rescuers of jews
Vaitkus Jonas
Pranas ZAKSAS
Marijona ZAKSAITĖ
Ona VILEIKIENĖ (Zaksaitė)
Jonas VAITKUS
During the war Pranas Zaksas (1921) and his sisters Ona (1925) and Marijona (1927) lived in the village of Gūrai, Raiseniai region. Their parents died long before and three children together with their step-brother Jonas Vaitkus were dealing with maintaining the household and the farm themselves. During the entire period of the German occupation they had been hiding and feeding Samson Milneris and his younger son Berelis. The Zaksas family knew the Milneris family even before the war. Milneris possessed a mill and his house was located 1 km from Zaksas’ farm. When the war broke out Milneris together with both of his sons – younger Berelis and elder Aronas and wife’s brother Kaganas turned to Zaksas for help. Elder son Aronas and wife’s brother Kaganas went to Zaksas’ cousin – Vincentas Račiūnas, who lived nearby, but Samsonas Milneris and his younger son Berelis stayed with Zaksas. They made two hiding places: one in a pit under the bed, the second in the hayloft. In the house of Vincentas Račiūnas there were even three hiding places. When the front line moved, closer the Jews were forced to look for a safer place to hide. All of them survived thanks to brave and noble actions of Lithuanian farmers. After the war the Milneris family lived in Kaunas and afterwards emigrated to Israel.
Marijona ZAKSAITĖ
Ona VILEIKIENĖ (Zaksaitė)
Jonas VAITKUS
During the war Pranas Zaksas (1921) and his sisters Ona (1925) and Marijona (1927) lived in the village of Gūrai, Raiseniai region. Their parents died long before and three children together with their step-brother Jonas Vaitkus were dealing with maintaining the household and the farm themselves. During the entire period of the German occupation they had been hiding and feeding Samson Milneris and his younger son Berelis. The Zaksas family knew the Milneris family even before the war. Milneris possessed a mill and his house was located 1 km from Zaksas’ farm. When the war broke out Milneris together with both of his sons – younger Berelis and elder Aronas and wife’s brother Kaganas turned to Zaksas for help. Elder son Aronas and wife’s brother Kaganas went to Zaksas’ cousin – Vincentas Račiūnas, who lived nearby, but Samsonas Milneris and his younger son Berelis stayed with Zaksas. They made two hiding places: one in a pit under the bed, the second in the hayloft. In the house of Vincentas Račiūnas there were even three hiding places. When the front line moved, closer the Jews were forced to look for a safer place to hide. All of them survived thanks to brave and noble actions of Lithuanian farmers. After the war the Milneris family lived in Kaunas and afterwards emigrated to Israel.