Lea Port was hiding in the forests near the village of Skovagaliai, Alytus County, along with Shmuel Ingel, who would later become her husband, and a group of Jews who had fled from various ghettos. On the verge of physical collapse from hunger, Lea decided to seek refuge in the village, and chose to knock on the door of a house at random and ask for food. She was a deaf mute. Seeing a young woman standing in the cold, in rags, she motioned her in.
Out of the kindness of her heart, Elena agreed to take Samuel Ingel in as well. Later Elena told her husband the truth. After the Russians occupied the area, German prisoners were kept in the village of Marinka.
In the background of the tree branches broken by the gusts of wind caused by the falling bombs, Elena would tie a white scarf on her head and go to the neighbors to bandage the German prisoners guided by her good heart. Dark autumn evening of It's cold. The wind throws sharp grains in the face. After finishing work in the barns, I return to the shed.
Our house is small, but it is warm and cozy. She is followed by a young girl of extraordinary beauty. Her great black eyes look at me with hope. They glow with fear and fervent supplication. To this day, she stands before my eyes as she did then: beautiful, scared to death, depressed by despair. Little by little, the picture is becoming clear to me. People were intimidated. Only some places allowed overnight stays. Winter is coming. Cold, hunger, doom await I am shocked to the core.
I think: what would I do in her place? I try to imagine myself wandering the fields in winter, hungry, ragged, without a home, without friends, harassed, persecuted, in constant fear of death How could you reject this girl?
