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The Jewish Community of Vilkaviskis

Vilkaviškis

Vilkovishk; Vilkoviskis

A district town in south-western Lithuania.

Vilkovishk is situated about 15 km from the German border (east-Prussia) on the highway from Kovno to Koenigsberg (since 1945 Kaliningrad). The town was founded at the beginning of the 15th century, received the rights of a town the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom in the middle of the 16th century, came under Prussian sovereignty when Poland was divided at the end of the 18th century, was included in the Warsaw principality at the beginning of the 19th century and was under Tzarist Russian rule in 1815 (after the Congress of Vienna). At the time of Napoleon’s war against Russia, in 1812, his troops were stationed in the region and his headquarters were in Vilkovishk for a time.

The Jewish settlement in Vilkovishk was one of the first in Lithuania; Jews from Prussia settled there already at the beginning of the 17th century. The wife of King Zygmunt August donated the wood for the building of the synagogue.

In the 19th century most of the town's population was Jewish, in the census of 1856 there were 4,417 Jews as against 834 Christians. Before World War I there were 850 Jewish families in the town. During the war, at the time of the German conquest the Jew Bendet Rabinovitch served as mayor of the town.

Before World War I the children of the town studied in hadarim and later in local yeshivot or in nearby towns. In independent Lithuania there was a small yeshiva in Vilkovishk, a tarbuth Hebrew elementary school, a Yiddish school, a trade-school; from 1919 there was a Hebrew science gymnasium in the town, one of the first in Lithuania and it also served the children of nearby settlements. The town had two libraries, a Hebrew and general one and a Yiddish one. The town was known as a center of learning.

The pride of the community was its old synagogue, the building of which had begun early in the 16th century; in it stood the holy tabernacle, beautiful and a work of art. There were also a prayer-house for the workers with pigs' bristles. There was a line of rabbis, well-known for their knowledge of holy scripture.

The public institutions of the community which were destroyed during World War I were restored and enlarged during the period of Lithuania's independence. They were the usual charity institutions including a clinic. In 1921 there were more than 3,000 Jews in Vilkovishk.

In the past the Vilkovishk Jews made a living from trade and artisanship; before World War I the trade in wood, agricultural products and the export to Germany were in Jewish hands. Many Jews worked in the manufacture of brushes from pig's bristles, others were farmers and traders in fruit and vegetables in the town and its vicinity.

Due to the influence of Bund activists the workers were organized in a trade union (the brush makers) and even brought out a leaflet Der Wecker (the rouser). They were among the first industrial workers who fought for their rights. Already in 1837-1839 there were Jewish workers strikes under Bund leadership.

The Jewish poor barely made a living from artisanship and small trade, because of economic difficulties there were waves of emigration to American countries and South Africa at different periods.

Public life in Vilkovishk was mainly influenced by Zionism and the workers organizations. Poalei Zion and the Bund had a clear majority in elections. Between the two world wars most of the young people were in Zionist youth movements and in the sport organizations Maccabi and Hapoel.

In 1939 there were 3,609 Jews living in Vilkovishk, 45% of the general population.


The Holocaust Period

After the outbreak of World War II (September 1, 1939) and the conquest of Poland by the Germans, Lithuania came under Soviet rule and at the end of summer 1940 was annexed by the Soviet Union.

Already on the first day of the German attack on Russia (June 22, 1941) Vilkovishk was taken by the Germans. Jews who tried to escape from the town seeing the roads barred by the Germans, returned to find their houses burnt down. Most of the Jewish houses burnt down during the bombings; the Jews were promptly accused of setting fire to the town.

Vilkovishk was situated in the 25 km belt from the German border in which the Jews and communists were slated for immediate extermination, according to the German decision. The head of the gestapo in Tilsit was responsible for the implementation of it. In the mean time the local Lithuanians harassed the Jews and led the Germans to their houses for looting. The Jewish men were ordered to gather in the market square and from there were taken for forced labor in the town and its vicinity. After a week they were forced to wear the yellow patch and forbidden to use the sidewalks. Many Jews were arrested on suspicion of communism.

At the beginning of July 1941 all the Jewish men were taken to the seminary for priests near the town. There they were exposed to the brutalities of the Lithuanian policemen and three Jews were murdered by them. After a week the place was designated a ghetto, a Judenrat was appointed; the men were taken from there for degrading forced work while the Lithuanian guards molested them on the way.

On July 27 Bohme, the head of the gestapo in Tilsit arrived in the town accompanied by German soldiers and Lithuanian auxiliaries. The Jews were ordered to dig trenches in the yard of the training barracks ostensibly for fuel storage. On the morrow, July 28, they were again taken for forced labor in groups but shot and murdered in the trenches they had dug themselves. The German Schubert who was responsible for the fuel storage in the town managed to postpone the murder of scores of Jews who worked with him.

At the beginning of August the women and children were taken to the barracks. They saw the mass graves of the men but were forbidden to approach them. On the Fast of Gedaliah, September 24, 1941 the women and children were murdered too and interred in a mass grave next to the one of the men.

About 200 Jews fled with the help of a corrupted Lithuanian guard; some Lithuanians, inhabitants of the town saved a number of women and children at the risk of their own lives.


After the war the mass graves were found neglected, with cows grazing there. The survivors of the community turned to the authorities, fenced the graves and erected a memorial stone.

