TE15 Lithuanian Honey Cake

Irena: Life Should Be Clear

experienced during our last conversation. And I have to admit that, when I think about this horrific chapter in our history, I cannot give an unequivocal answer to the question, “What would I have done?” I might have stood quietly under a tree.

No one can answer that question unequivocally. But most importantly—you certainly would not have joined the murderers. 26

But is silent observation of evil’s triumph not, in some way, equivalent to supporting the killers?

I am deeply convinced that you have formulated your question much too categorically. As I have already said, what is most important is not to spread evil or become a murderer oneself. I know that, as long as I am of sound mind, I will never deliberately kill another person—that I will try not to add to the evil that exists in the world. Do you remember my story about how I stood in line for bread? Nobody forced 26 While reviewing the text, under the sentence “But most importantly— you certainly would not have joined the murderers” Veisaitė wrote the following comment: “While reading Rūta Vanagaitė’s Mūsiškiai I was very happy to discover that 117 Lithuanian volunteer recruits, having understood that they would not be defending their homeland but would be used to kill Jews, ran away from their battalion. That did not save the lives of the condemned Jews, but those escapees saved their own human dignity and did not contribute to the implementation of a horrific crime.”

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