מכתב ממוליק קרן

During my visit to Pabrade I found the old cemetery and monument on the hill to be in satisfactory condition. They had been cleaned up, with no sign of vandalism. For both places I bought some flowers, lit memorial candles and said Kadish. I visited these sites on two occasions, as well as the forest where my mother was murdered.

When I reached her resting place, I lost all my strength, and immediately a heavy downpour of rain appeared. So we had to rest for a while on the wet ground. I think it was a message from my mother not to leave her alone any longer.

A few days later I crossed the border into Belarus and in Kemiliski sought out the mass murder site on the outskirts of town. There waiting for me was the ex mayor of the town, some children from the local school with teachers in attendance, and a journalist, Anna Chakur, who has translated my book into Belorussian. The new mayor of the town was supposed to have been there too, but the lady who contacted him got the dates mixed up.

The monument at the murder site is well looked after, and clean. It is a sad and painful place, but at least it is possible to give respect to the innocent souls of the community and my extended family.

The weather was unusually hot - 36 degrees C. The young people there to whom I spoke know nothing about Jewish people, nor why anyone would want to kill them. Their curiosity demonstrates that the educational system is not very enlightening with regard to the painful truth.

After this, we went on to Astravets, which has developed a little, to stay in the local hotel. No air conditioning, not even a fan, it was difficult to sleep.

The next day we travelled to Novogrudek, where the Belski Brothers operated their Partisan base in the forests. Some people from the small town joined their band. You can read all about their activities in various library books, as well as watch the recent movie, Defiance, starring Daniel Craig (of 007 fame). It highlights Jewish heroism and the insights of the Belski Brothers during the War, by showing that they were among the few to understand, from the start, the false promises of the Nazis.

There is a museum in Novogrudek, which is run by a young lady called Tamara - she knows much of the beautiful little town’s history - such as the fact that the population of Novogrudek was 10,000 before the War, of whom 6000 were Jewish. Horrible and depressing it is, to see the mass grave on the outskirts of town by the side of the road. It is not well looked after - some 250 Jewish craftsman did manage to escape to the forest by digging a tunnel.

From Novogrudek, we ventured into Grodno, now a large city of 500,000 people. The guide informed us that 700 Jewish people still live in the town, out of a pre-War population of 30,000. Most were shipped off to extermination camps in Poland. The old Jewish Synagogue in Grodno is a very impressive construction, with bare walls. An Chassidic Rabbi was conducting prayers while were there, but the congregation only numbered 4 people - another sad reminder of a once vibrant community.

We returned the same day to Vilna, after a depressing and melancholic journey, on which I was joined by Dr Romas Misuinas, the ex Ambassador to Israel and South Africa, as well as Ruta, of course.

My back still gives me pain in addition to the burden of painful memories of the things I witnessed. I am pleased to be back in Cape Town and wish you all the best in days to come.

Warm regards, Mulik