I also tried to burn some of the audio records on to CDs but realised that most of them exceeded the 700MB space on the CDs. I have been kinda worried since the beginning of the trip when I realised that the external hard drive wasn't working. I have had to store things on the second internal drive on my laptop but felt we should have another external storage. Imagine if my laptop goes kaput for whatever reason? I have 1,291 files so far on this project - about 13 GB of information, from photos,audio files to index files on the interviews, things collected and so on. I dread to imagine what would happen if I lost these.
When Shiv got back from seeing the guys off at the airport, we decide to go watch a movie. We get ripped off by a cabby who charges us twice to get there compared to the fare we are charged to get back. We end up watching Get Smart 15 minutes after it'd started. I don't think Shiv cared about the movie at all; when we left the cinema, she pronounced that the popcorn was good.
Later, she called the guys. Apparently, the case holding the camera and videos appeared to have been opened, perhaps for inspection, somewhere between here and London. The latches on it were not re-secured properly. When it came off the conveyor belt and was picked up, it opened unexpectedly and the camera and videos fell onto the floor. We are hoping that they're all okay. We'll know later when the guys download them. Fingers crossed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, we go back to Cholem. He seems excited to see us and asks where Jesse and Dan are. He's such a social being and seems to enjoy company and larking about. He reminds us of how he choked while at lunch with us; how he thought it would be a disaster to spoil our lunch when he had visitors from abroad. (See blog entry)
We talk a bit more about his family; how prewar life was like. They weren't wealthy or anything but he says they were content; dad would try and get work daily - he was a casual labourer, while mum took great pride in making sure there was food on the table and that whatever earned was carefully spent. When Shiv asks him if he was happy and felt safe then, his answer reminds us how subjective those terms are and mean different things to different people. He says, 'Mum was there, and there was potato on the table,' and shrugs. For him, that his parents made sure that he and his brother were fed, had clothes, went to school, was proof of affection and love and a happy family; who can argue with that?
He tells us more about the events that led up to the 'Big Action' of October to November 1941, when about 13,000 Jews were killed at Kaunas Fort IX. He was there, with his family, during one of the 'selection processes.' They were assembled in the town square and the Nazis divided the people into groups and despatched them to the forts. By a stroke of luck, his father pleaded with a Jewish collaborator and his family was spared. (The activities at Fort IX is documented in the Jaeger Report (This link also provides a scanned copy of the original document created by SS-Standartenfuehrer Karl Jaeger, who commanded the murder spree of Einsatzkommando 3. It is a chilling document, where human lives are recorded like numbers on a spreadsheet.) He tells us of the many moments when it could have all ended for him; how he felt his life had hung by a thread. He believes that he was fated to survive, that for some reason, God had watched over him.
1995 Dachau commemorative badge.
Cholem wants to know when we are leaving. He says 'I may never see you again.' He says he would like to send us off at the airport. We promise to pick him up when we go, so we can say our goodbyes then. We feel honoured that he has taken us into his home and shared his memories; certainly, we hope the journey does not end at the conclusion of this research trip.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We drop by at Berl's to ask a few more questions to verify some information from the first interview. He is in a blue ironed shirt and striped pajama bottoms.
Shiv and a box of matzo at Berl's
Berl seems in a good mood and is fairly chatty. He tells us about his medals, including receiving the Order of the Patriotic War First Class for his participation in the battle at Oryol with the Lithuanian 16th division of the Red Army. He tells us the snow was so deep it came up their armpits. They could barely move, let alone fight. So they stood and slept leaning against each other. How unlike the Germans, they had no tanks and no planes. They were 'like meat' he says; little more than cannon fodder. He concludes that he received that medal because he survived; he doesn't think they did much fighting or advancing. All they could do was stand their ground.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A slower pace today but we got quite some done. Including get an external hard drive and some CDs with larger storage space - thank goodness! We also drive by Shnipishok.
Ruta points out to us that this used to be a shtetl and these were Jewish homes. Looking around, it's surprising to see how these wooden houses have survived. They look a little dilapidated but apart from that, seem sturdy still. Unfortunately, the weather isn't great for photos. But I take a few anyway...
Posts
