Yiddish cultural life was at a high level. Young and old, ordinary peopleand intellectuals, all spoke Yiddish.
In the summer of 1940 we heard that the Polish consulate in Kovno was issuing certificates (a type of Polish passport) with visas for Japan, Palestine, and America. Not all the refugees took this seriously. Later on, when Lithuania fell under Soviet control, people who had such certificates actually did leave [18] for the above-mentioned countries. An epidemic of false certificates ensued. At first they were accepted, and hundreds of refugees left Vilna for Palestine, Japan, and America by that means. The Soviet regime subsequently got wind of the swindle and many Jews were arrested.
In August 1940 we suddenly learned that the Soviets had occupied Lithuania. Soon after they marched in, the Soviets issued a decree banning refugees from living in the border zone.
On the farm where we were working, we received an order from the town hall in Virbalis to leave the farm within 3 hours because it was located within the border zone, and to go to the shtetl of Anykščiai.394 The Jewish aid committee in Virbalis took pains to ensure that we would not have to pay any costs which we might have incurred as travel expenses – not even for baggage. We and seventy other refugee families boarded railway carriages specially reserved for us and left for Anykščiai.
[18a] When we arrived at the station in Anykščiai, the representatives of the local aid committee were there waiting for us. They had been informed of our arrival by a telephone call from the Virbalis aid committee.
The Jewish population in Anykščiai welcomed us very warmly. They provided us with free accommodation, food, drinks, and clothing. We were the first ones to obtain work. The Jewish aid committee administered everything. A short while later, though, the committee’s activities were halted because theregime did not recognise special assistance for refugees.
Throughout the period of our stay in Anykščiai we tried to get permissionto move to Vilna. Food was cheaper there, it was easier to obtain steady work, and, especially, all the educational institutions were located there. However,we were refused permission, and we were forbidden to leave the town at all.
