Le ghetto dans la forêt

Memoirs of a Jew born in 1924 in Vilna. Recounts his experiences between 1939-45, including antisemitism during the Soviet occupation. Describes the murder of Jews by Lithuanian gangs after the German occupation in June 1941. He and his family were interned in the Vilna ghetto when it was established in September; lacking work permits, they fell victim to a roundup a few months later. Krakowski managed to escape, but his parents, brother, and sister were taken to Ponar and killed. After some wanderings, he returned and entered the small ghetto. Gives an account of life there and of his activities as a member of the United Partisan Organization (FPO). When the big ghetto was liquidated in September 1943, he joined the partisans in the Rudnitzka forest, taking part in their sabotage operations and in efforts to find food. After the liberation, in order to escape mobilization in the Soviet army, he feigned illness and was allowed to leave for Poland. He later spent some time in Switzerland before emigrating to Israel. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)