Rescuers of Jews

     Vincas and Julija Stanevičius lived in the village of Judrėnai, near Telšiai, together with their three children – Vytautas, Birutė, and Antanas. In the autumn of 1941, Vincas Stanevičius noticed that one of his neighbours was mistreating and exploiting an eighteen-year-old Jewish girl who had been sent from the Telšiai Ghetto to work on his farm as a forced labourer. Some time later, Vincas Stanevičius offered the young woman his help, and this changed the course of her life.
     From the memoirs of Chana Švilerytė: I, Chana Švilerytė-Segal, was born in 1923 in Jurbarkas. Before the war, I moved to Laukuva, in Tauragė County, to live with my aunt Sara and uncle Motė Kaganas. They had no children of their own and loved me dearly. That was where the war found me. During the first days of the war, all the Jews living there were imprisoned in the Laukuva synagogue. From there, my uncle and the other Jewish men were taken away. Some time later, all the Jewish women of the town were transported to Geruliai and housed in barracks.
     At the end of August 1941 (28–30 August), two trucks carrying armed members of the self-defence battalion and policemen arrived in Geruliai. Young women and girls under the age of thirty were selected, assembled in the square (around 400–500 in total), and sent to the Telšiai Ghetto. The older women and children were driven to a nearby grove, where they were shot beside a prepared trench.
     Together with the other young women, Chana Švilerytė was taken to the Telšiai Ghetto. Farmers were permitted to take women from the ghetto to help with the autumn harvest. Since conditions in the ghetto were close to starvation and each person received only 200 grams of bread per day, many women hoped to be chosen by farmers, where they might at least receive enough food. However, in December 1941, all Jews who had been working on farms were ordered to return to the ghetto, allegedly for a medical examination. In reality, the liquidation of the Telšiai Ghetto had already been planned.
     From the memoirs of Chana Švilerytė: At first, I was sent to a cruel man. He made me do the hardest work, and life there was unbearably difficult. I had almost nothing to wear. My hands and feet were covered with wounds, and I wore wooden clogs that rubbed my feet raw. One day, while I was herding cows, the neighbour, Vincas Stanevičius, came by. He realized that I was Jewish. He felt sorry for me and offered to take me into his home. I was terribly afraid of my employer because he was extremely cruel. I slept in the barn with a dog, even when the temperature outside fell to –20°C, covering myself with whatever rags I could find.<...>
     I had to report regularly to the ghetto. Shortly before the liquidation of the ghetto, an SS officer came to take me back, but I managed to hide. The following day, believing that the Germans might come and take away his good worker, my employer brought me to Vincas Stanevičius for a few days, until the inspection had passed. From the very first moment, I was astonished by the warmth and kindness with which Julija and Vincas Stanevičius treated me. That same evening, Julija Stanevičienė heated water, washed my wounded feet, bandaged them, and put me to sleep in the same bed as their daughter Birutė. They had three children of their own and lived modestly, yet I lacked nothing there. I felt the warmth of a real home and was treated as though I were their own daughter.
     A few days later, when Chana's former employer came to reclaim his good worker, Vincas Stanevičius simply told him that the girl had disappeared and that he had no idea where she had gone.
     Chana Švilerytė remained in hiding with the Stanevičius family until October 1944, when the German occupation of the region came to an end. Every member of Julija and Vincas Stanevičius' family, including their children Vytautas, Birutė, and the youngest, Antanas, regarded Chana as one of their own and cared for her. Whenever danger arose or searches were expected, they found her a safer hiding place, and once the danger had passed, she returned to the Stanevičius home.
     In 1973, Chana Švilerytė-Segal emigrated to Israel with her family. In 1993, Vincas Stanevičius, Julija Stanevičienė, and their children Vytautas and Birutė were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. Antanas Stanevičius was awarded the Life Saving Cross in 1999, while Vincas and Julija Stanevičius, Birutė Žilevičienė (née Stanevičiūtė), and Vincentas Vytautas Stanevičius received the Life Saving Cross in 2026.