During the war, the Huzarski family gave shelter to Menachem Rywkind, who utilised his time with the Polish family to teach arithmetic and accounting to their son Zbigniew. From November, 1942, to March, 1944, Rywkind and his two cousins, Julian and Adam (Abraham) Cygielman, resided in the Huzarski family’s native village, Sydonówka, in the Brody area of the old Tarnopolskie administrative district.
The region was a battlefield upon which the Poles fought the Ukrainians. Zbigniew, a member of the AK counter-intelligence, took part in the conflict. Despite this, the Huzarskis were able to create a safe haven for the harboured Jews. Menachem, Julian and Adam were never forced to face any imminent danger. Thanks to help from the Huzarskis, they were able to read, pray, and – despite the scarcity in those times – maintain a kosher diet.
