Yaroslava Levytska dies in Haifa — Jerusalem Post

Yaroslava Levytska, the last Righteous Among the Nations living in Israel, died in Haifa, Israel, on Tuesday evening. She was 91 years old and died two months before her 92nd birthday. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post.

Helped save Jews as a child

Levytska was born in Poland in 1935. She was raised by her mother, Katarzyna, and her grandfather, Oleksandr Levytskyi. During the Holocaust, when she was six years old, she helped her family save Jews: she delivered food and medicine and served as a courier. According to the publication, due to her young age, the girl did not arouse suspicion among guards.

In 1943, the family hid two Jews in their home and also supplied food to a group of Jews hiding in the basement of a destroyed building about two kilometers from their home.

Recognition and life in Israel

In 1989, Yaroslava Levytska, her mother and grandfather were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. In 1995, she moved to Israel, received Israeli citizenship and settled in Haifa. Her story is described in Maya Klinger-Cohen's book Only Red Candies.

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In January, students from the Basmat school in Haifa congratulated Levytska on her 91st birthday at the Beit Gil HaZahav care facility. The students read greetings, sang for her in Hebrew and Russian, and presented flowers and a cake. According to Levytska, such a celebration had been held for her for the fourth consecutive year.

The event took place as part of the activities of Haifa's municipal Holocaust studies institute. Together with the Rotary Moriah-Haifa club and the Basmat school, the institute runs a program in which students study the stories of the Righteous Among the Nations and preserve their memory.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav called Levytska a symbol of courage, humanity and kindness. He stated that the city would continue to preserve her memory and pass her story on to younger generations.