rescuers of jews
Urbelis Adomas
From Yonina Meras-Gersh Memoirs:
The Urbelis family lived at the edge of Kelmė, and life was rural. Urbelienė laboured away on their small farm from morning to night. For many long months I was afraid of going outside and even look through the window. Later dressed up in village clothing and wrapped with shawls, so no one would recognise me, I also started working on the Urbelis farm, wanting to help them, but they hid me the whole time from prying eyes. Having seen some person in uniform or a civilian approaching the house, I would run and hide in the potato cellar. One cellar was under the house veranda, the other in the barn. I would spend long hours in the potato cellars.
When for some reason it seemed to the Urbelis family that danger had increased and the white armbands or police could come and look for me, Urbelis would put me on a bicycle and drive to the villages to relatives and acquaintances, asking if they could hide me at least for a little while. I hid for a week in Lyduvėnai after being brought by him in, and a few days later in villages not far from Kelmė. With some agreed-upon time having passed, Urbelis would come on his bicycle and take me back to his home on Kalnų street.
Adomas Urbelis was a day labourer, fisherman, and helped his wife in the farm work. He hid me and took care of me along with his wife Petronėlė.
Urbelienė hid me and took care of me during the entire German occupation, which was until the beginning of October 1944. She felt a human duty to rescue me from death. She knew well, that in this way she risked her own freedom and life.
Her husband Adomas Urbelis also did the same.
From the 4th book Hands Bringing Life and Bread
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum
The Urbelis family lived at the edge of Kelmė, and life was rural. Urbelienė laboured away on their small farm from morning to night. For many long months I was afraid of going outside and even look through the window. Later dressed up in village clothing and wrapped with shawls, so no one would recognise me, I also started working on the Urbelis farm, wanting to help them, but they hid me the whole time from prying eyes. Having seen some person in uniform or a civilian approaching the house, I would run and hide in the potato cellar. One cellar was under the house veranda, the other in the barn. I would spend long hours in the potato cellars.
When for some reason it seemed to the Urbelis family that danger had increased and the white armbands or police could come and look for me, Urbelis would put me on a bicycle and drive to the villages to relatives and acquaintances, asking if they could hide me at least for a little while. I hid for a week in Lyduvėnai after being brought by him in, and a few days later in villages not far from Kelmė. With some agreed-upon time having passed, Urbelis would come on his bicycle and take me back to his home on Kalnų street.
Adomas Urbelis was a day labourer, fisherman, and helped his wife in the farm work. He hid me and took care of me along with his wife Petronėlė.
Urbelienė hid me and took care of me during the entire German occupation, which was until the beginning of October 1944. She felt a human duty to rescue me from death. She knew well, that in this way she risked her own freedom and life.
Her husband Adomas Urbelis also did the same.
From the 4th book Hands Bringing Life and Bread
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum