Margaret grew up in Kaunas, the temporary capital of Lithuania. Her mother was from St Petersburg, her father was from near Kaunas and had worked for the Lithuanian Embassy in Berlin, and the family was international in outlook. Margaret and her younger brother Alik were brought up as "citizens of the world".

When the German army invaded Lithuania in 1941, many Jewish families fled. Margaret's family stayed in Kaunas because they didn't want to leave Alik, who was away at a children's holiday camp. The city was in chaos. Jews were targeted with shootings and arrests. Margaret's father was arrested and never came back. By August, when the Jewish population was sent to the ghetto, many people felt relief, believing that they would be safe.Margaret describes the ghetto years as 'dreadful'. The people were forced to do hard labour and deprived of food, in overcrowded conditions with three families living in just two rooms. Morale was poor, though many people believed that the war would soon be over and had no idea of the Nazi plan to exterminate them.

Margaret's story