As a child, she was a member of the Zoinist group called: Shomer Ha-Zair.

Three, four times a week, the youth ( boys and girls) came together; during wintertime in a big house somewhere in Pakruojis and during summertime in the forests near Pakruojis and in the forests near Rozalimas. There they learned how to survive in the woods. They, also, learned all kinds of songs, and dances and what it meant to work and live in Israel. The youth was taught how to live in a kibbutz in Israel. Rivka liked it very much to go to the gatherings of the Shomer Ha-Zair.

Rivka remembers that in Pakruojis lived all kinds of people. There were Germans, Poles and Russian living in her town. The Jewish population was the biggest one. She called Pakruojis a Shtetl. Rivka said, the different nationalities didn't mingle with one another. They were like neighbours. She said: We respected one another, we greeted one another, we talked with one another, but everyone stayed in his own group: Germans with Germans, Poles with Poles, Russian with Russian and Jews with Jews. A lot of the people living in Pakruojis were poor, some had a moderate income and some were rich. 

Rivka told us, that there were pogroms in the area and that one night a pogrom was held in a small city nearby. Almost all of the Jewish population was killed, but her nephew with wife and child ( 2 years old) managed to escape and to flee to Pakruojis. All their other relatives didn't survive. The name of the family who started a new life in Pakruojis was: The Fogel family.

Rivka's eldest sister Edka married in summertime. The name of her husband was: Yeruchim Klevanski.

Rivka remembers very well the wedding of her sister. There had to be prepared and cooked a lot of food for the wedding. Her mother Frada hired one or two cooks from another town and these men were busy many days preparing and cooking the food. Also her own mother Frada and some friends did the cooking and all kinds of sweet cakes, kugels, meat were prepared.

On her wedding day, Edka was taken by the women and escorted to the synagogue. Her future husband was escorted to the synagogue by the men. Each woman carried a candle and these candles were lit , even in daytime. The candles expressed the hope for a good and happy life for the young couple. Before the synagogue they were married under the Chuppah and afterwards, the seven blessings were recited, the seven "B' roches". ( blessings). All went to Frada's  house and there they celebrated the wedding, there were five musicians hired for the wedding and everyone had a marvellous time. For two weeks relatives stayed with them and they had a special dinner together, every evening.

Edka and Yeruchim Klevanski got two sons Ekaleh and Moishe.

The Klevanski's emigrated to America in 1939 and Rivka told me, how difficult it was to get them out of the country. In those days trouble already had started and a lot of Jewish families wanted to leave Lithuania. When, once, Rivka was in Kaunas, she overheard, that the last ship leaving Bremerhaven ( Germany) for the United States would be leaving soon. Rivka pleaded for her sister and her sister's family at the office where people were signed in for the authorisation to leave Lithuania and to emigrate to the United States. Finally, Rivka got their approval and Edka's family was signed in for the journey. Some time afterwards, the papers came arrived in Pakruojis and Edka and her family emigrated to America. The family was accompanied by Rivka and Chanka. First they went by train to Sauliai and from there they travelled to the border at Joniskis. At the border Rivka and Chanka had to stay behind and Edka and her family continued their journey. Rivka said, that the farewell was full of emotions.

In Pakruojis the only thing they had to do. now, was to wait for a letter from Edka... Days and days passed, but finally they received a letter from her. So many pages, remembers Rivka. Edka and her family were doing well and Yeruchim, her husband got a good job. They worked hard and after 2, 3 years the couple could start their own grocery store.

The rabbi who taught Rivka Hebrew and Torah , science, history, maths and other basic studies, was rabbi Tsjechanovskij. Rivka liked him very much. She said, he was a wonderful man, a very tall man, when he saw her, he always took her cheeks between his fingers and smiled and asked:" How are you doing, my child?". The rabbi and his wife had three children, Yankel, Avraham and Tizel. 

The name of one of the last teachers of the Cheder in Pakruojis was Kahn, she remembers.

Berka and Leibel were Rivka's two brothers. Eight days after their birth, they were circumcised by the so called mohel who was taught how to do the B'rith ( the circumcision). All this according to Jewish Law and rituals. This day was and is a very important day for the Jews all around the world. They remember the Covenant between Avraham and his people and God. Rivka remembers about Leibel's circumcision, that the ceremony took place at home, that the baby Leibel was given some wine before the circumcision took place and that afterwards there was a big B'rith party with lots of sweets and cakes and wine. There were also prayers recited and everyone was so happy and cheerful.

The Bar Mitzvah of the two boys took place when they were thirteen years old . It was celebrated in Pakruojis. The young boy became a member of the Jewish community and was responsible for the community and for their and his personal acts.

Rivka remembers that before the boys celebrated their Bar Mitzvah, they had to study for two years the parsja they had to read in Hebrew in the synagogue for the congregation. They learned all about this parsja ( a passage in the Torah) . Rabbi Tsjechanovskij was their accompanying rabbi .

After the ceremony in the synagogue, the Bar Mitzvah party was held in the house of their parents. So, also, the party of the two Shapiro boys. Their mother had cooked and prepared a lot of food , especially sweets, and the invited guests were relatives and friends of the Shapiro boys. There were also some girls at the party.

When someone died in the Jewish community people used to close the stores.

On the day of the funeral, men and women walked together behind the coffin until they arrived at the bridge in Pakruojis. The coffin was laid then on a cart and taken to the cemetery . The men and women followed. When someone couldn't pay for the funeral the money was collected from members of the Jewish community . There was a special casket for this money to be found in the small building behind the synagogue.

During the first week after the death of their beloved one, the family "sat sjive". They sat on the floor or on a low stool, like a footstool. They cried and cried , said Rivka. The neighbours did the cooking, the cleaning , everything what was needed for the mourners. Rivka remembers very well when her mother Frada "sat sjive" for her deceased husband Moishe Shapiro. She was sitting on a low footstool the whole week and cried and cried.

All what I tell you, is just like a dream, Rivka says.