Testing Faith: Unpacking Testimonies of Ukrainian Rescue Work

In occupied Ukraine, most non-Jews swiftly divided into collaborators, accomplices to occupying forces, and bystanders. Some, however, turned to rescue work. A small percentage of this minority were people from less prominent denominations of Christianity, themselves in danger of persecution and social exclusion. Raisa Ostapenko will use her collection of primary source testimony from Ukrainians to explore why some marginalized groups across Ukraine were more likely to empathize with persecuted Jews. Some historians have suggested that the “underdog” effect is in play, but Ostapenko has evidence to suggest something further – Judeophilia, or an ardent interest in Jews and Judaism.