Rescuers of Jews
Jasulaitienė Elena
Chanė Perelmanaitė-Varkulevičienė testifies:
I was born on August 10, 1934, in Kraziai town (Kelme district) in Hirsh and Riva Perelman's family. The family had two children before.
On June 28, 1941, when Kraziai was occupied by Nazis already, the local police and collaborators arrested all the Jews from the town and imprisoned them in the landlord Suksta's barn in the periphery of Kraziai. On July 26 all the 370 adult Jews of Kraziai and surroundings were driven out from barns and were shot in the Kupre forest.
On August 2, 1941, our guards informed us – the barns prisoners that we would be shot this day. My sister, me and our brother Raphael, aged 5, tried to escape. The brother was caught and I managed to hide in the bushes near the Krazante river. This day 65 Jewish children and the remaining 6 adult Jews were killed in Bagdonkaktis, near the foot of Medziokalnis.
After several hours I went via gardens to Elena Jasulaitiene, the inhabitant of Kraziai. She sheltered me, fed and dressed me. I used to return to Jasulaitiene several times in the future.The next day I went out from there because it was a dangerous place to stay. Hiding carefully I went to Brukai village where I was finally sheltered by Pranas Kancevicius family. I was grown up in this family.
So, together with other Jews, I was imprisoned in Kraziai from June 28, 1941 till August 2, 1941 in the camp, arranged especially for this purpose. From this day – August 2, 1941 till August 15, 1944 I hid in Kelme district, Kraziai subdistrict, Brukai village in Pranas and Zose Kancevicius' family. I lived there till the occupants were expelled from this place.
December 23, 1994
I was born on August 10, 1934, in Kraziai town (Kelme district) in Hirsh and Riva Perelman's family. The family had two children before.
On June 28, 1941, when Kraziai was occupied by Nazis already, the local police and collaborators arrested all the Jews from the town and imprisoned them in the landlord Suksta's barn in the periphery of Kraziai. On July 26 all the 370 adult Jews of Kraziai and surroundings were driven out from barns and were shot in the Kupre forest.
On August 2, 1941, our guards informed us – the barns prisoners that we would be shot this day. My sister, me and our brother Raphael, aged 5, tried to escape. The brother was caught and I managed to hide in the bushes near the Krazante river. This day 65 Jewish children and the remaining 6 adult Jews were killed in Bagdonkaktis, near the foot of Medziokalnis.
After several hours I went via gardens to Elena Jasulaitiene, the inhabitant of Kraziai. She sheltered me, fed and dressed me. I used to return to Jasulaitiene several times in the future.The next day I went out from there because it was a dangerous place to stay. Hiding carefully I went to Brukai village where I was finally sheltered by Pranas Kancevicius family. I was grown up in this family.
So, together with other Jews, I was imprisoned in Kraziai from June 28, 1941 till August 2, 1941 in the camp, arranged especially for this purpose. From this day – August 2, 1941 till August 15, 1944 I hid in Kelme district, Kraziai subdistrict, Brukai village in Pranas and Zose Kancevicius' family. I lived there till the occupants were expelled from this place.
December 23, 1994