A Partisan from Vilna

One of the last surviving partisans of Vilna, Rachel Margolis has written a vivid and compelling account of the murder of Lithuania7s Jews, and of the battle for survival and dignity amongst those who escaped. It is also a testament to those who in the midst of degradation and destruction continued to embrace the best ideals of humanity even as they determined to resist and fight back against the Nazis and their local collaborators. And, at the same time it is an intimnte portrait of a creative and vibrant community, the Jews of Vilna, as well as a deeply personal account of growth and maturity in the midst of that turbulent and tragic period

This book serves as a stark reminder to those who would deny or trivialize the reality of the Holocaust in Lithuania and reminds us once again of the human comession of that genociee The questions that it raises about resistance and complicity, collaboration and betrayal antisemitism and xenophobia, are questions that resonate even today. It is only by facing the past and that we can hope to build a better future Rachel Marealis, through this memoir, as well as her other activities in Vilna, has helped set us on path. We are all in her debt for doing so, and can only hope for the widest possible impact of this evocative, authentic and powerful memoir.

Rachel Margolis received a Ph.D. in biology and taught until the late 1980's. She then co-founded Lithuania's only real Holocaust museum the Green House in Vilnius. She is also responsible for the discovery and transportation of the Kazimierz Sakewicz diary, published here in the US under the title, Ponary Diary.