rescuers of jews
Šaikūnienė Domicėlė
Mykolas ŠAIKŪNAS and Domicėlė ŠAIKŪNIENĖ
Naama Shilon (Kaganaite) was born on January 8, 1938 in the family of Kagan Yehuda and Suzana. Before the war the family lived in Telšiai. Yehuda Kagan had a sock-producing factory. In 1940 the Soviets nationalized the factory and left him to work as an employee because of his knowledge and experience. With the outbreak of the war, in July 1941 Yehuda Kagan together with other Jews from Telšiai was executed at the Rainiai camp.
In September 1941 Naama and her mother Suzana were confined in the Telšiai ghetto. Later on Suzana managed to smuggle them both to the Šiauliai ghetto where Naama’s uncle, Itzhak Gurvitz, had been staying. After a while Itzhak received the information that children action was being prepared and he managed to help Suzana and Naama escape.
Naama was taken by the Šaikūnas family living in Telšiai with whom she stayed until the end of the war.
There were 3 children in the family Šaikūnas and they presented Naama as their cousin. Naama did not feel a stranger in the Šaikūnas family, they treated her as their own child, Naama received the name Aldona and learned to speak Lithuanian very well. They used to take her to church together with them.
One night, Mykolas took Naama many miles on foot to the next village to see her mother, who was hiding there together with 4 other women. Naama spent one night with her mother and then Mykolas took her back. It was a very dangerous step for him to do. Naama continued to live in the family until the Russians came. Some time later her mother came to take the girl. And they stayed to live in the same town, Telšiai. They have been in close contact with the Šaikūnas family even after the war.
Naama Shilon (Kaganaite) was born on January 8, 1938 in the family of Kagan Yehuda and Suzana. Before the war the family lived in Telšiai. Yehuda Kagan had a sock-producing factory. In 1940 the Soviets nationalized the factory and left him to work as an employee because of his knowledge and experience. With the outbreak of the war, in July 1941 Yehuda Kagan together with other Jews from Telšiai was executed at the Rainiai camp.
In September 1941 Naama and her mother Suzana were confined in the Telšiai ghetto. Later on Suzana managed to smuggle them both to the Šiauliai ghetto where Naama’s uncle, Itzhak Gurvitz, had been staying. After a while Itzhak received the information that children action was being prepared and he managed to help Suzana and Naama escape.
Naama was taken by the Šaikūnas family living in Telšiai with whom she stayed until the end of the war.
There were 3 children in the family Šaikūnas and they presented Naama as their cousin. Naama did not feel a stranger in the Šaikūnas family, they treated her as their own child, Naama received the name Aldona and learned to speak Lithuanian very well. They used to take her to church together with them.
One night, Mykolas took Naama many miles on foot to the next village to see her mother, who was hiding there together with 4 other women. Naama spent one night with her mother and then Mykolas took her back. It was a very dangerous step for him to do. Naama continued to live in the family until the Russians came. Some time later her mother came to take the girl. And they stayed to live in the same town, Telšiai. They have been in close contact with the Šaikūnas family even after the war.