Rescuers of Jews
Mozūraitytė-Čepienė Mefodija
Ona and Jonas MOZŪRAITIS
and their children Mefodija, Alfonsas, Zuzana and Zenonas
“...It was only then we understood how strong was our parent’s neighbourly love to the humans, so that they risked the life of their own family in order to save other lives and help people out in a trouble...” / Zuzana Leskauskienė (Mozūraitytė)
During the German occupation, Jonas and Ona Mozūraitis with their four children Mefodija, Alfonsas, Zuzana and Zenonas lived in Lenkčiai village, Tauragė district. In autumn 1943, their acquaintance Zarkinas brought Leah Brik and her son to them. She asked to hide her and her 8 year old son Arikas-Algiukas. Leah and her son were brought here from the Kaunas Ghetto by Rakevičius family, who lived in Keidžiai village, Raseiniai district. They had been hiding at Rakevičiai place for some time, but the Germans started suspecting them and they needed a new place to hide. Jonas Mozūraitis made them a shelter in a room under the floor. Later Mozūraičiai gave shelter for some time to one more family – Meyer and Henia Melc.
From the memoirs of Zuzana Leskauskienė (Mozūraitytė):
My mother told me that they ran away from Kaunas because of shooting Germans. I asked my mom if the Germans were shooting children and why? My father told me not to tell anyone that Algirdas (Arikas) and Julytė were there, because if Germans found out, they would shoot us all.
Leah Brik was a teacher, she spoke many languages, so she could help Mozūraitis children do their homework. Leah Brik spent two months in Mozūraitis family until the end of the war. After the war, she met her husband, who had survived by making a hiding place inside the Kaunas Ghetto, and the family emigrated to Israel.
Leah Brik (Barak) wrote letters to the Mozūraitis for the rest of her life, and in May 2005 Arikas-Algiukas, the President of the Supreme Court of Israel, visited his saviours.
In 1976 Jonas and Ona Mozūraičiai, and their children Mefodija, Alfonsas, Zuzana and Zenonas were titled the Righteous Among the Nations.
and their children Mefodija, Alfonsas, Zuzana and Zenonas
“...It was only then we understood how strong was our parent’s neighbourly love to the humans, so that they risked the life of their own family in order to save other lives and help people out in a trouble...” / Zuzana Leskauskienė (Mozūraitytė)
During the German occupation, Jonas and Ona Mozūraitis with their four children Mefodija, Alfonsas, Zuzana and Zenonas lived in Lenkčiai village, Tauragė district. In autumn 1943, their acquaintance Zarkinas brought Leah Brik and her son to them. She asked to hide her and her 8 year old son Arikas-Algiukas. Leah and her son were brought here from the Kaunas Ghetto by Rakevičius family, who lived in Keidžiai village, Raseiniai district. They had been hiding at Rakevičiai place for some time, but the Germans started suspecting them and they needed a new place to hide. Jonas Mozūraitis made them a shelter in a room under the floor. Later Mozūraičiai gave shelter for some time to one more family – Meyer and Henia Melc.
From the memoirs of Zuzana Leskauskienė (Mozūraitytė):
My mother told me that they ran away from Kaunas because of shooting Germans. I asked my mom if the Germans were shooting children and why? My father told me not to tell anyone that Algirdas (Arikas) and Julytė were there, because if Germans found out, they would shoot us all.
Leah Brik was a teacher, she spoke many languages, so she could help Mozūraitis children do their homework. Leah Brik spent two months in Mozūraitis family until the end of the war. After the war, she met her husband, who had survived by making a hiding place inside the Kaunas Ghetto, and the family emigrated to Israel.
Leah Brik (Barak) wrote letters to the Mozūraitis for the rest of her life, and in May 2005 Arikas-Algiukas, the President of the Supreme Court of Israel, visited his saviours.
In 1976 Jonas and Ona Mozūraičiai, and their children Mefodija, Alfonsas, Zuzana and Zenonas were titled the Righteous Among the Nations.