Honored Persons

 

Aba Gefen

Aba Gefen, born 1920 or 1922 in Simna, Lithuania, died in 2015. The father runs a fabric shop; Yiddish, Russian and Lithuanian are spoken at home; Aba and his brothers Binyamin, Yosef and Yehuda learn Hebrew in Jewish schools and universities in Marijampolė and Kaunas. Lithuania is considered "Little America" until the Soviets arrive: barely anti-Semitic pre-war incidents, Zionist youth organizations such as Betar, in which Aba was a member, remain undisturbed for a long time. As a university student in Kaunas Aba supports refugees until the NKVD asks him to refrain. During Soviet rule many are deported to Siberia. Thanks to the collaboration of Lithuania many German Jews fall victim to the German invasion. Gefen, along with several thousand Jews, is captured and driven to the 7th Fort - one of seven who is saved from murder by his contact with a former Colonel of the Independent Lithuanian Army. Return to Simna, where the Lithuanian "Schaulisten" or "Schützen" (a paramilitary organization officially known as the Union of Lithuanian Riflemen (or Lietuvos Šaulių Sąjunga) are responsible for the deportations under German authorities. After the deportation and death of his father and second brother, Gefen flees with one of his brothers and lives on various farms hidden by non-Jews. The remaining Jews in Simna are executed in a nearby forest. Aba Gefen publishes his war experiences, including the names of anti-Semites and Lithuanian collaborators in a journal, and is identified as a dangerous person among the Lithuanians, who believe he will use the journal to seek revenge after the war. Aba Gefen gives 10 Jews safe passages and hiding places. Finally, the brothers decide to join the army, where they witness the last battle between Soviet and German troops. Gefen worked for the counterintelligence, listing the names of Lithuanians who collaborate with the Nazis.