, she remained there until dusk, then climbed out and reached the home of a stranger, an older woman in whose outside cellar she had been hiding for three days. Having recovered the strength to move on, Revekka (Rakhil) decided to head out to her friend, Lyudmyla Chekhova (Bondarenko).²⁴

Meanwhile, Ivan Bondarenko Jr. returned to his home on Shchekavytska Street. During Kyiv’s defence, he was captured but managed to escape. After finding his home and securing a job at a power plant, Ivan, like the rest of the family, showed concern about the woman’s fate and decided to help her. With the assistance of a friend, he obtained documents for Revekka, giving her a new name – Rayisa Dashkevych (Раїса Дашкевич), with her nationality listed as “Ukrainian.” The Bondarenko family sheltered the fugitive for two years until early November 1943, when the Red Army drove the Wehrmacht out of Kyiv. Later, the woman moved to the United States and settled in New York. She remained Rayisa Dashkevych for the rest of her life in her Soviet and American official documents.²⁵

These examples of families rescuing Jews during the Holocaust highlight the importance of the individual efforts of Kyiv residents in saving the city’s Jewish population. Researchers are currently unaware of the existence of any organized networks for rescuing Jews in the occupied Ukrainian territories. Thus, individuals themselves provided help, and those who offered it risked their own lives and the safety of their families and loved ones. Sometimes, multiple families would collaborate, taking turns hiding Jews in their homes. Jews primarily sought help from friends, acquaintances, and sometimes colleagues, pleading for their own lives and the lives of their children and families. Often, the rescuers themselves initiated assistance, offering help to acquaintances or colleagues, understanding the danger for their lives on occupied territories by providing shelter, food, or help obtaining documents indicating non-Jewish origins (such as certificates of baptism, passports, or other IDs). This type of activity under Nazi occupation carried the threat of death at the hands of the occupiers. For example, in Kharkiv, in the spring of 1943, journalist Oleksandra Byelova was executed for hiding an 11-year-old Jewish girl, Olena Erinberg, and in the village of Bykivka in the Zhytomyr region, the Kylesso couple was killed for sheltering a Jewish man, Rozymov, in their basement.²⁶

In light of the aforementioned information, it needs to be acknowleged the profound significance of the actions of individuals who risked their lives and their family lives, guided by humanistic and moral principles.

At the same time, there were the members of the society who, despite not being directly involved in the murder of ethnic Jews in Ukraine, including Kyiv, nevertheless participated in the criminal policy of the Holocaust. The motives of these individuals included the opportunity to seize Jewish property, anti-Semitism, and even inaction and indifference. The aforementioned individuals did not engage in such behaviour, demonstrating unwavering commitment and courage in rescuing the Jewish population in Nazi-occupied Kyiv despite the significant personal risks.

These individual actions, which resulted in preserving lives, merit recognition as exemplars of selflessness and courage. Such actions serve as a reminder of the necessity to prevent similar genocides and atrocities against humanity for future generations.

Translated from Ukrainian by Nataliia Goshylyk