Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

Anton 'Antosh' Sukhinski was a loner and an outcast, who never married, and lived on the verge of poverty, in his small house in Zborow.

In 1943, after her family was murdered, Tsipora Stock, age 16 years, escaped and was sheltered for nine months, by Anton Sukhinski, in his attic, and then in a small dark hideout, with no room to move and only a small kerosene lamp to provide light.

In June, 1943, the Zeiger family, Itzhak Zeiger, his wife, Sonya, and two sons, Shelley 'Munio' and Michael 'Milek', age 6 and 8 years, escaped and was sheltered until July, 1944, by Anton Sukhinski, in his attic, and then in a small dark hideout, with no room to move and only a small kerosene lamp to provide light.
The Zeiger family was reluctant to accept Sukhinski's offer of shelter, but with rumors spreading that all the remaining Jews of Zborow would be killed, they decided to trust Anton Sukhinski with their lives, and they took a family friend and Eva Halperin, a young girl who had lost her entire family.

Neighbors found out that Anton Sukhinski was hiding Jews, and they harassed them and extorted money from them.
Sonya Zeiger cites: "The Germans had fixed a price of 500 Zloty for handing in a Jewish adult, and 1,000 Zloty for a Jewish child. The neighbors who had wanted to denounce us were looking for us all over the village. They threatened to search Antos’ house..."
"...The neighbor kept sending the Germans to him. As time progressed, all farmers denounced the Jews that they had been hiding to the Germans. The Germans arrived at Antos’ and he showed them the [empty] hole in the garden..."
In October, the neighbors came with guns, and Itzhak Zeiger decided not to give in any longer to the villagers’ blackmail, he drew a revolver and a shoot out ensued.
They killed the woman who was hiding with them, and wounded Eva Halperin.

On July 24, 1944, following heavy bombardments, the Germans withdrew, and the Russians entered Zborow.