Zwi Michaelowksy (Zvi Michaeli)

Zwi and his five siblings grew up in Eyshishok, a small shtetl, or Jewish town. Zwi’s father, Mane, was a teacher at the heder (a school for Jewish children). His mother, Nechama, was an entrepreneurial woman who sold food and other items to Polish farmers. Zwi had four sisters and one brother.

1933-39: Zwi attended a yeshiva, or Hebrew school, studying the Torah, or Jewish Bible. Religion was an important aspect of Zwi’s life. In 1939, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, Eyshishok became part of Lithuania. Zwi and his family helped Jewish refugees fleeing from German-occupied Poland. They heard stories of Nazi violence against Jews. 

1940-45: In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded Lithuania as part of the attack on the Soviet Union. German troops occupied Eyshishok. Then, in September, a German killing squad and their Lithuanian collaborators massacred the Jewish community. During the mass shooting operation, Zwi was shot into the mass grave alongside his father and brother. Zwi was wounded but miraculously survived. 

Zwi ran from the mass grave to his mother’s Polish friend, who cared for him while his wound healed. For the next three years, Zwi struggled to survive on his own. Sometimes he sought help from Polish farmers. At other times, he joined partisan groups in the forest. Zwi risked his life many times to help others in need. In July 1944, the Soviet Union drove the Germans from the area. Zwi returned to Eyshishok but did not stay long. He made his way to a displaced persons camp in Germany. He eventually immigrated to Israel and later to the United States. Zwi married and had two daughters.