Elida, Tzippy Klein-Yaakov 2020 — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

Elida (translation from Hebrew – non-birth), Tzippy Klein-Yaakov, 2020

In June 2021 we launched a book written by Tzippy Klein-Yaakov at Bet Vilna. “E-lida” tells the story of her life and is the name of a baby girl who was born in the Kovno ghetto. Her parents gave her this name in Hebrew in defiance of the prohibition to give birth to children decreed by the Nazis. When she was three months old, she was secretly handed over to a Lithuanian family. When the ghetto was liquidated, her parents perished and she was left an orphan. From then on, the winds of fate carried her over lands and continents, and her real identity was hidden from her. Her name was changed time and again. Even when it seemed that she was on safe ground, the turbulence of her life did not let her rest and she became a tragic heroine.

The book tells of the close connection between major historical events involving the Jewish people in the second half of the 20^th century and the path of the individual. The book was written following extensive research made by the writer in Israel, Lithuania and the USA. She accessed documents and photographs from the distant past, making use of a wide-ranging bibliography including documents, photographs, testimonies and authentic letters and the reader is captured by the discovery that weaves the plot of the book. Most of the characters in the book are called by their real names, and the majority of the events actually took place.