rescuers of jews
Dailidavičienė Uršulė
The Rescue Story of Frida Michnaicky (Frida Michnaickytė)
Maksimas Rudekas
It was very difficult during the war as you could not trust any of your neighbours. All the more so the representatives of the local government who used to come to our village quite often. They came for one reason – to collect the taxes but you never knew what they were looking for. I had to be on the lookout, and warn if somebody was coming. I would warn the people so they could hide <...> At that time one had to be very cautious. If they had found out almost everyone would have faced the same fate, both those who were hiding and our entire family.
From Algimantas Dailidavičius’ speech during a ceremony at Žvėrynas Gymnasium in Vilnius on 15 December 2005, when he was awarded the Yad Vashem Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations.
On late evening in November 1943, an injured eight or nine-year old girl came to the house of Uršulė and Vincas Dailidavičius, in the village of Pagramdai in the Vilkaviškis District. By the looks of her, it was clear that she was a Jew who needed help right away.
Uršulė Dailidavičienė bathed the girl, put bandages on her wounds, fed her and put her to sleep. A few days later, Masha and Girsh Michnaicky (Maša Michnaickienė, Giršas Michnaickis) found their daughter Frida, and it was then all the circumstances behind the rescue of this family became clear.
Before the war, Masha and Girsh Michnaicky lived in Vilkaviškis. Masha Davidovich-Michnaicky worked as a nurse, first in the Kaunas Jewish Hospital and later when she came back to Vilkaviškis, she worked for a Dr. Babel. She had an emergency room in her house as well. Masha’s husband Girsh Michnaicky worked with his cousins at the bristle factory of their uncle Sabolevičius. In 1934 the first child, Frida, was born in the family of Masha and Girsh Michnaicky. During those happy days not a single member of the family could have suspected what tragedy and difficulties were awaiting them in the future.
When the Soviets occupied Lithuania, the relatives of Girsh Michnaicky, the owner of the Vilkaviškis bristle factory Eliyas Sabolevich with his wife, were exiled to Siberia and nobody heard anything of them afterwards. Girsh Michnaicky then was rescued by the workers at the factory who persuaded the Soviets that Girsh was not a capitalist, but just a worker like the others.
At the beginning of the German invasion, the Michnaicky family was locked in the barracks of Vilkaviškis together with all the other Jews of the town. They managed to escape from the barracks and in September Masha and Girsh Michnaicky with their daughter Frida ended in the Kaunas Ghetto. The relatives of Masha and Girsh that had remained in the barracks were shot together with the other Jews of Vilkaviškis.
In November 1943 the Michnaicky family decided to escape from the Kaunas Ghetto together with Ema Davidovich, the sister of Masha Michnaicky, who lived in Kaunas before the war and worked at the Bank of Lithuania. They decided to look for help in their native land, which was the Vilkaviškis District. Then the search for shelter at the places of farmers started, along with days and nights full of anxiety and fear.
Once Masha and Girsh left their daughter Frida for a short while at the place of one farmer and went to look for Masha’s sister Ema who was hiding close by. They had to get some money urgently to pay a woman named Juzė, who agreed to look after Frida’s newborn sister. Unfortunately, Masha and Girsh did not find their little daughter alive and their daughter Frida who was at the farmer’s place also faced a painful blow.
Frida was left alone with an old woman at home and she was told to feed the pigs while the owners of the farm worked in the fields. While carrying the buckets with feed for the pigs Frida noticed a woman with a dog in the yard of the farm. Having seen the stranger she hurried to hide and went to the stall among the pigs, however suddenly the pigs attacked the little girl and bit her severely. Having heard Frida’s scream, the old woman opened the stall door and rescued the girl.
From Frida Arinovski’s testimony:
I was mauled, with my right hand mauled to the bone. Once the owners came back and found out everything, they gave me food, a rag of some sort to cover the wound and told me to leave. I was wandering until the evenig and once it became dark I knocked at the house of the Dailidavičius family.Uršulė, the woman of the house, saw me, felt sorry for me and let me stay in her house...
Vincas and Uršulė Dailidavičius felt sorry for those less fortunate - at first they sheltered little Frida, who was in a critical state, and later on, the parents of the girl, and then decided to help the family and hide them until they found another place.
However, soon it became clear that it was not easy to find another safe place. This is how the Michnaicky came to stay at the Dailidavičius family till the end of the war.
There was a hiding place in the barn where refugees would hide in times of danger. During raids for finding Jews, German soldiers and Lithuanian policemen used to come to the village quite often. One may only imagine what those who were hiding and those who rescued them experienced at that time.
