As a municipal worker Audejus was able to enter the ghetto, providing vital information and support. When the ghetto faced its final liquidation in September 1943, he opened his home to the two families, hiding them in his basement for ten perilous months.

Despite frequent searches by policemen and collaborators, the Audejuses kept their friends safe until the city's liberation in July 1944.

After the war, the Fromchik family immigrated to Israel and the Dzimitrovskys moved to the United States, but the bonds formed in those dark times endured and they stayed in touch with their rescuers.

On 1 December 1970, Yad Vashem honored Juozas Audejus and his wife Ona as Righteous Among the Nations for their extraordinary bravery during the Holocaust.

(Source: yadvashem on instagram)

Among the many awards “Over the Rainbow” has received, in 2001, the song was recognized as the greatest song ever written in the 20^th century and in 2017, it was given further prestigious recognition, the number one song of the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Songs list.

The song was created by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Yip Harburg with contributions from Ira Gershwin, all children of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, for the movie The Wizard of Oz. The movie came out in 1939, two months after Kristallnacht and less than a week before the launch of WWII with Germany invading Poland. It echoes the Jewish experience of survival and hope and has become closely associated with the Jewish experience of WWII.  

Over the years, many have related to this song, one of hope, and found expression in different interpretations. However, understanding the song within the context of the Jewish people and the Holocaust, it takes on a whole new meaning.