 

 

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The Jewish Community of Vilkaviskis

Vilkaviškis

Vilkovishk; Vilkoviskis

A district town in south-western Lithuania.

Vilkovishk is situated about 15 km from the German border (east-Prussia) on the highway from Kovno to Koenigsberg (since 1945 Kaliningrad). The town was founded at the beginning of the 15th century, received the rights of a town the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom in the middle of the 16th century, came under Prussian sovereignty when Poland was divided at the end of the 18th century, was included in the Warsaw principality at the beginning of the 19th century and was under Tzarist Russian rule in 1815 (after the Congress of Vienna). At the time of Napoleon’s war against Russia, in 1812, his troops were stationed in the region and his headquarters were in Vilkovishk for a time.

The Jewish settlement in Vilkovishk was one of the first in Lithuania; Jews from Prussia settled there already at the beginning of the 17th century. The wife of King Zygmunt August donated the wood for the building of the synagogue.

In the 19th century most of the town's population was Jewish, in the census of 1856 there were 4,417 Jews as against 834 Christians. Before World War I there were 850 Jewish families in the town. During the war, at the time of the German conquest the Jew Bendet Rabinovitch served as mayor of the town.

Before World War I the children of the town studied in hadarim and later in local yeshivot or in nearby towns. In independent Lithuania there was a small yeshiva in Vilkovishk, a tarbuth Hebrew elementary school, a Yiddish school, a trade-school; from 1919 there was a Hebrew science gymnasium in the town, one of the first in Lithuania and it also served the children of nearby settlements. The town had two libraries, a Hebrew and general one and a Yiddish one. The town was known as a center of learning.

The pride of the community was its old synagogue, the building of which had begun early in the 16th century; in it stood the holy tabernacle, beautiful and a work of art. There were also a prayer-house for the workers with pigs' bristles. There was a line of rabbis, well-known for their knowledge of holy scripture.

The public institutions of the community which were destroyed during World War I were restored and enlarged during the period of Lithuania's independence. They were the usual charity institutions including a clinic. In 1921 there were more than 3,000 Jews in Vilkovishk.

In the past the Vilkovishk Jews made a living from trade and artisanship; before World War I the trade in wood, agricultural products and the export to Germany were in Jewish hands. Many Jews worked in the manufacture of brushes from pig's bristles, others were farmers and traders in fruit and vegetables in the town and its vicinity.

Due to the influence of Bund activists the workers were organized in a trade union (the brush makers) and even brought out a leaflet Der Wecker (the rouser). They were among the first industrial workers who fought for their rights. Already in 1837-1839 there were Jewish workers strikes under Bund leadership.

The Jewish poor barely made a living from artisanship and small trade, because of economic difficulties there were waves of emigration to American countries and South Africa at different periods.

Public life in Vilkovishk was mainly influenced by Zionism and the workers organizations. Poalei Zion and the Bund had a clear majority in elections. Between the two world wars most of the young people were in Zionist youth movements and in the sport organizations Maccabi and Hapoel.

In 1939 there were 3,609 Jews living in Vilkovishk, 45% of the general population.


The Holocaust Period

After the outbreak of World War II (September 1, 1939) and the conquest of Poland by the Germans, Lithuania came under Soviet rule and at the end of summer 1940 was annexed by the Soviet Union.

Already on the first day of the German attack on Russia (June 22, 1941) Vilkovishk was taken by the Germans. Jews who tried to escape from the town seeing the roads barred by the Germans, returned to find their houses burnt down. Most of the Jewish houses burnt down during the bombings; the Jews were promptly accused of setting fire to the town.

Vilkovishk was situated in the 25 km belt from the German border in which the Jews and communists were slated for immediate extermination, according to the German decision. The head of the gestapo in Tilsit was responsible for the implementation of it. In the mean time the local Lithuanians harassed the Jews and led the Germans to their houses for looting. The Jewish men were ordered to gather in the market square and from there were taken for forced labor in the town and its vicinity. After a week they were forced to wear the yellow patch and forbidden to use the sidewalks. Many Jews were arrested on suspicion of communism.

At the beginning of July 1941 all the Jewish men were taken to the seminary for priests near the town. There they were exposed to the brutalities of the Lithuanian policemen and three Jews were murdered by them. After a week the place was designated a ghetto, a Judenrat was appointed; the men were taken from there for degrading forced work while the Lithuanian guards molested them on the way.

On July 27 Bohme, the head of the gestapo in Tilsit arrived in the town accompanied by German soldiers and Lithuanian auxiliaries. The Jews were ordered to dig trenches in the yard of the training barracks ostensibly for fuel storage. On the morrow, July 28, they were again taken for forced labor in groups but shot and murdered in the trenches they had dug themselves. The German Schubert who was responsible for the fuel storage in the town managed to postpone the murder of scores of Jews who worked with him.

At the beginning of August the women and children were taken to the barracks. They saw the mass graves of the men but were forbidden to approach them. On the Fast of Gedaliah, September 24, 1941 the women and children were murdered too and interred in a mass grave next to the one of the men.

About 200 Jews fled with the help of a corrupted Lithuanian guard; some Lithuanians, inhabitants of the town saved a number of women and children at the risk of their own lives.


After the war the mass graves were found neglected, with cows grazing there. The survivors of the community turned to the authorities, fenced the graves and erected a memorial stone.

 

 

Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People