Eli's Story

 In April 2023, at the St Petersburg Florida Holocaust Museum, Meri-Jane and Burt Rochelson presented on the life of their father, who graduated Kaunas Medical School with my father in 1939 and was a lifelong friend. My 93 year old mother was thrilled to attend.

Laima's students translate and dub Jewish history video

Video of Jewish History in Keidan

Joseph Silber emigration documents

Emigration of Joe --I found these cleaning out my father's things in Tenafly NJ in 2020.

Joseph Silber in 1935, age 20

Back in Keidan in 2019

I wrote a long post about my Lithuania trip to Keidan with Dan Fink, Laima Ardaviciene and Keidainers.

Grateful for Lithuanians engaged with Jewish history and working to preserve and honor Jewish cemeteries and memorial sites.

Click  to Keidan.

students present

Path to the USA

My mother found the West German passport that got my father through Ellis Island in 1951.
Six years after the end of WWII, he achieved his goal to emigrate to the US and begin a new life.

Those six years included eyewitness to the brutal Russian occupation of Berlin that ended the war. My father chose not to talk about what he saw.

This powerful 1945 diary of a 34-year old German journalist bears witness to the atrocities:

A Woman in Berlin

P.S. If we don't visit, who will?

If we don't visit, who will?
Roots in Keidan group

In July, be part of Richard Freund's amazing excavation. In June, go with the Vilna Shul.
NOVA 54 minute film
#NOVA#VilnaShul

From the IX Fort museum, household items that could have belonged to my cousins.
 (See Sharon's comment for IX Fort).  #IX Fort#Kovno

'Achoo' ('thank you' in Lithuanian)

My visit to Lithuania happened almost by chance.

My father never wanted to return to the country where he was born, never wanted to talk about it, never wanted his children to visit.

Like any place, the history is very complicated.

Much sadness and no immediate family remain in Lithuania.

But I felt more of a connection to this place than I expected, to the land, to aspects of the culture and mostly to the wonderful people who I met.

Until next time, Lithuania.

Lithuania has great ice cream.

And the pillows match the flavors.