rescuers of jews
Miriam Rolnikaitė-Lisauskienė remembers
We would make our move only when Marija Mikulska, whom we used to call sister Benedikta among us, called us by knocking a certain ‘tune’ above us. This would happen late in the evening or even at night. Marija was our guardian angel and a woman of exceptional courage. (P. 56)
We did not need courage – we only lived on hope because hope dies last. But boldness is what our saviour truly required! Once, when some of us were upstairs (in the lavatory and in the bathroom washing ourselves), someone came knocking on the front door (passage from the top floor to our hideout was just beside that door). People outside demanded to open up saying they had come to make an inspection. Marija Mikulska pretended she had stumbled over some buckets and other utensils on her way to open the door. She made a commotion so the ones upstairs could make it to the hideout. She was shouting “Just a minute! Just a minute!” and keep kicking those buckets. (P. 60)
A woman, who had spent most of her life in a monastery, far from the secular world, and especially that kind of world, had to show extraordinary composure to make the right decision and do with the situation. It all ended well. It appeared that the people had come to inspect fire protection measures. (P. 61)
We would make our move only when Marija Mikulska, whom we used to call sister Benedikta among us, called us by knocking a certain ‘tune’ above us. This would happen late in the evening or even at night. Marija was our guardian angel and a woman of exceptional courage. (P. 56)
We did not need courage – we only lived on hope because hope dies last. But boldness is what our saviour truly required! Once, when some of us were upstairs (in the lavatory and in the bathroom washing ourselves), someone came knocking on the front door (passage from the top floor to our hideout was just beside that door). People outside demanded to open up saying they had come to make an inspection. Marija Mikulska pretended she had stumbled over some buckets and other utensils on her way to open the door. She made a commotion so the ones upstairs could make it to the hideout. She was shouting “Just a minute! Just a minute!” and keep kicking those buckets. (P. 60)
A woman, who had spent most of her life in a monastery, far from the secular world, and especially that kind of world, had to show extraordinary composure to make the right decision and do with the situation. It all ended well. It appeared that the people had come to inspect fire protection measures. (P. 61)