Algimantas, the son of the Dailidavičius family, used to go to the gymnasium in Vilkaviškis, however, he could not invite his friends as was scared they might see something suspicious. As usual, the adults used to work on the farm, while the task of Algimantas was to bring the food and to stay on the lookout so no stranger would detect those hiding. In the summer during the day, the Michnaicky family sometimes used to hide in the forest or the bushes near the house. Then Algimantas would intentionally bring his friends home so they could be convinced that there were no strangers in the house. The fact that the Jews were hiding on the Dailidavičius farm was known only by the sister of Vincas Dailidavičius and a few neighbours who also used to hide Jews. All the rescuers of the Jews knew how risky it was, and they also knew the possible tragic consequences.
During one period Ema, the sister of Masha was also hiding at the Dailidavičius farm for three months, however it was dangerous to hide so many people in one place. Vincas Dailidavičius took Ema Davidovich to the place of his sister, M. Svotelienė, who lived in another village, where she saw the end of the war.
After the war the Michnaicky family settled in Kaunas. Unfortunately, the head of the family, Girsh Michnaicky, did not live long after the liberation: he fell ill and died in Kaunas in 1945.
In 1977 the rescued Ema Davidovich was asked to go to Germany as a witness for a war tribunal. Unfortunately during the trial she suffered a heart attack and died there.
Masha Michnaicky and Frida Michnaicky-Arinovski kept in touch with their saviours Uršulė and Vincas Dailidavičius, and their son Algimantas after the war. While studying at the Academy of Agriculture, Algimantas lived with Frida’s family. Later on Masha Michnaicky and her daughter Frida emigrated to Israel and the families parted. Fortunately after a long break, in 1994 Frida came to Lithuania, the friendship was renewed, and in 1998 Algimantas Dailidavičius visited the family of Frida Michnaickyte-Arinovski in Israel for the first time.
From a letter of Frida Arinovski in 2008:
In 1994 I came to Lithuania for the first time in an attempt to find the Dailidavičius family. Every year since then I visit all the places that are dear to my heart – seven pits of Vilkaviškis where my entire family is, and of course the Dailidavičius family. This year Algimantas with his nice wife Aldutė visited us.
Uršulė and Vincas Dailidavičius were acknowledged as the Righteous Among the Nations in 1996, and in 2004 their son Algimantas was awarded this honourable title.
From the 4th book Hands Bringing Life and Bread
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum
Maksimas Rudekas
It was very difficult during the war as you could not trust any of your neighbours. All the more so the representatives of the local government who used to come to our village quite often. They came for one reason – to collect the taxes but you never knew what they were looking for. I had to be on the lookout, and warn if somebody was coming. I would warn the people so they could hide <...> At that time one had to be very cautious. If they had found out almost everyone would have faced the same fate, both those who were hiding and our entire family.
From Algimantas Dailidavičius’ speech during a ceremony at Žvėrynas Gymnasium in Vilnius on 15 December 2005, when he was awarded the Yad Vashem Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations.
On late evening in November 1943, an injured eight or nine-year old girl came to the house of Uršulė and Vincas Dailidavičius, in the village of Pagramdai in the Vilkaviškis District. By the looks of her, it was clear that she was a Jew who needed help right away.
Uršulė Dailidavičienė bathed the girl, put bandages on her wounds, fed her and put her to sleep. A few days later, Masha and Girsh Michnaicky (Maša Michnaickienė, Giršas Michnaickis) found their daughter Frida, and it was then all the circumstances behind the rescue of this family became clear.
Before the war, Masha and Girsh Michnaicky lived in Vilkaviškis. Masha Davidovich-Michnaicky worked as a nurse, first in the Kaunas Jewish Hospital and later when she came back to Vilkaviškis, she worked for a Dr. Babel. She had an emergency room in her house as well. Masha’s husband Girsh Michnaicky worked with his cousins at the bristle factory of their uncle Sabolevičius. In 1934 the first child, Frida, was born in the family of Masha and Girsh Michnaicky. During those happy days not a single member of the family could have suspected what tragedy and difficulties were awaiting them in the future.
When the Soviets occupied Lithuania, the relatives of Girsh Michnaicky, the owner of the Vilkaviškis bristle factory Eliyas Sabolevich with his wife, were exiled to Siberia and nobody heard anything of them afterwards. Girsh Michnaicky then was rescued by the workers at the factory who persuaded the Soviets that Girsh was not a capitalist, but just a worker like the others.
At the beginning of the German invasion, the Michnaicky family was locked in the barracks of Vilkaviškis together with all the other Jews of the town. They managed to escape from the barracks and in September Masha and Girsh Michnaicky with their daughter Frida ended in the Kaunas Ghetto. The relatives of Masha and Girsh that had remained in the barracks were shot together with the other Jews of Vilkaviškis.
