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Holocaust hero honored

ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 7, 2007

Michael Connor/The Washington Times Nikolay Zamoroko of Ellicott City, Md., accepted the Righteous Among the Nations medal from Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Mr. Zamoroko's mother, Yevgenia Zamoroko-Lysenko, helped save a Ukrainian girl from the Nazis.

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Masha Spivak went into hiding after her parents and two siblings were killed in Kherson, Ukraine, during the Holocaust.

When two of Miss Spivak's teachers heard about her family, they took her in, helped change her Jewish identity and took great risk to save a life.

Yesterday, one of those teachers, Yevgenia Zamoroko-Lysenko, was honored by Yad Vashem, Israel's national memorial to the Holocaust, with the Righteous Among the Nations medal.

It was the first time the award for non-Jewish rescuers was presented at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the District. No living relatives could be found to accept an award for Klavdia Sopova, the second teacher. Both women worked in the population registration department under police command while Ukraine was occupied by Germany.

"The righteous showed physical and moral courage when it was sorely lacking," said Fred S. Zeidman, chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. "Happily today, we honor one of those rare heroes."

Nikolay Zamoroko, of Ellicott City, Md., accepted the award for his mother. She died in 2001, shortly after the Israeli memorial began reviewing her story.

Mr. Zamoroko, 59, said his mother was modest, wise and devoted to her students over a 50-year teaching career.

"It was no surprise for me that my mom, as I knew her, would do this — without any doubt," he said. "She was an inspiration."

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