Author Archives: Andrew

About Andrew

Retired journalist, Keidan descendent.

Finding the Pick Family

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Andrew

Our earlier posts about Tsemach Pick raised questions about his life in the Soviet Union, his 1952 death and his descendants. We knew only that he was the younger brother of Aharon Pick and a friend of B. Cassel; that … Continue reading →

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A Call for Folksongs – 1898

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Andrew

B. Cassel (my zeyde) wrote this in his history of Keidan:  In the beginning of 1898 S.M. Ginzburg and P.S. Marek of St. Petersburg published announcements in the journals  “HaMelitz,”  “Voskhod,” and “HaTzefira,” inviting Jewish intellectuals in Russia with close ties … Continue reading →

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‘The Most Civic City’

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Andrew

Boruch Chaim’s History of Keidan contains a passing reference to the town, in 1590, receiving “Magdeburg rights.” I researched this enough to include a short explanation of these as a set of rules, under which municipalities could administer their own affairs. … Continue reading →

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Aharon Pick’s Memoir

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Andrew

We all have hopes and expectations for the new year. Mine are topped by the coming publication of a project I’ve been working on for three years: The translation of Aharon Pick’s Holocaust memoir, written from 1942-44 in the ghetto of Šiauliai. Continue reading →

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Documenting the Holocaust

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Andrew

To our Keidaner friends, We were recently contacted by Israeli filmmaker Boris Maftsir, best known for his documentaries about the Holocaust. Maftsir’s film project called  “Searching for the Unknown Holocaust” includes documentaries on the experience in Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, … Continue reading →

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Tracing the Pick Family

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Andrew

The following was submitted by Aryeh Leonard Shcherbakov. What do we know about Aharon Pick’s family from Keidan (Kėdainiai) There are many reasons why the name of Aharon Pick has long attracted our attention: He was born in Keidan, he … Continue reading →

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Aharon Pick, Holocaust Witness

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Andrew

Late in the winter of 1943, Dr. Aharon Pick helped put Jewish infants to death. Assisted by other doctors and nurses in the makeshift hospital of the Šiauliai ghetto, he euthanized them with heroin and morphine, in one instance resorting … Continue reading →

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Searching for Tsemach Pick

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Andrew

Last month I received the following email: From: Ilya Shneyveys Subject: Dr Aharon-Leyb Pick Dear Andrew, Congratulations on this fascinating project! I just came across this blog today and am finding a lot of interesting information here.

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Recalling those who survived the Keidan massacre

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Andrew

By Aryeh Leonard Shcherbakov Preface When talking of the Jews of Keidan, the first who naturally come to mind are those who were murdered: our grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins lying in the mass grave on the outskirts of town. … Continue reading →

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‘Good Morning, Lithuania’

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Andrew

Each summer, one of Lithuania’s most popular TV shows, called “Labas Rytas Lietuva” [“Good Morning Lithuania”] highlights different towns across that country. This year its focus was on Kėdainiai, and on July 4, the show aired a walking tour through … Continue reading →

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