Meškauskas Pranas & Meškauskienė Ona (Jocytė); Son: Petras ; Son: Antanas ; Son: Teodoras ; Daughter: Jakštienė Stefa (Meškauskaitė); Daughter-In-Law: Meškauskienė Zosė

Meškauskas, Pranas Meškauskienė, Ona Meškauskas, Petras Meškauskas, Antanas Meškauskienė, Zosė Meškauskas, Teodoras Jakštienė-Meškauskaitė, Stefa Jakov and Sara Halozin, with their 11 grown-up children owned a large farm near the town of Kelmė (Raseiniai District). Some of the children had left Lithuania in the 1930s and had settled in South Africa and Mandatory Palestine. Two days after the German invasion, Kelmė was set on fire and many local Jews fled from the town to find shelter at Jewish farmers in the area, among them, the Halozins. When the Germans entered that area on June 25, 1941, some 100 Jews were caught on the Halozin farm were kept there under guard. On July 29, most of them were brought back to Kelmė and murdered. The Halozins and some of their relatives were left for the last murder operation planned for August 29, but they managed to flee. They sought help from some of their prewar Lithuanian friends living in the area. Shelter was found for Haviva and Sima Halozin, both in their early 20s. Then the Valčiukas* family, very poor farmers, accepted the elderly parents, Jakov and Sara Halozin, on condition that their sons would provide food for them. These sons, Hirsh, Shmuel and Icchak, as well as their cousin Jakov Zak chose to stay in the forest. They had a rifle and some other arms. The Halozins started plundering the farms of those who were collaborating with the Nazis and revenged the murders. But there were also some Lithuanian families who supported the Halozins out of friendship and supplied them with food and shelter whenever needed. Among such friends were Pranas Meškauskas, his wife Ona, their married son Petras with his wife Zosė, and the younger children Antanas, Teodoras and Stefa. As former neighbors, they kept their door always open for the Halozins and other Jews who joined the brothers in the forest later. They could stay at the Meškauskases for a night or more if needed, get a supply of food, wash themselves and changeclothes. Through the members of the Meškauskas family, the Jewish partisans and the Jews hiding in the area exchanged information and helped each other in critical situations. For more than three years, the group of young Jewish fighters led by the Halozins operated in the area and thanks to their presence and their care for those in hiding, some 30 Jews survived. Unfortunately, Jakov and Sara Halozin, as well as their son Hirsh were not among them. In March 1943, their hiding place was discovered. Hirsh was killed during an exchange of fire, while Jakov and Sara were taken to prison and executed later. After that, their hosts themselves had to hide until the end of the occupation. Right after the end of the war, the Halozins left Lithuania and settled in Mandatory Palestine. They lost contact with their Lithuanian friends most of whom were exiled to Siberia by the Soviets. Only recently did Shmuel Halozin find Zosė Meškauskienė and Stefa Jakštienė, the last living members of his rescuers’ family. On October 26, 2005, Yad Vashem recognized Pranas and Ona Meškauskas, Petras and Zosė Meškauskas, Antanas Meškauskas, Teodoras Meškauskas as well as Stefa Meškauskaitė-Jakštienė as Righteous Among the Nations.