Musia Gershenman testimony
Extent and Medium
folder
1
1 videocassette,
Creator(s)
- Musia Gershenman
Biographical History
Musia Gershenman was born on 14 April 1920 in Kovno, Lithuania (Kaunas) to Elhanan and Esther Shames. She had at least one sister. During World War II, Musia, her husband Aaron, her parents, and her sister were all in the Kovno Ghetto. By early 1944, her father, sister, and brother-in-law had been deported. Her cousin helped arrange for Musia and her husband to escape the ghetto and hide in the house of Jonas and Antonina Paulavicius. Several other Jews were also hidden, but Musia was not able to rescue her mother. After Kovno was liberated by the Red Army, Musia and Aaron immigrated to Palestine. Antonina and Jonas rescued 16 people during the Holocaust. Jonas was murdered in 1950. In 1983, Antonina was recognized by Yad Vashem as a "Righteous Among the Nations."
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
The collection was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Hannah Hamburger in 1996. Hannah is the daugher of Musia Gershenman.
Scope and Content
Contains a photocopy of handwritten testimony in Yiddish by Musia Gershenman, who, along with several other Jews from the Kovno (Kaunas, Lithuania) ghetto, was rescued by Antonina and Jonas Paulavicius. Included with the testimony is an English translation provided by the USHMM. The collection also includes a videocassette of the ceremony at Yad Vashem recognizing Antonina Paulavicius as a "Righteous Among the Nations."
People
- Paulavicius, Antonia.
- Paulavicius, Jonas.
- Gershenman, Musia.
Subjects
- Jewish ghettos--Lithuania--Kaunas.
- World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Lithuania--Kaunas.
- Kaunas (Lithuania)
Genre
- Personal narratives.
- Document