Publisher Description

This remarkable book traces the quest for the truth about the Holocaust in Lithuania by two ostensible enemies: Rta a descendant of the perpetrators, Efraim a descendant of the victims. Rta Vanagait—, a best-selling Lithuanian writer, was motivated by her recent discoveries that some of her relatives had played a role in the mass murder of Jews and that Lithuanian officials had tried to hide the complicity of local collaborators. Efraim Zuroff, a noted Israeli Nazi-hunter, had both professional and personal motivations. He had worked for years to bring Lithuanian war criminals to justice and to compel local authorities to tell the truth about the Holocaust in their country. The fact that his maternal grandparents were born in Lithuania and that he was named for a great-uncle who was murdered with his family in Vilnius with the active help of Lithuanians made his search personal as well.Journey with an Enemy exposes the significant role played by local political leaders and the prewar Lithuanian administration that remained in place during the Nazi occupation in implementing the Nazis' Final Solution. It also tackles the sensitive issue of the motivation of thousands of ordinary Lithuanians in the murder of their Jewish neighbors. At the heart of the book, these are the issues that Rta and Efraim discuss, debate, and analyze as they crisscross the country to visit dozens of Holocaust mass murder sites in Lithuania and neighboring Belarus. During the journey, they searched for neglected graves, interviewed eyewitnesses, and looked for traces of the rich Jewish life that had existed in hundreds of Jewish communities throughout Lithuania. This compelling book recounts their harrowing journey.

Author Biography

Rta Vanagait—, one of Lithuania's most popular public personalities and the successful author of numerous bestsellers, became persona non grata in her homeland after this book was originally published in Lithuania. She currently lives in Jerusalem.Efraim Zuroff is the chief Nazi hunter of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and director of the center's Israel Office and East European affairs. Five documentaries have been made about his work, including "The Search for Doctor Death," (BBC 2009). A Holocaust historian, popular lecturer worldwide, and author, he lives in Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction: Efraim Zuroff: Lithuania and the Holocaust Part I: Before the Journey1 Efraim Zuroff: My Connection to Lithuania 2 Ruta Vanagaite: My Connection to the Holocaust 3 Meeting the Enemy Part II: Preparation for the Journey4 Lithuania, 1941: Getting Rid of the Jews 5 Lithuania Today: Minimizing the Crimes 6 Mission Impossible? Part III: Journey with the Enemy: Thirteen Destinations7 Kaunas/Kovno 8 Linkmenys/Ligmiyan 9 Svencionys/Shventzyan 10 Kavarskas/Kovarsk 11 Ukmerge/Vilkomir 12 Seduva/Shadeve 13 Telsiai/Telz 14 Plunge/Plungyan 15 Plateliai/Plotel 16 Taurage/Tavrig 17 Butrimonys/Butrimants 18 Panevezys/Ponevezh 19 Belarus Part IV: The Hell of Vilnius/Vilna20 Portraits of the Witnesses 21 Portrait of a Student 22 Portrait of a Postman 23 Dreams of a Killer 24 Portraits of the Victims 25 Portrait of a Corpse-Burner 26 The Fates of the Killers 27 The Last Day Part V: Conclusion28 Human Faces of the Murderers 29 Lithuania Got Richer 30 The Farewell Afterword: Ruta Vanagaite: Lithuania Is Angry, Lithuania Is Sad Index

Review

This is a painful and important book—painful because so much of it consists of excruciating eyewitness accounts to the torment inflicted on Lithuanian Jews by their fellow citizens, and important because so little has appeared in English on not only this terrible dimension of the Holocaust, but also the reluctance, even refusal, of the descendants of the killers to acknowledge their role in the murders all these years later.  The account of the Lithuanian government's vacillations in dealing with the nation's past is particularly eye-opening. -- Peter Hayes, author of Why? Explaining the Holocaust
Our People is an immensely valuable addition to our knowledge about the genocidal murder of Lithuanian Jews. The authors' remarkable investigation has brought to light the active role played by Lithuanian citizens, often with minimal oversight by Nazi occupiers, at hundreds of killing sites. It will serve as a powerful wake-up call for grappling with the complicit legacy of World War II. -- Yehuda Bauer, Holocaust Historian, Academic Advisor, Yad Vashem

Long Description

This remarkable book traces the quest for the truth about the Holocaust in Lithuania by two ostensible enemies: Ruta a descendant of the perpetrators, Efraim a descendant of the victims. Ruta Vanagaite, a best-selling Lithuanian writer, was motivated by her recent discoveries that some of her relatives had played a role in the mass murder of Jews and that Lithuanian officials had tried to hide the complicity of local collaborators. Efraim Zuroff, a noted Israeli Nazi-hunter, had both professional and personal motivations. He had worked for years to bring Lithuanian war criminals to justice and to compel local authorities to tell the truth about the Holocaust in their country. The fact that his maternal grandparents were born in Lithuania and that he was named for a great-uncle who was murdered with his family in Vilnius with the active help of Lithuanians made his search personal as well. Journey with an Enemy exposes the significant role played by local political leaders and the prewar Lithuanian administration that remained in place during the Nazi occupation in implementing the Nazis' Final Solution. It also tackles the sensitive issue of the motivation of thousands of ordinary Lithuanians in the murder of their Jewish neighbors. At the heart of the book, these are the issues that Ruta and Efraim discuss, debate, and analyze as they crisscross the country to visit dozens of Holocaust mass murder sites in Lithuania and neighboring Belarus. During the journey, they searched for neglected graves, interviewed eyewitnesses, and looked for traces of the rich Jewish life that had existed in hundreds of Jewish communities throughout Lithuania. This compelling book recounts their harrowing journey.

Review Quote

This is a painful and important book--painful because so much of it consists of excruciating eyewitness accounts to the torment inflicted on Lithuanian Jews by their fellow citizens, and important because so little has appeared in English on not only this terrible dimension of the Holocaust, but also the reluctance, even refusal, of the descendants of the killers to acknowledge their role in the murders all these years later. The account of the Lithuanian government's vacillations in dealing with the nation's past is particularly eye-opening.

Feature

2/21/2020: Co-author Efraim Zuroff shares his story with The Daily Mirror and reviews the new Amazon Prime series Hunters.Link:

Details