1 Killing site(s)
Lidia M., born in 1922:
"Y.U.: Did the persecution of Jews start immediately after the Germans arrived?
Witness: It was very terrible. We had many Jews living here; they resided in the center of town and owned shops. There was even a Jewish pharmacy. There were only two Polish shops. The Jews were gathered from the entire district—from Semeliškės and other villages. They marched down the street with stars on their chests and backs.
Y.U.: What was the color of the stars?
Witness: They were six-pointed. There is a lake nearby, along with a former building of the Maritime League. Further up the hill is the village of Varnikai, which had beautiful resort houses—those buildings of the former sanatorium—for railway workers. Workers used to come there for recreation during the summer, just as the members of the Tyszkiewicz family would come to their estate. The Jews were gathered at those resort houses, but they were just summer houses.
Y.U.: Did the Jews stay there for long?
Witness: No, they were there very briefly.
Y.U.: A few days or a few weeks?
Witness: It happened in autumn. They were all shot in September or at the beginning of October. The pits were dug in Varnikai, and the Jews were buried in them. Later, a hillock formed there as the earth settled. Many people were buried there. Varnikai was quite a sizable village. There were no bridges back then, so you could only reach it by boat or go from Lentvaris. The Jews were shot, and that was it. Only one person survived. He was deported for speculation or something like that. After his family was killed, he returned, sold his house, and left. There is not a single Jew left in Trakai." (Testimony N°YIU46LT, interviewed in Trakai, on March 30, 2014)
"In September 1944 [1941], the Germans drove the inhabitants of Trakai, Lendtvarovo [Landwarów], Rudishki [Rudziszki] and Vysokyi Dvor to the shore of Lake Trakai, where they forced everyone to strip and then shot them, while the children were thrown in alive. Thus, according to the testimonies, there were 3,000 Jews dead in the trench." [Act drawn by State Extraordinary Soviet Commission (ChGK), on April 25, 1945; GARF 7021-94-431/Copy USHMM RG.22-002M]
"On September 30, 1941, 1,446 Jews were executed in Trakai: 366 Jewish men, 483 Jewish women, and 597 Jewish children." [Report of Karl Jaeger, commander of Einsatzkommando 3a, made in Kauen [today Kaunas], on December 1, 1941; Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0716-0005-004]
Trakai is situated approximately 26 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Vilnius. The first Jews began to settle there as early as the 14th century. In 1397-1398, Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania invited 383 Karaite families from Crimea to settle in Trakai. Under Lithuanian law, both communities generally had the same rights and restrictions, which led to competition in trade and financial operations. During the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, Trakai became an important Jewish center. However, wars and uprisings in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 17th and 18th centuries reduced the number of Karaite and Jewish residents in the town. By 1765, only 150 Jews and 300 Karaites remained in Trakai. Following a period of restrictions and expulsions imposed on the local Jews, Jewish settlement in Trakai was reestablished in 1862. According to the 1897 census conducted by the Russian Empire, there were 1,112 Jews living in the town, making up about 34% of the total population.
Local Jews primarily engaged in commerce, the service sector, and artisanal work, with some making a living through fishing. The town was home to multiple Jewish stores and enterprises, including the manufacture of iron implements and various tools, as well as a factory for soda water and soft drinks. Jewish artisans offered services as tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, blacksmiths, glassmakers, locksmiths, and more. Trakai housed a synagogue, a Beis Midrash (study hall), a Talmud Torah, two Hasidic shtibels, and a Jewish library. Both the Karaites and Rabbanite Jews had their own cemeteries.
After the outbreak of World War I, many Jewish refugees found shelter in Trakai, prompting the establishment of a public kitchen for them. During this time, many local Jews fled to Vilnius, with most never returning after the war’s end. Following the Polish-Lithuanian War of 1919-1920, Trakai became part of independent Poland. According to the 1931 census, around 400 Jews were recorded as living in the town. Despite a difficult economic situation and rising anti-Semitism, which led to the emigration of some local Jews, the Jewish community became increasingly active in the social and cultural life of the town, including participation in Zionist movements. After the Yiddish school was closed, most Jewish children attended Polish schools, continuing their education there even after Rabbi Perecowicz opened a religious Hebrew school.
Under Polish rule, a special commission of doctors conducted anthropological research into the origins of the Karaites based on their appearance and blood samples, effectively distinguishing between the two communities.
In September 1939, Trakai was occupied by the Soviets, before being incorporated into independent Lithuania until 1940, when it was once again taken over by the Soviets. On the eve of the German invasion, there were around 500 Jewish residents in the town.
Trakai was occupied by German troops on June 24, 1941. Shortly afterward, Lithuanian activists known as "White Armbanders" established a new administration and police force. In the initial days of the occupation, the new authorities began implementing anti-Jewish policies in the town. A Jewish council (Judenrat) consisting of 12 members was created. While Jews were allowed to remain in their homes, they were forced to wear Stars of David, prohibited from using the sidewalks, and barred from interacting with non-Jewish residents. Many Jews were subjected to forced labor.
By September 1, 1941, around 400 Jews from Trakai were forced to relocate to a ghetto established in the buildings of a former sanatorium for railway workers, located on the shore of Lake Trakai. The ghetto was surrounded by water on three sides and guarded by policemen. Jews from surrounding localities, such as Aukštadvaris, Landwarów (Lentvaris in Lithuanian), Onuškis, Rudziszki, and Žydkaimis, were also transferred to the same ghetto. Meanwhile, Jewish property was registered and taken over by the town authorities.
The Trakai ghetto was liquidated on September 30, 1941, during an Aktion conducted by a squad of the SS Einsatzkommando 3, assisted by the Ypatingasis Būrys (Lithuanian Special Squad) and the local Auxiliary Police. In the morning, the ghetto inmates were taken on foot to the killing site located in the forest near Varnikai village. Those who couldn’t walk were transported there on carts driven by requisitioned locals. According to some local witnesses, a number of victims were taken to the site by truck. At the killing site, the victims were forced to undress before being shot in a long trench previously dug by detainees from the local prison. After the shootings, the corpses were sprinkled with lime, and the pit was filled in by requisitioned locals. According to the Jäger Report, a total of 1,446 Jews—including 366 men, 483 women, and 597 children—were killed that day. Following the destruction of the Jewish community in Trakai, the victims’ clothing was sold in the town.
Some Jews managed to hide during the liquidation of the ghetto and found shelter with local Polish and Lithuanian residents. Presumably, in an effort to root out hidden Jews, many houses in the surrounding area were burned down after the ghetto liquidation.
In the winter of 1942, eight Jews and two Roma were murdered in the Varnikai forest.
In 1942, three Germans arrived in Trakai to take photos of the Karaites and investigate whether they were of Jewish descent. The investigation concluded that the Karaites were of Turco-Tatar origin, which spared them from persecution during World War II.
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