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The Last Days of the Vilna Ghetto: Pages from a Diary
Whereas there are
relatively many sources and much research on the early periods of
the destruction of the Jews of Vilna and on their lives in the
ghetto, there are very few documents addressing the last stages of
the ghetto’s existence and its liquidation. One such rare document
is the last part of the diary of a Jewish youth, Gabik Heller, who
was about fourteen years old in 1943. Heller’s writing documents
many aspects of the atmosphere in the Vilna ghetto during its last
two months of existence. The ghetto’s residents sensed that
something was about to occur, but they did not know what that would
be. Jews were being sent to labor camps in Estonia, the underground
was attempting to organize an uprising, and Jacob Gens, the head of
the Judenrat, was arrested and executed. The atmosphere in the
ghetto was very tense, rumors were rife, and everyone sought some
way to ensure his and his loved ones’ lives. Gabik Heller tried to
maintain his daily routines. Since he was the orphaned son of a
known teacher and cultural figure, he was employed in the ghetto
library by Dr. Hermann Kruk. Despite his concern for his mother,
Heller decided to try to join the underground members leaving the
ghetto. In his determination to get out, he exercised his broad
contacts with other young people, most connected with the Bund, but
he was not accepted into their ranks for escape, apparently due to
his young age. He remained in the ghetto until its liquidation,
which is where the diary ends abruptly. |
