Memory Office: B. Šragienė
Basia Šragienė, a member of Kaunas Jewish community, recalls seeing bombed cities that she saw through train windows when fleeing away from the war, and railway stations that offered refuge to those running away. She tells what Kaunas was like in the middle of the previous century, when she arrived to live here.
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“When the war broke out, we could not stay in our native town of Vitebsk. Half of the city was already on fire. My father was the first to realise that we needed to get out of there, otherwise we were all going to die. There was no chance to evacuate. We took a couple of suitcases, father locked the door, nailed them and put the hammer in the pocket expecting to come back. When we left, we felt like fugitives. When we were behind the city, we heard explosions. We were glad we managed to run away in time. We walked for many kilometres until we reached a large railway station in Orsha city. There was nothing left in Orsha itself: windows open, wind blowing, documents and papers flying away, phones ringing. Everyone gone.”
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“We travelled by oxen to the collective farm located 60 kilometres away from Orenburg; there were no machinery, or horses: the ground was ploughed by cows. Can you image how much milk can such a poor cow produce, when it must replace a horse? There were sheep and chicken in the collective farm. All chores were carried out by women, because men were conscripted. They survived, because they had a farm, used felt to make valenki , scarves, socks, and other things. They had nothing else from the city, even matches. They would set up fire using a tiny piece of coal.”
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“If some teacher got sick, I had to work as a substitute. Even though I completed five grades only, I had read a lot of books. Therefore, the difference between me, a girl from the city, and those who lived there, was a considerable one.”
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“At home in Vitebsk, there was a huge map hanging on the wall. Instead of playing cards, we came up with the game, when someone would say some letter, and others had to say the name of the city starting with that letter.”
“My family was completely Jewish, they fallowed all traditions. We did not eat pork. Before cooking chicken or beef, my mother would soak and salt it. We had separate dishes for meat. Before every meal, my mother would always say her prayers.”
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“In summer, Laisvės Alėja used to be full of people. There was not even an empty bench to sit down. People used to laugh, young people used to walk here and talk from morning till the evening. It seemed that no one worked in summer. People were entertaining themselves. They would sing, even though there was no music playing.”
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“The department store suited the exterior of Laisvės Alėja very much. This was the place where people would organise rendezvous. There was also a commission store, also “Tulpė” cafe, there was also a café for children called “Pasaka” (a favourite of my children as well) located next to Soboras. I liked the fairy-tale motifs on the stained-glass very much. There were so many cinemas: “Kanklės”, “Laisvė”, “Romuva”. We used to go to the movies often. We also used to go to the drama and musical theatres quite often as well.”
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Basia Zaičik Šragienė
Basia was born in 1928, Vitebsk, Belarus. Together with her father Zelik Zaychik and mother Brocha Zaychik as well as brother Abram and two sisters Rachil and Sulamif, she lived together in Vitebsk before the WW2 broke. The family had a house with a yard, followed Jewish traditions, cooked kosher food. When the war started, the family of Basia flew away from Vitebsk on foot and by trains towards Russia. They settled next to Ural Mountains, not far from Orenburg (former Chkalov) lived in stables and worked in the collective farm for food. Even during the most difficult times, Basia was studying a lot. After the war, the family returned to Vitebsk, but they did not find their home: the city predominantly built from, wood was destroyed completely during the war. Basia studied medicine in Minsk, later she got an appointment to work in Vilnius. In 1956, she moved to work in Kaunas. Basia’s husband, Šmuilis Šragė, survived through Šiauliai Ghetto and was a WW2 veteran.
Date of the interview: 20/10/2017.