Rescuers of Jews

Pečiulytė (Kviliūnienė) Ona

ANTANINA PEČIULIENĖ
JUOZAS PEČIULIS
ONA PEČIULYTĖ (KVILIŪNIENĖ)


     In 1941, following the Nazi occupation of Lithuania and the beginning of mass executions of Jews in July and August, Dr. Ovsey Belkin, a physician at Alytus Hospital, and his wife Rachele sought help from former colleagues and acquaintances. They asked for refuge for themselves and their young daughter, Sheina.
     Initially, Dr. Belkin approached Aleksandra Našliūnienė, a midwife at the same hospital. Aleksandra and her husband Alfonsas Našliūnas, director of an agricultural school, provided a hiding place for the Belkins and supported them in every way. However, the location was unsafe due to the presence of high-ranking German officers at the school, forcing the Belkin family to find another refuge. A safe hiding place was found in a rural village for their daughter Sheina, while Ovsey and Rachele were taken in by the family of Konstantinas Bajerčius, an inspector at Alytus Teachers’ Seminary. The Bajerčius family sheltered the Belkins in their home in Alytus until August 1942. During this time, they received food and medical assistance from teacher Stefanija Haškerienė, her husband Maksimilijonas Haškeris, teacher Klimavičius, and other colleagues.
     When it became unsafe in Alytus, the Belkins were taken in by Antanina and Petras Pečiulis, who lived in the village of Vangelonys. The Pečiulis family had three sons – Juozas, Antanas, and Bronius – and welcomed a daughter, Aldona, in 1942. Their eldest son, Juozas, was attending the Alytus Teachers’ Seminary but lived with his family in Vangelonys. Living alongside them were Petras’s unmarried siblings, Ona Pečiulytė (later Kviliūnienė) and Kazimieras Pečiulis.

From the Memories of Juozas Pečiulis, the Eldest Son of the Pečiulis Family:
     My father, Petras Pečiulis, from September 1942 until July 16, 1944, secretly hid, protected, fed, and clothed a Jewish family—Ovsiejus and Rašelė Belkin – at great risk to himself and our family. He undertook this dangerous mission because he had always lived harmoniously with neighbors of various ethnicities – Jews, Russians, Germans – and respected their customs, religious beliefs, and political views. Ovsiejus and Rašelė Belkin lived with our family of eight in Vangelonys, Alytus County, sharing the same food at our table. My contribution was helping to dig a concealed trench from the basement to the woodshed, creating a bunker for the Belkins in case of a sudden raid by Nazi collaborators.

     After nearly two years of living with the Pečiulis family and receiving care from all its members, especially Petras, Antanina, Ona Pečiulytė, and Juozas, the Belkins survived the war. Afterward, Ovsey, Rachele, and their daughter Sheina (later known as Gražina Žvinklienė) settled in Vilnius.
     Tragically, Petras Pečiulis faced persecution after the war. Some anti-Semitic Nazi collaborators who had not fled with the retreating German forces terrorized the Pečiulis family. To protect Petras, Dr. Belkin, who was then working as head of the Alytus District Health Department, arranged for him to manage the auxiliary farm of the Seirijai outpatient clinic in 1946. The family moved to Seirijai, but the harassment continued. On July 29, 1948, Petras Pečiulis was murdered by anti-Semitic assailants.
     In 1992, Petras Pečiulis was posthumously awarded the Life Saviour’s Cross. This esteemed Lithuanian state honor was also given to Ovsey and Rachele Belkin’s other rescuers: Alfonsas and Aleksandra Našliūnas, Konstantinas and Magdalena Bajerčius, Stefanija, Maksimilijonas, and Jurgita Haškeriai.
     During the 2024 ceremony, members of the Pečiulis family – Antanina Pečiulienė, Ona Kviliūnienė (Pečiulytė), and Juozas Pečiulis, the eldest son of Petras and Antanina – were also honored with the Life Saviour’s Cross Award.

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