Scientists from the United States continue their archaeological research in Lithuania in search of traces of Jewish culture and history - a Canadian film crew, making a documentary film for the British national broadcaster BBC, arrived in Vilnius with the scientists. The film is expected to be shown in autumn next year.
JAV The team of scientists led by Hartford University professor Richard A. Freund worked for several weeks in several places in Lithuania - the Kaunas forts, the Vilnius Great Synagogue, the site of the former Jewish labor camp on Subačiaus Street - the latter place was searched for hiding places. The former Nazi prisoner of war camp in Šilute was also explored.
The researchers, who are finishing their work this week, conducted research in some places using non-invasive geophysical methods, which allowed unexpected discoveries to be made without destroying existing buildings.
Together with the scientists, a 6-person filming team arrived in Vilnius - the Canadians concentrated on the so-called HKP (German Wehrmacht Army Equipment Repair Workshop) Jewish work camp operating in two houses on Savičius Street - 47th and 49th.
As R. Freund told BNS, this camp was founded by Nazi major engineer Karlas Plagė, who thus saved over a thousand Jews from the massacre.
"In Vilnius, on Subačiaus street, he managed the rule of Nazi cars - in these two buildings he sheltered 1257 Jews, he saved them - men, women, children - during the liquidation of the ghetto. They repaired uniforms and cars. He was called the Lithuanian Oskar Šindler, because his efforts had no equal," said the professor.
Scientists in these two houses, using geophysical methods, without destroying the walls, managed to discover one of the many hiding places of the Jews in the ghetto - malins, which was recorded by the filmmakers.
"We talked to a lot of people, among them - one of the survivors who came from Boston, Sidney Handler - when he was still a child, he hid in an attic, he survived together with his mother, who helped bury the people who were here. He was ten, now he is about 85, Canadian producer Feliks Golubevs told BNS. - We interviewed the scientists of Richard's group, who conducted geophysical, tomography, and topographic research using drones. Basically, we are looking for two things: burial places and malins, secret places. Today we found one of them."
According to him, during the making of the film, more people were interviewed, one of them being the famous Litvak artist Samuel Bakas. Part of the filming will take place in the United States, and the film itself will be shown first in Canada, before it is expected to be broadcast on the BBC.
"Most likely, we will finish the film by January of next year, but it will be aired most likely in the fall of 2018," said F. Golubev.
There are thousands of impressive finds in the Great Synagogue
R. Freund, together with scientists from Israel, the USA, Canada and Lithuania, conducted research a year ago in Žydų Street, where the great synagogue stood from the XNUMXth century to the middle of the last century. Then, after excavating the upper layer of soil, the aim was to determine the exact boundaries and details of the buildings, this time the archaeologists went further: they excavated the rooms of the ritual baths that were here.
"At the site of the Great Synagogue, we found two extremely large structures, the so-called ritual baths - the so-called Mikvas. We also found thousands of artifacts in the former changing rooms, in the premises of the sauna itself: coins, glass, glass bottles, glass perfume bottles, personal items, metal, ceramic fragments, tiles, i.e. items covering all aspects of people's daily life," R. told BNS. Freund.
The scientists who studied the Mikva of the Great Synagogue have already filled the excavation site with gravel again in the children's playground on Žydų street.
At a time Beautiful the group explored forts IX, VII, IV, the Jewish cemetery, specifying the boundaries of the cemetery.
The professor says that research was also carried out in Šilute, a prisoner of war camp established by the Nazis during World War II, which is extremely important not only for Lithuania, but also for the United States and Great Britain - according to him, almost 5 thousand people were brought here from all over Europe. prisoners of war - airplane pilots. True, the professor does not mention whether it was possible to find the remains of specifically sought American soldiers.
"There were three American prisoners of war here, they died in this camp. We were looking for exactly them, exploring the territory of the American cemetery. During the Second World War, it was the northernmost and easternmost POW camp, where there were British, Australian, Belgian, and Canadian airplane pilots," emphasized R. Freund.
Lithuanian archaeologist Zenonas Baubonis also participated in the excavations of the Great Synagogue. At that time, archaeologist Ramūnas Šmigelskas helped to research the existing buildings on Savičius Street.
Author: Ignas Jačauskas