In November 1943 the Michnaicky family decided to escape from the Kaunas Ghetto together with Ema Davidovich, the sister of Masha Michnaicky, who lived in Kaunas before the war and worked at the Bank of Lithuania. They decided to look for help in their native land, which was the Vilkaviškis District. Then the search for shelter at the places of farmers started, along with days and nights full of anxiety and fear.
Once Masha and Girsh left their daughter Frida for a short while at the place of one farmer and went to look for Masha’s sister Ema who was hiding close by. They had to get some money urgently to pay a woman named Juzė, who agreed to look after Frida’s newborn sister. Unfortunately, Masha and Girsh did not find their little daughter alive and their daughter Frida who was at the farmer’s place also faced a painful blow.
Frida was left alone with an old woman at home and she was told to feed the pigs while the owners of the farm worked in the fields. While carrying the buckets with feed for the pigs Frida noticed a woman with a dog in the yard of the farm. Having seen the stranger she hurried to hide and went to the stall among the pigs, however suddenly the pigs attacked the little girl and bit her severely. Having heard Frida’s scream, the old woman opened the stall door and rescued the girl.
From Frida Arinovski’s testimony:
I was mauled, with my right hand mauled to the bone. Once the owners came back and found out everything, they gave me food, a rag of some sort to cover the wound and told me to leave. I was wandering until the evenig and once it became dark I knocked at the house of the Dailidavičius family.Uršulė, the woman of the house, saw me, felt sorry for me and let me stay in her house...
Vincas and Uršulė Dailidavičius felt sorry for those less fortunate - at first they sheltered little Frida, who was in a critical state, and later on, the parents of the girl, and then decided to help the family and hide them until they found another place.
However, soon it became clear that it was not easy to find another safe place. This is how the Michnaicky came to stay at the Dailidavičius family till the end of the war.
There was a hiding place in the barn where refugees would hide in times of danger. During raids for finding Jews, German soldiers and Lithuanian policemen used to come to the village quite often. One may only imagine what those who were hiding and those who rescued them experienced at that time.
Algimantas, the son of the Dailidavičius family, used to go to the gymnasium in Vilkaviškis, however, he could not invite his friends as was scared they might see something suspicious. As usual, the adults used to work on the farm, while the task of Algimantas was to bring the food and to stay on the lookout so no stranger would detect those hiding. In the summer during the day, the Michnaicky family sometimes used to hide in the forest or the bushes near the house. Then Algimantas would intentionally bring his friends home so they could be convinced that there were no strangers in the house. The fact that the Jews were hiding on the Dailidavičius farm was known only by the sister of Vincas Dailidavičius and a few neighbours who also used to hide Jews. All the rescuers of the Jews knew how risky it was, and they also knew the possible tragic consequences.
During one period Ema, the sister of Masha was also hiding at the Dailidavičius farm for three months, however it was dangerous to hide so many people in one place. Vincas Dailidavičius took Ema Davidovich to the place of his sister, M. Svotelienė, who lived in another village, where she saw the end of the war.
After the war the Michnaicky family settled in Kaunas. Unfortunately, the head of the family, Girsh Michnaicky, did not live long after the liberation: he fell ill and died in Kaunas in 1945.
In 1977 the rescued Ema Davidovich was asked to go to Germany as a witness for a war tribunal. Unfortunately during the trial she suffered a heart attack and died there.
Masha Michnaicky and Frida Michnaicky-Arinovski kept in touch with their saviours Uršulė and Vincas Dailidavičius, and their son Algimantas after the war. While studying at the Academy of Agriculture, Algimantas lived with Frida’s family. Later on Masha Michnaicky and her daughter Frida emigrated to Israel and the families parted. Fortunately after a long break, in 1994 Frida came to Lithuania, the friendship was renewed, and in 1998 Algimantas Dailidavičius visited the family of Frida Michnaickyte-Arinovski in Israel for the first time.
From a letter of Frida Arinovski in 2008:
In 1994 I came to Lithuania for the first time in an attempt to find the Dailidavičius family. Every year since then I visit all the places that are dear to my heart – seven pits of Vilkaviškis where my entire family is, and of course the Dailidavičius family. This year Algimantas with his nice wife Aldutė visited us.
Uršulė and Vincas Dailidavičius were acknowledged as the Righteous Among the Nations in 1996, and in 2004 their son Algimantas was awarded this honourable title.
From the 4th book Hands Bringing Life and Bread
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum