Rescuers of Jews

Alevtina KARPAVIČIENĖ Povilas KARPAVIČIUS In times of peace, mothers usually worry about the health of their children; during the awful years of the war their children’s safety tore at their mothers’ hearts. In the first days of the occupation, the Nazis and their local henchmen started a bloody crusade against Jewish men, women and children. Thus the family of Paša and Solomonas Rozenblatas were taken to the ghetto. Their daughter Ginda (Ženė), who was born before the start of the war, went into that hell, too. The parents did their best to rescue her. Nevertheless, the day of 27 March 1944 came when the Germans started the indiscriminate massacre of children in the Kaunas Ghetto. Ženė’s mother, leaving her daughter in the care of her father, got through a hole in the barbed wire and came to her schoolmate Alevtina Karpavičienė. “They are killing the children. I don’t dare to ask... But please, take the girl,” Paša asked fearfully. She was well aware of the danger that faced those sheltering Jews. Alevtina’s husband was an art photographer. Entirely trusting Paša, and risking his life and those of his family, he rescued many people. “All right. I’ll take the girl,” said Alevtina. However, Ginda’s parents had difficulties getting her out of the ghetto. It was done by a friend of the Karpavičius called Stulpinas. He went to the ghetto claiming to be sent by the municipal authorities to check the power lines. Having agreed beforehand with both the Karpavičius and the Rozenblatas on the place where he could take the girl, he put her in his bag next to an electricity generator. Despite the care with which he carried the bag, a part of the generator sliced into the girl’s cheek. Nevertheless, not the slightest sound was heard from the bag. The Karpavičius’ children looked at the little girl in silence. She was thin and there was not a flicker of a smile in the little wounded face, only mistrust in eyes that were wide with fear. The son was big, he understood everything and knew how to keep a secret, while the little daughter was told that the newcomer was her new little sister, Ženė. That took place on 20 April 1944, Hitler’s birthday. Ženė lived quietly with the Karpavičius family until one day when she fell ill and a doctor had to be called. The old family doctor Šimkus was sent for. Having examined the girl, and stroking tenderly her hot head, he said thoughtfully: “Everything will be all right, dear, everything will be all right.” And everything was all right. Ženė stayed with her rescuers until the liberation of Kaunas. Her parents only came to collect her a year later. When the ghetto was liquidated, Paša had been taken to Stutthof, and Solomonas and his son to Dachau. The son was separated from his father and taken to Auschwitz, where he died. When Paša and Solomonas returned to Kaunas, they found Ženė safe and sound at the Karpavičius’. From Hands Bringing Life and Bread, Volume 3,
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. Vilnius, 2005