Lithuania: In the Footsteps of the Holocaust

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The southernmost and largest of the Baltic countries. Jews lived in Lithuania since the 14th century. Under the Non-Aggression Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, signed just a few days before the start of World War II in September 1939, Lithuania fell into the Soviet sphere of influence. On October 30 of the same year, Lithuania was returned control over Vilnius, which had previously belonged to Poland. After this, the Jewish population of Lithuania increased from 100,000 to 250,000 people. This number included about 15,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Poland. The majority of the Lithuanian population was embittered by the pact with the USSR, which deprived Lithuania of its independence. Their frustration was taken out on the Jews, which manifested in their persecution and attacks on their property. On June 15, 1940, Soviet army units entered Lithuania; seven weeks later, Lithuania was officially annexed by the Soviet Union. The country's incorporation into the USSR greatly affected the life of Lithuanian Jewry. On the one hand, Jewish representatives entered the republicâ€™s government, and Jews could now study in higher education institutions without restrictions. On the other hand, their enterprises were nationalized, and many political, cultural, and charitable organizations were closed. On June 14, 1941, Soviet authorities deported tens of thousands of Lithuanians declared "enemies of the people"; among them were 7,000 Jews. Although Jews themselves suffered under Soviet rule, Lithuanians considered them supporters of the Soviets. As a result, many Lithuanians, including members of the nationalist organization Lithuanian Front, terrorized Jews. On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR, and Lithuania was occupied by the Germans. Most of the Lithuanian population welcomed the Germans, believing that Germany would grant the country independence. Many willingly collaborated with the occupiers. Even before the occupation of Lithuania was complete, Lithuanians themselves organized Jewish pogroms in at least 40 settlements. Jews were killed, beaten, raped; rabbis were mocked. However, Germany had no intention of granting Lithuania independence: the country became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland, one of its "general districts" (Generalbezirk Litauen). Just a few weeks after the occupation of Lithuania, the Nazis launched a systematic campaign to exterminate Lithuanian Jewry, led by the 3rd Einsatzkommando, Einsatzgruppe A. Many stages of the extermination, including gathering Jews in one place, guarding them, and transporting them to the site of execution, were carried out by Lithuanian soldiers and police. In the summer of 1941, many Jews from the provinces were killed. From September to November, the extermination of Jews from large cities, gathered after the occupation into ghettos, was carried out. By the end of 1941, only 40,000 Jews remained in Lithuania; they were concentrated in four ghettos (in Vilnius, Kaunas, Å iauliai, and Å venÄionys) and several labor camps. During the summer and autumn of 1943, the ghettos in Vilnius and Å venÄionys were liquidated, and the ghettos in Kaunas and Å iauliai became concentration camps. About 15,000 Jews were transferred to labor camps in Latvia and Estonia, where they perished, and 5,000 Jews were deported to extermination camps. Before leaving Lithuania in the summer of 1944, the Germans evacuated about 10,000 Jews from the camps in Kaunas and Å iauliai to German concentration camps. Those who tried to resist were killed. Only a few thousand Lithuanian Jews survived. http://holocaustatlas.lt/EN/