Rescuers of Jews
Benn Alice
ALICE BENN (ALISA BENJAMINAVIČIENĖ)
In summer of 1939 Abraham Viravicius and his wife Fania went from Palestine to Kaunas intending to visit their relatives and return back home in autumn. Unfortunately, their plans were not meant to come true. Nobody could have foreseen the tragic destiny that awaited Viraviciai-Ginai family and their recently born daughter Tania.
On June 26, 1941, 5 Lithuanian men wearing white arm-bands, leaded by yard-keeper, entered the apartment (28 Vytautas st.) where three brothers Viraviciai lived.
Prof. Sara Ginaite-Rubinsoniene, who witnessed everything going on, describes the tragic events of that day in her book ‘Resistance and Survival. The Jewish Community in Kaunas 1941–1944’: White Armbanders accompanied by Grandmother Malka’s former janitor V. Kaminskis ushered the armed partisans into the apartment, proclaiming solemnly ’Here is where all of the Jewish communists are hiding’. We tried in vain to explain that we were not communists and that the Soviets had deported our close relatives whose rooms were still sealed, just a week earlier. Unmoved, the White Armbands arrested all five Jewish men living in the building, including my mother’s three brothers, Salomon, Isaac, and Abrasha. Our pleas for compassion proved fruitless as the men were led out into the yard and taken farther from the house, to the edge of Vytautas Park. Standing in the yard, immobilized by fear, I watched in horror as the five men, my three uncles among them, were shot.
When all Jewish people in Kaunas were taken to the ghetto established in Vilijampole, Abraham Viraviciaus’ wife Fania with their daughter Tania and her sister-in-law Rebecca Viraviciute-Giniene shared a flat. Rebecca’s husband Josif Ginas was already severely ill and died in the ghetto on August 25th 1941. Sara Ginaite even in the ghetto kept in touch with Pranciska Granskyte, who had been working in Ginai home before the war. They were trying to find a place to hide Fania’s little daughter Tania.
When Sara escaped from the ghetto to the partisans her sister Alisa Benjaminaviciene took over the communication with Pranute. Alisa was a brave and energetic woman; using all of her friends and connections she managed to get her husband Filip out of 7th fort as soon as mass execustions began. After the Children Action, which took place on March 27-28 1944 in Kaunas ghetto, they decided to get Tania out immediately. On the next day risking her life Alisa climbed over the ghetto fence with sleeping Tania in a potato sack and carried the girl through the city (from Vilijampole to Mickevicius st.) to Pranute Granskyte. Several days later once again putting her life at risk Alisa came to Pranute to see how the girl was. Having taken care that the child was all right, she left Tania in Pranute’s, her sister’s Liudvika Baziene’s and her husband’s custody. Tania’s mother Fania Viravicienė died during the liquidation of Kaunas ghetto; her first saviour Alisa Benjaminaviciene survived in Stuthof.
Now Tania Viraviciute-Rubinsonaite-Vasiliauskiene resides in Canada. By her request Pranciska Granskyte was declared Righteous among the Nations in 2006. Pranciska Granskyte, her sister Liudvika Baziene with her husband Antanas were also awarded Life Saving Crosses in 2008.
In summer of 1939 Abraham Viravicius and his wife Fania went from Palestine to Kaunas intending to visit their relatives and return back home in autumn. Unfortunately, their plans were not meant to come true. Nobody could have foreseen the tragic destiny that awaited Viraviciai-Ginai family and their recently born daughter Tania.
On June 26, 1941, 5 Lithuanian men wearing white arm-bands, leaded by yard-keeper, entered the apartment (28 Vytautas st.) where three brothers Viraviciai lived.
Prof. Sara Ginaite-Rubinsoniene, who witnessed everything going on, describes the tragic events of that day in her book ‘Resistance and Survival. The Jewish Community in Kaunas 1941–1944’: White Armbanders accompanied by Grandmother Malka’s former janitor V. Kaminskis ushered the armed partisans into the apartment, proclaiming solemnly ’Here is where all of the Jewish communists are hiding’. We tried in vain to explain that we were not communists and that the Soviets had deported our close relatives whose rooms were still sealed, just a week earlier. Unmoved, the White Armbands arrested all five Jewish men living in the building, including my mother’s three brothers, Salomon, Isaac, and Abrasha. Our pleas for compassion proved fruitless as the men were led out into the yard and taken farther from the house, to the edge of Vytautas Park. Standing in the yard, immobilized by fear, I watched in horror as the five men, my three uncles among them, were shot.
When all Jewish people in Kaunas were taken to the ghetto established in Vilijampole, Abraham Viraviciaus’ wife Fania with their daughter Tania and her sister-in-law Rebecca Viraviciute-Giniene shared a flat. Rebecca’s husband Josif Ginas was already severely ill and died in the ghetto on August 25th 1941. Sara Ginaite even in the ghetto kept in touch with Pranciska Granskyte, who had been working in Ginai home before the war. They were trying to find a place to hide Fania’s little daughter Tania.
When Sara escaped from the ghetto to the partisans her sister Alisa Benjaminaviciene took over the communication with Pranute. Alisa was a brave and energetic woman; using all of her friends and connections she managed to get her husband Filip out of 7th fort as soon as mass execustions began. After the Children Action, which took place on March 27-28 1944 in Kaunas ghetto, they decided to get Tania out immediately. On the next day risking her life Alisa climbed over the ghetto fence with sleeping Tania in a potato sack and carried the girl through the city (from Vilijampole to Mickevicius st.) to Pranute Granskyte. Several days later once again putting her life at risk Alisa came to Pranute to see how the girl was. Having taken care that the child was all right, she left Tania in Pranute’s, her sister’s Liudvika Baziene’s and her husband’s custody. Tania’s mother Fania Viravicienė died during the liquidation of Kaunas ghetto; her first saviour Alisa Benjaminaviciene survived in Stuthof.
Now Tania Viraviciute-Rubinsonaite-Vasiliauskiene resides in Canada. By her request Pranciska Granskyte was declared Righteous among the Nations in 2006. Pranciska Granskyte, her sister Liudvika Baziene with her husband Antanas were also awarded Life Saving Crosses in 2008.