Rescuers of Jews

Veronika KILIČIAUSKIENĖ and her sister Julijona VALIUKIENĖ Antanas MATUZEVIČIUS In the Šiauliai Ghetto Esther Ton got acquainted with Antanas Matuzevičius. Being compassionate and willing to help he took Esther’s daughter Haviva to his sister Veronika Matuzevičiūtė-Kiličiauskienė. However, after some time rumours started spreading around that Kiličiauskienė is hiding a Jewish girl. There was an urgent need to do something lest Haviva should perish and lest Veronika’s family should suffer. Matuzevičius went to Šiauliai, found Esther Ton and told her that it would be good to receive a document stating that Haviva is a Lithuanian. Esther contacted the prior of a Catholic Church in Šiauliai and he provided a birth certificate of a late Lithuanian girl. With this document Matuzevičius took Haviva to his second sister – Julijona Matuzevičiūtė-Valiukienė, where Haviva was hiding till the liberation. Veronika and Julijona loved Haviva very much; they cared for her and tried to do what they could irrespective of all the danger. When Esther Ton and Perale Krom ran away from the ghetto, they had nowhere to go; therefore, they went to Kiličiauskienė where they both were hiding for some time. Later, in order to lessen the risk of hiding two Jews in one place, Matuzevičius took Esther Ton to his house and Perale stayed in the house of Kiličiauskienė till the liberation. These devoted and kind people acted like heroes, they managed to save two women and a girl. All three of them remained alive.