Joseph Stakauskas — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

Before the war, Josef Stakauskas (1899) studied theology and philosophy in Austria. After receiving his PhD he returned to his homeland Lithuania, where he was appointed director of a government archives in the city. When the Germans occupied Lithuania, Stakauskas, who had moved to Vilnius, learned that the Lithuanians were exterminating Jews; driven by his religious belief, he decided to save as many Jews as possible. Stakauskas approached the local governor and asked him to assign him a few workers to help with the work in the archives. He received ten workers from the local ghetto, and during the 'Aktion' carried out by the Germans in the ghetto, the Jews remained under his protection.

Later, the authorities designated another building for the government archives at a former Benedictine Abbey. At this point, Stakauskas felt the time was right to hide the Jewish workers in the archives' building. Together with his childhood friend, Vladas Zemaitis,  a carpenter and physics teacher, they prepared a hiding place for the Jews in one of the new building's rooms, and deliberately omitted it from the building diagram they gave to the authorities. In September 1943, 12 Jews, including three children, entered the secret room. It was quite a dangerous endeavor, since during the day people, including Germans, worked in the archives. Stakauskas turned for help to Maria Mikulska, a nun and French teacher.  During the Nazi occupation she worked in the archives as a night guard. Mikulska would warn the Jews of any changes in the work schedule, and together with Stakauskas and Zemaitis, they were able to obtain and bring food to the hiding place. At night, Mikulska would take some of them to her room so that they could have a bath. Sara and Yaakov Yaffe and their daughter Monica, the sister of Jacob Fira (Esther Kantarovich), Alexander and Vera Libo, and their daughter Luba (Gilon), Grigor-Ishonsky, with his wife Irena, Miriam Rolnik  (Lysoscina), Mita Markovska and her son Samuel Beck (who later became a famous painter) remained in hiding until liberation, on July 14, 1944.

On October 17, 1974, Yad Vashem recognized Josef Stakauskas, Vladas Zemaitis and Maria Mikulska as Righteous among the Nations.