rescuers of jews
Bagdonavičiūtė-Bukauskienė Marija
IZABELĖ BAGDONAVIČIENĖ
PRANAS BAGDONAVIČIUS
MARIJA BAGDONAVIČIŪTĖ-BUKAUSKIENĖ
During the war, Pranas and Izabelė Bagdonavičius, along with their children Česlovas and Marija, lived in the village of Lipliūnai, in the Kėdainiai district. During the first days of the Nazi occupation, when Jews were being transferred to temporary isolation camps, Chana, their well-known acquaintance, and a shop owner from Kėdainiai, fled to the Bagdonavičius's with her children and several other Jews. They all sheltered in a farm building, where Izabelė Bagdonavičienė prepared meals for them, and both she and her husband helped as much as they could. At that time, no one suspected the fate that awaited the Jews; it seemed that after the initial turbulent weeks, life would return to normal, and the Jews would be able to return home. Unfortunately, someone found out about the hidden Jews, and when a policeman arrived, he ordered everyone to move to the ghetto in Kėdainiai within 24 hours. Seeing no other option, they complied, even though Pranas Bagdonavičius did not instruct them to leave. Unfortunately, all those who returned to Kėdainiai on August 28, 1941, were lined up at the execution pit, but one of them, Benedict (Bencel) Birger, fell into the pit unharmed. During the night, Birger dug himself out from under the corpses and, convinced that there were no guards around, ran through the fields until he reached the Bagdonavičius's home and asked for help. To this, Pranas Bagdonavičius replied, “If God allowed you to live, how can I, as a human being, not help you.” Both dug a bunker under the cowshed, insulated it, and in that bunker, without seeing daylight, Benedict Birger spent many days and months until the end of the war in Lithuania.
All members of the Bagdonavičius family took care of Benedict, bringing him food, watching the surroundings, reporting dangers, and at night, letting him into the house without revealing the hidden person to anyone. Throughout the war, the Bagdonavičius's children, Česlovas and Marija, were faithful assistants to their parents. After the war, Benedict Birger lived in Kėdainiai, married a Lithuanian woman named Stasė, had 2 daughters and 2 sons, and the family maintained warm relations for a long time.
Izabelė and Pranas Bagdonavičius, along with their son Česlovas, were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1998. During this ceremony, Izabelė and Pranas Bagdonavičiai were awarded the Life Saviour’s Cross, and their daughter, Marija Bukauskienė (Bagdonavičiūtė), also received this honour.
PRANAS BAGDONAVIČIUS
MARIJA BAGDONAVIČIŪTĖ-BUKAUSKIENĖ
During the war, Pranas and Izabelė Bagdonavičius, along with their children Česlovas and Marija, lived in the village of Lipliūnai, in the Kėdainiai district. During the first days of the Nazi occupation, when Jews were being transferred to temporary isolation camps, Chana, their well-known acquaintance, and a shop owner from Kėdainiai, fled to the Bagdonavičius's with her children and several other Jews. They all sheltered in a farm building, where Izabelė Bagdonavičienė prepared meals for them, and both she and her husband helped as much as they could. At that time, no one suspected the fate that awaited the Jews; it seemed that after the initial turbulent weeks, life would return to normal, and the Jews would be able to return home. Unfortunately, someone found out about the hidden Jews, and when a policeman arrived, he ordered everyone to move to the ghetto in Kėdainiai within 24 hours. Seeing no other option, they complied, even though Pranas Bagdonavičius did not instruct them to leave. Unfortunately, all those who returned to Kėdainiai on August 28, 1941, were lined up at the execution pit, but one of them, Benedict (Bencel) Birger, fell into the pit unharmed. During the night, Birger dug himself out from under the corpses and, convinced that there were no guards around, ran through the fields until he reached the Bagdonavičius's home and asked for help. To this, Pranas Bagdonavičius replied, “If God allowed you to live, how can I, as a human being, not help you.” Both dug a bunker under the cowshed, insulated it, and in that bunker, without seeing daylight, Benedict Birger spent many days and months until the end of the war in Lithuania.
All members of the Bagdonavičius family took care of Benedict, bringing him food, watching the surroundings, reporting dangers, and at night, letting him into the house without revealing the hidden person to anyone. Throughout the war, the Bagdonavičius's children, Česlovas and Marija, were faithful assistants to their parents. After the war, Benedict Birger lived in Kėdainiai, married a Lithuanian woman named Stasė, had 2 daughters and 2 sons, and the family maintained warm relations for a long time.
Izabelė and Pranas Bagdonavičius, along with their son Česlovas, were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1998. During this ceremony, Izabelė and Pranas Bagdonavičiai were awarded the Life Saviour’s Cross, and their daughter, Marija Bukauskienė (Bagdonavičiūtė), also received this honour.