Rescuers of Jews
Miklaševičius Petras
Petras Maladauskas and Uršulė Maladauskienė
Marija Miklaševičienė and Petras Miklaševičius
Petras Jurevičius and Adelė Jurevičienė
Judith Sperling (later Rubinstein) lived with her family in Vilkaviškis. Before the war her sister and brother immigrated to Palestine which was Judith’s goal as well, but she didn’t succeed to get her immigration certificate before Lithuania was annexed by the Soviets in June 1940. A year later the Germans invaded the country. In September 1941, when the Vilkaviškis ghetto was about to be liquidated, Judith began to look for a hiding place. After a number of unsuccessful tries she was lucky to join Tuvia Belostotsky’s family who found shelter with their acquaintances, Petras and Uršulė Maladauskas. Some time later the Belostotsky family who looked Jewish, were moved by Maladauskas to his sister, Marija Miklaševičienė and her husband Petras Miklaševičius who lived in a remote village, while a fair-haired Judith remained at the Maladauskas home for about two months, introduced by her hosts as a Lithuanian housemaid. It was rather risky since Judith grew in Vilkaviškis and can be easily recognized in public places, besides, Petras’s brother, being an ardent nationalist who took part in persecutions of Jews, suspected Petras of his friendly attitude towards Jews and readiness to help them. For that reasons the Maladauskas decided to transfer Judith to their acquaintances, Petras and Adelė Jurevičius. Margot Herman (later Riseman), a Jewish woman from Germany, was already hiding there. Being a carpenter Petras Jurevičius built a bunker under a table in a dining room, and every time there was a knock at the door Judith and Margot crawled hastily there. The Jurevičius who were rather poor often got help from Adele’s parents, Juozas and Antanina Šneideris, who also hid Jews in their country home. Judith stayed with the Jurevičius for more than a year. In the meantime the Maladauskas couple built a new house in the countryside were a special hiding place was prepared for Judith. She went back to Maladauskas and stayed with them till the liberation of the area in August 1944. Margot Herman remained at the Jurevičius. After the war both rescued moved to the USA.
Marija Miklaševičienė and Petras Miklaševičius
Petras Jurevičius and Adelė Jurevičienė
Judith Sperling (later Rubinstein) lived with her family in Vilkaviškis. Before the war her sister and brother immigrated to Palestine which was Judith’s goal as well, but she didn’t succeed to get her immigration certificate before Lithuania was annexed by the Soviets in June 1940. A year later the Germans invaded the country. In September 1941, when the Vilkaviškis ghetto was about to be liquidated, Judith began to look for a hiding place. After a number of unsuccessful tries she was lucky to join Tuvia Belostotsky’s family who found shelter with their acquaintances, Petras and Uršulė Maladauskas. Some time later the Belostotsky family who looked Jewish, were moved by Maladauskas to his sister, Marija Miklaševičienė and her husband Petras Miklaševičius who lived in a remote village, while a fair-haired Judith remained at the Maladauskas home for about two months, introduced by her hosts as a Lithuanian housemaid. It was rather risky since Judith grew in Vilkaviškis and can be easily recognized in public places, besides, Petras’s brother, being an ardent nationalist who took part in persecutions of Jews, suspected Petras of his friendly attitude towards Jews and readiness to help them. For that reasons the Maladauskas decided to transfer Judith to their acquaintances, Petras and Adelė Jurevičius. Margot Herman (later Riseman), a Jewish woman from Germany, was already hiding there. Being a carpenter Petras Jurevičius built a bunker under a table in a dining room, and every time there was a knock at the door Judith and Margot crawled hastily there. The Jurevičius who were rather poor often got help from Adele’s parents, Juozas and Antanina Šneideris, who also hid Jews in their country home. Judith stayed with the Jurevičius for more than a year. In the meantime the Maladauskas couple built a new house in the countryside were a special hiding place was prepared for Judith. She went back to Maladauskas and stayed with them till the liberation of the area in August 1944. Margot Herman remained at the Jurevičius. After the war both rescued moved to the USA.