Sisters Chana and Rachel Pelc, who escaped from the Telšiai ghetto in December 1941, experienced great dangers and severe trials: their lives were constantly threatened. Hungry and exhausted, they walked from village to village for two years, hiding in the woods, until in 1943 they reached Aleksandra and Jonas Zelba, who lived in Užgiriai village, Telšiai district.

From Aleksandra Zelbienė's memories:

In the summer of 1943 our neighbor Juozas Banys brought two Pelc sisters, Rachel (14 years old) and Chana (17 years old), to us to hide them from being shot. We had only one room and a kitchen. When a stranger came, we hid them behind the stove. The younger Rachel was ill, had lice and was very hungry. She often cried, missing her parents and brothers who were shot. I treated her and comforted her, promising to protect her from being shot.

Since the Zelbas’ house was very small, Rachel stayed with them, while her sister Chana was helped to find other hiding places by Polikarpas Macijauskas, pastor of the Kolainiai Church, who saved Jews throughout the war.

Both sisters – Rachel Pelc (later Pulde) and Chana Pelc (later Zak) survived and after the war repatriated to Israel.