rescuers of jews

Albertas MUCININKAS “The family of Edvardas Kacas, having retreated from Liepaja found shelter in Albertas Mucininkas' farmstead. People were hiding in hideouts prepared in the cattle-shed and in the bathhouse. The farmstead was in the open, far from the woods, surrounded by neighbours. Escape in the case of danger was impossible. Great conspiracy was required. Sometimes Mucininkas would take this family to his relatives in Auksūdis, Lūšė or in Latvia. He took care of his lodgers, shared the last bite of bread with them to make them feel good, comfortable and to make that terrible hiding period easier for them. Not all members of the family were aware of the hiding Jews, this giving rise to some awkward situations. Once Mucininkas' mother-in-law went to the bathhouse and, having noticed something suspicious, started telling others about it. Everybody was scared that the old woman would talk about it with neighbours. Fortunately, she was superstitious, and was easily persuaded that she fancied she saw. Sometimes neighbours, in particular children who played with the offspring of the Mucininkai, would also notice something. Again, either tales had to be told, or one had to pretend to be naive. One careless step or word, uttered at the wrong moment, could ruin both families. After the war Edvardas Kacas and his wife left for Belgium. Albertas Mucininkas, when asked to talk about those dreadful days, would modestly answer that nothing extraordinary had happened. He rescued a Jewish family from being killed by the Germans, and that was it...” From the letter by Antanas Poškus, a teacher-ethnographer from Mažeikiai From Hands Bringing Life and Bread, Volume 1,
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. Vilnius, 1997