Righteous Among the Nations Medal with Diploma – Ivan & Anna Korneliuk

Biography of the Honorees:

Ivan and Anna Korneliuk, along with their children Georgyi (b. 1924) and Galina Radayeva (née Korneliuk, b. 1928), lived in the town of Izyaslav in the Kamieniec Podolski region (now part of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine).

During the German-Soviet war, Ivan Korneliuk worked at the local railway station. On July 6, 1941, he met Elena Geidelberg (later Leikina) and her two-year-old son Vladimir. As the wife of a Red Army officer, Elena had received orders to evacuate eastward. However, by the time she arrived at the station, the Germans had already entered the town.

Moved by compassion, Korneliuk brought Elena and her child into his home. Within days, after witnessing the German treatment of Jews, he began hiding them alternately in the attic and basement.

After the first roundup on August 24, 1941, Korneliuk’s neighbor, Maksim Bondarenko, approached him for help in hiding his Jewish daughter-in-law, Frida Sverdlik, who was well-known in the area. Frida stayed with the Korneliuk family for several weeks. Her five-year-old son Zhora was baptized, with Anna Korneliuk becoming his godmother.

Later in 1941, Frida and her Ukrainian husband fled Izyaslav and moved to a remote village. Elena Geidelberg and her son remained with the Korneliuk family until the end of the occupation.

In 1943, Georgyi joined the partisans. His family had no contact with him for nearly six months, but he returned just days before the town’s liberation and warned them to flee due to expected fighting. That very night, the Korneliuks escaped with those they were hiding. They returned only after liberation, only to discover that the Geidelbergs’ prewar home had been destroyed. Elena and her son continued living with the Korneliuks for several more months.

Even after emigrating to Israel in the 1990s, the survivors maintained close ties with their rescuers. On March 28, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Ivan and Anna Korneliuk, along with their children Georgyi and Galina Radayeva, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Source:
https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/righteous/4045078

Description of the Title and Medal:

The title Righteous Among the Nations was established by the Yad Vashem Law in 1963. Those honored receive a specially minted medal bearing their name, a certificate of recognition, and the privilege of having their names engraved on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

The award is presented either in Israel or in the recipient’s country of residence, typically through diplomatic representatives of the State of Israel. The law also grants Yad Vashem the right to bestow honorary Israeli citizenship upon recipients, including posthumously, as a mark of gratitude for their actions.

Engraved on the medal is the Jewish proverb from the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5:
“Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved the entire world.”

The medal was designed by Nathan Karp.

• Obverse: Depicts hands grasping a lifeline made of barbed wire. The wire emerges from nothingness, but the lifeline encircles the globe and serves as a symbolic axis — a metaphor for the life-saving power of good deeds that “keep the world turning.” The inscription around the globe is in Hebrew: “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved the entire world.” 
• Reverse: Features the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem at the top. In the center, the Hebrew inscription reads: “A token of gratitude from the Jewish people.” At the bottom are French inscriptions: “Le peuple juif reconnaissant” and a translation of the Mishnah quote. The rim bears the national emblem of Israel and the words “State of Israel” in both Hebrew and English. 

Medal Production History:

• 1965: Kretschmer (approx. 50 medals), material – bronze 
• From 1965: Kretschmer & Hecht, material – silver 
• From 1980: Hecht, material – cupronickel 

Set Specifications:

• Medal: Diameter – 60 mm; Thickness – 0.5 mm; Weight – 105.40 g; Material – cupronickel; Rim engraved with No. 6492 and “State of Israel”; Manufacturer – Hecht 
• Box: Width – 83 mm; Height – 106 mm; Depth – 20 mm; Weight – 132.67 g; Material – olive wood 
• Diploma: Width – 240 mm; Height – 340 mm; Material – hand-made paper 
• Folder: Width – 260 mm; Height – 350 mm 

Condition: As shown in the photographs.