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1 Killing site(s)
Zenonas G., born in 1930: "My aunt witnessed the shooting of the last Jews in Pakruojis. I am now gathering information about Dr. Šreiberis (Dr. Shreiber), which will be published in a newspaper. He was not Jewish but a Karaite. His wife, however, was Jewish and worked as a dentist, and they had two children who were considered Jewish by nationality. The family converted to Christianity, with the christening ceremony held at the Church of Pakruojis by priest Mykolas Šeižys, who was also a poet. But even that wasn’t enough for the new government. Šreiberis was told he could only save himself if he abandoned his wife and children, but he couldn’t bear to leave his family. It is said that he went to a pharmacy seeking poison for the entire family but couldn’t obtain it. They were among the last Jews to be taken away by truck, and the people of Pakruojis feel deep sorrow for them to this day. I also want to add that of the entire Jewish community of Pakruojis, only those deported to Siberia by the Russians in 1940 as ’too wealthy’ managed to survive. Among them were families like the Kaplanas and Rubinšteinas, along with a few others—about five families in total." (Testimony N°YIU37LT, interviewed in Pakruojis, on December 4, 2013)
"According to preliminary data, during the period of temporary German occupation of the Šiauliai district [...], German fascist monsters and their helpers shot and tortured to death the following Soviet civilians: […] In the town of Pakruojis, 400 people were shot and tortured to death in August 1941." [Notice about the atrocities of the Nazi invaders on the territory of the Šiauliai department, drawn by State Extraordinary Soviet Commission (ChGK), in 1944; GARF 7021-94-3/Copy USHMM RG.22-002M]
Pakruojis is located approximately 37 km (22.9 mi) east of Šiauliai. Its Jewish community, among the earliest to settle in Lithuania, dates back to the early 16th century. By 1765, there were 420 documented Jewish residents in the town. Pakruojis hosted a synagogue, built in 1801, three prayer houses, and a Jewish cemetery. However, the town faced significant hardships in 1879 and 1886, when devastating fires destroyed many Jewish homes. According to the 1897 Russian Empire census, Pakruojis had 1,093 Jewish residents, accounting for 71% of the town’s total population. Over the following decades, this number declined significantly due to Jewish emigration, particularly to South Africa.
During the interwar period, as Pakruojis became part of an independent Lithuania, the Jewish population continued to decrease as younger generations emigrated abroad. By 1923, only 454 Jews remained, making up 38% of the total population.
The Jewish community in Pakruojis played a central role in the town’s economy. They were primarily involved in commerce, including horse and crop trading, and various artisanal trades. The town’s Jewish residents operated many enterprises, including four flour mills, a sawmill, two wool carders, lime furnaces, fabric stores, metal goods shops, a restaurant, and other businesses. Jewish artisans offered their services as tailors, shoemakers, butchers, and more. The community also had a Jewish doctor, Dr. Shreiber, a Jewish Popular Bank (Folksbank), a Hebrew school, and two libraries. During this time, Jewish residents were actively engaged in the social and cultural life of Pakruojis, including participating in Zionist youth movements.
In 1940, the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union marked a turning point for the Jewish community in Pakruojis. The nationalization of Jewish factories and shops led to economic decline, and community institutions, including Zionist organizations and Hebrew educational structures, were forcibly disbanded. This period also saw the deterioration of relationships between Lithuanians and Jews, as some Jewish residents became involved in the Soviet administration, further straining communal ties.
Following the launch of Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, many Jews from Pakruojis attempted to flee eastward. However, some were murdered by Lithuanian activists, while others were forced to return home. At the same time, numerous Jews from surrounding areas sought refuge in Pakruojis. The town was occupied by German troops on June 28, 1941.
In the early days of the occupation, Lithuanian partisans known as the "White Armbanders" (later reorganized into an auxiliary police squad) began persecuting and murdering individuals suspected of Soviet sympathies, with Jews being primary targets. Around 30 Jews from Pakruojis were detained and taken to the prison in Šiauliai. According to a local resident interviewed by Yahad - In Unum, 13 Jews and one Lithuanian were shot at the Hill of Swedes in the middle of the Kruoja River. Their bodies were later exhumed and reburied in the Morkakalnis forest.
From the outset of the German occupation, anti-Jewish policies were enforced in Pakruojis. Jews were required to wear Stars of David on their clothing, their property was confiscated, and they were banned from pursuing their usual trades and professions. They were subjected to forced labor, including work on von Ropp’s estate and cleaning the town streets.
In July 1941, over 100 Jewish men, including those from the nearby hamlet of Klovainiai, were rounded up and taken on July 13, 1941 (or July 31, according to some sources) to the Morkakalnis forest. There, they were executed by German forces, assisted by local "White Armbanders." The remaining Jewish women, children, and elderly—numbering between 200 and 265 people—were confined to a ghetto established in the courtyard of the synagogue, which was surrounded by barbed wire.
In early August 1941 (August 5 or 24, depending on the source), the ghetto inmates were told they were being sent for forced labor. Instead, they were marched to the same killing site in the Morkakalnis forest and executed. The victims were forced to undress and were shot in groups of five. The executions were carried out by "White Armbanders" from Pakruojis and Linkuva, under the supervision of German officers who photographed the massacre. The victims were buried in a mass grave measuring 20 meters long, 2 meters deep, and 2–3 meters wide. Approximately 400 Jews were killed during this Aktion.
The family of the local Jewish doctor, Dr. Shreiber (Screiber), was initially spared during the mass shootings. However, in April 1942, they were murdered along with other Jews who had been caught in hiding.
After the destruction of the Jewish community in Pakruojis, the victims’ belongings were divided among the perpetrators and local farmers.
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