Vladas Povilas ANTANAVIČIUS (1893–1981)

Vladas Povilas Antanavičius had a large house in Kėdainiai. He lived off of the garden at the house. In 1942 a group of prisoners from the Kaunas ghetto were sent to work in the Kėdainiai aerodrome. The road ran past Antanavičius' house.
Rachilė Kac and her husband were in that group. Whenever the prisoners passed Antanavičius' house on their way to work, he would bring out food and give it to them for a symbolic payment. Some of the prisoners thought he was “a stupid Goy” and could not see that he, a man with the most sensitive soul, did not want his help to humiliate them. Once he asked Rachilė's husband if they wanted to run away from the camp. The latter replied that although they would really like to get to the partisans, they would have nowhere to go. Povilas promised to help.
Initially he hid them in his cellar. Not only did he provide food, but he also brought a radio so that they could listen to the news. Eventually he succeeded in contacting the partisans, and the Kacai left for the woods. After the war they returned to Kaunas. Seriously wounded in one of the battles, Rachilė's husband eventually died, but contact with P. Antanavičius did not break. Having found out about her saviour's worsening health, Rachilė hurried to Kėdainiai to help him. They got married two years later, and celebrated their 70th, 75th and 80th birthdays together. After her second husband's death Rachilė left for Israel. Vladas Povilas Antanavičius was a respected person in Kėdainiai, he was elected assessor for the people's court. The sculptor D. Zundelovičius created a black marble table with bronze apples for his grave in the Rokantiškės cemetery.

From Hands Bringing Life and Bread, Volume 2,
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. Vilnius, 1999