rescuers of jews
Jusas Mykolas
JUSAS MYKOLAS & URSULE
The Faktorovski sisters lived in Vilkaviškis together with their father. The sisters’ mother died before the war.
On June 22, 1941 the village was seized by the Germans. One month later, the father was murdered among the rest of the Jewish men. On September 24 women and children were murdered. On that day both sisters were out of the village, they were working for the farmers and, therefore, they managed to escape.
The following day they were discovered and taken to the police, joining a group of 12 other Jews that were found escaping as well. A German officer promised that that they would stay alive and he let them stay in 2 houses in the village. Some other Jews that were also hiding heard about it and joined them.
Until the middle of November they lived freely, working in the farms.
Farmers who were employing Jews were supposed to give their names to the police. On November 15 all those Jews were gathered and killed.
The sisters managed to hide again; this time it was Ursule Jusiene’s house. They remained there until January 5, 1942. On that day they were discovered due to the fact that somebody informed on them.
On January 8 most of the Jews were killed, except for a little group – the sisters were among them. The group, each one separately, managed to bribe the police officer, promising to give him the property they owned. The Gestapo started an investigation, asking the Jews about the police officer, trying to figure out why he left all the group alive.
The sisters decided to write to Gestapo saying that their mother was not Jewish. The farmer Ursule Jusiene testified, along with her sister (a nun), that the sisters’ mother was not Jewish.
A local priest, Kardauskas, issued both sisters an authentic Baptist certificate. Thanks to that the sisters were released on May 28, 1942, whereas all other Jews in prison were killed.
Since the day of their release the sisters remained in Ursule Jusiene’s house without hiding. They worked in the house, in the barn, went to church on Sundays and continued to live in the house until the Russians liberated the territory.
After the war the sisters left Lithuania. They came to live in Israel.
The Faktorovski sisters lived in Vilkaviškis together with their father. The sisters’ mother died before the war.
On June 22, 1941 the village was seized by the Germans. One month later, the father was murdered among the rest of the Jewish men. On September 24 women and children were murdered. On that day both sisters were out of the village, they were working for the farmers and, therefore, they managed to escape.
The following day they were discovered and taken to the police, joining a group of 12 other Jews that were found escaping as well. A German officer promised that that they would stay alive and he let them stay in 2 houses in the village. Some other Jews that were also hiding heard about it and joined them.
Until the middle of November they lived freely, working in the farms.
Farmers who were employing Jews were supposed to give their names to the police. On November 15 all those Jews were gathered and killed.
The sisters managed to hide again; this time it was Ursule Jusiene’s house. They remained there until January 5, 1942. On that day they were discovered due to the fact that somebody informed on them.
On January 8 most of the Jews were killed, except for a little group – the sisters were among them. The group, each one separately, managed to bribe the police officer, promising to give him the property they owned. The Gestapo started an investigation, asking the Jews about the police officer, trying to figure out why he left all the group alive.
The sisters decided to write to Gestapo saying that their mother was not Jewish. The farmer Ursule Jusiene testified, along with her sister (a nun), that the sisters’ mother was not Jewish.
A local priest, Kardauskas, issued both sisters an authentic Baptist certificate. Thanks to that the sisters were released on May 28, 1942, whereas all other Jews in prison were killed.
Since the day of their release the sisters remained in Ursule Jusiene’s house without hiding. They worked in the house, in the barn, went to church on Sundays and continued to live in the house until the Russians liberated the territory.
After the war the sisters left Lithuania. They came to live in Israel.