Under the Wings of the Church
Baptist Preacher Konon Kalyuta
The village of Młynek (Mlynok) Wołyń (today Mul’chytsi in the Rivne District) and its neighboring villages were inhabited by Baptists. In early September 1942, 20-year-old Fanya Rozenfeld from Rafałówka (Rafalivka), the only member of her family to have survived the liquidation of the local ghetto, arrived in the area and was sheltered by a Baptist family. They were so impressed with Fanya's knowledge of the Old Testament that they took her to the Batpists’ weekly gathering at the home of preacher Konon Kalyuta. In his sermons, Kalyuta spoke of the necessity to help save Jewish lives, and inspired his congregation to offer shelter to fleeing Jews. The Baptists nicknamed Fanya "Saint Feodosiya," and joined efforts to save her and other Jewish fugitives. Thus when Sender Appelboim and his father Shlomo escaped from the ghetto in Włodzimierzec (Volodymyrets’), they were hidden by Filip Konyukh, his wife Teklya and their two sons, Aleksandr and Andrey. Inspired by his spiritual leader Konon Kalyuta, Konyukh told the Appelboims: “God sent you to me, and I consider it an honor to save Jews.”
On February 22, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Filip and Teklya Konyukh, their sons, Aleksandr and Andrey Konyukh, Konon and Anna Kalyuta, their daughters, Anna Chugay and Mariya Blyshchik,as Righteous Among the Nations.