By Danute Serapiniene Plunges "Saules" Gimnazija Lithuania
In our town, that is Plunge, there lives the last alive person, who saved Jews. He is Kazys Vitkevicius, who was born in 1929. Together with his mother, Emilija Vitkeviciene (1889-1979), he hid three Jewish girls from the Germans because these girls escaped from Siauliai prison. It was during World War II. The girls are Miriam Blockaite, Ruta Blockaite, and Bella Schneideryte. Their parents were killed by Nazis.
Students at the Plunges "Saules" Gimnazija, Lithuania
The same would have happened to the family of E. Vitkeviciene if the Gestapo found that out. Her son, Kazys was only 14; her husband lived separately. A farmer, Baguzas, brought one more Jewish girl to Vitkeviciene's house, but the police arrested him and found out where the refugee was taken from the prison. Then E. Vitkeviciene was arrested, but the hiding women escaped the search of the house. The woman was arrested for three months, and her son Kazys was hiding the girls in the forest bringing them food at that time. Then he took the girls to the safer place, to the house of Julija Gadeikyte, where they stayed till the end of the war.
Vitkeviciene and her son also helped to find a safer place for Braudaite Gita and her mother, for the family of Blatai and other Jews. The people who were rescued settled in Israel after the war. In the settlement of Alsedziai where Vitkeviciene lived, there lived a kind-hearted priest, who encouraged people to save Jews. Maybe, that's why the police didn't try to find them. The priest wanted to show the world that, in Lithuania, Jews were not killed only, but also saved.
In May 1998, Kazys Vitkevicius was invited to take part in the celebration of Israel's 50th anniversary where his mother was honored. After his trip, our Jewish Culture Club invited Vitkevicius to share their family photo.
Best wishes.