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Gertrude Boyarski

(Oct. 1, 1922- Sept. 19, 2012) Gertrude Boyarski was a Polish partisan fighter, Holocaust survivor, and a recipient of the Order of Lenin during WWII.

Born October 1st, 1922, Boyarski lived in Derechin, a mostly Jewish village in Poland. She had a basic schooling, learning Russian and studying to become a tailor. When Germany invaded Soviet controlled territory in Operation Barbarossa, Derechin was placed under Nazi control. For almost a year, the Boyarski family lived just outside the Jewish ghettos. On July 24, 1942, the Nazis killed 3,000 - 4,000 of the Jewish townsfolk, with the Boyarski family escaping to nearby forests with other survivors.

Boyarski went on to help and support partisan fighters, who fought alongside the Soviet forces in resisting the German invasion. Over the course of the war, most of her immediate family was killed by Nazis and Antisemitic Poles.

On March 8th of 1943(International Womens Day), Boyarski and another female partisan volunteered to destroy a bridge used by German troops. Using kerosene and straw from a nearby village, they burned the wooden bridge, receiving some small arms fire in the process. It was for this action that they each earned the Order of Lenin.

After the end of WWII in 1945, Gertrude found and married a surviving cousin, Sam Boyarski. They lived in Italy before moving to the United States in 1949