Rescuers of Jews

Antanas POŠKA (1903–1992) In the publishing houses of Vilnius, in the Žinija society, or in the capital's central street, the beginning and the end of which are marked by the two richest libraries of Lithuania, one could encounter a certain man of unusual appearance during the 1960s. It was more his inspired face and not so much his long white hair that distinguished him from the crowd. An artist, a thinker, a sage... Some would recognize him: he was the traveler and scientist Antanas Poška, back from exile. A strange man, he had traveled to India on a motorcycle, and he kept in touch with Rabindranat Tagore. An Esperantist... Poška himself defined his activities by an original notion of cultural anthropology: “The main theme of my studies – cultural anthropology – is Man's adaptation to the perpetually-changing environment. It is a slow genetic adaptation to the civilizations which are intruding at an unnatural speed... “ More than once Antanas Poška had encountered the unpredictable speed of civilization. When the Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1940, he, then the head of Vilnius public library No.3, was ordered to destroy all ideologically “defective” books. He barred no attempt to salvage the most valuable publications... During the German occupation, the library was required to select Judaic works necessary for the Nazis to transport to Germany and to destroy the remaining books as worthless. To hide them was a crime, but Poška managed once again to save and hide over 1500 copies of books in Yiddish and Hebrew. In the basement of the library A. Poška accommodated and hid the Jews Icikas Mucheris, J. Todesas, and their families, and he fictitiously employed Akiva Geršateris, a Vilnius resident, as a library watchman under the name of A. Gervatovski. He gave me an official card bearing the stamp of the city's library, and signed the card himself. For some time this card protected me against forced labour. /.../ Once I went from the ghetto to town to look for some bread or potatoes for my starving family. In the street I was stopped by a Gestapo officer who suspected my Jewish origin and demanded my papers. The card issued by Antanas Poška saved me. When my family was massacred in the ghetto, I escaped from there and for several days hid in the ruins of buildings. With no prospects whatsoever, I made up my mind to ask Antanas for help again. A. Poška met me with exceptional humanism, like a real friend. For almost ten months, until the Russian army entered Vilnius, Antanas Poška hid me in his flat during this time I had meals with his family. /.../ Neither then nor later did my friend hint about any compensation of losses, later wrote A. Geršateris. To hide “Gervatovski” was dangerous not only because he was a Jew, but also because to intellectuals A. Geršateris was a well-known person, the Esperanto consul in Lithuania. The fate of 1. Mucheris and J. Todesas is so far unknown; as for Akiva Geršateris and A. Poška, they were sincere friends. Having emigrated to Poland in 1946 and later to Israel, A. Geršateris wrote letters to his friend and rescuer. At that time, in order to avoid KGB persecution, it was usual to use Aesopian language when communicating with foreign countries – through descriptions of weather, everyday life, and health matters, people revealed their moods. For the KGB officials, deciphering A. Poška's and A. Geršateris' letters was a difficult task – all of their letters were written in Esperanto, which both of them liked. “The secrets of happiness lie in man himself. If he is rich in spirit and healthy in his desires, nobody will ever take his happiness away from him. Everything is in us – one has only to want. Thus do not grieve, heart, happiness is in you and it is yours”. From Hands Bringing Life and Bread, Volume 2,
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. Vilnius, 1999