2 Sitio(s) de ejecución
Bronislovas L., born in 1930: "A dozen Jewish families with their children were brought to Čepukìškė and locked up in my neighbor's barn. These were Jews from the nearby village of Turmantas, transported here with some of their possessions in carts driven by requisitioned locals. The barn where they were confined was not guarded, but its inmates were forced to wear distinctive symbols - yellow patches - on their front and back. To obtain food, they went to the village, bartering their belongings. Men and women were also allowed to work. Two Jewish women, one named Rocha, used to come to my house to help my family collect flax. I worked with them. In exchange for their work, we gave them food." (Testimony N°YIU277LT, interviewed in Čepukìškė, on May 3, 2016)
Čepukìškė is a small village situated approximately 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Utena. According to an account from a local resident interviewed by Yahad, the village was predominantly inhabited by Lithuanians, Poles, and Russians. Meanwhile, a significant Jewish community, numbering a few dozen Jewish families, thrived in the nearby town of Turmantas, located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) to the west. The Jewish inhabitants of Turmantas were involved in various professions, including trade and crafts. However, due to the difficult economic situation, the number of Jews had declined by 1938. Only a few Jewish families remained in Turmantas on the eve of the German invasion.
Čepukìškė was occupied by German forces at the end of June 1941. The new administration and a police unit, which included Lithuanian activists called the white armbanders, were established in the nearby town of Turmantas, where German headquarters were set up. Some time later, a dozen Jewish families with their children were brought from Turmantas to Čepukìškė and confined in a barn. Jewish inmates were required to wear distinctive symbols—yellow patches—on their fronts and backs. To obtain food, they went to the village, bartering their belongings or offering their services as workers to the local population.
Isolated shootings of Jewish men took place in Čepukìškė during this period. A group of five Jews was taken out of the barn and driven up a hill some 300-400 meters away, where they were shot by a Lithuanian white armbander. Other Jews were ordered to dig a pit and bury the victims' corpses at the site of their execution. Shortly afterwards, another group of around 3-4 Jews was shot dead and buried just behind the barn. According to a local witness account, the remaining barn inmates, Jewish women and children, were taken away.
According to sources, the Jews of Turmantas were taken to the Krakynė forest, located several kilometers northwest of the village of Degučiai, where they were murdered by Einsatzkommando 3 and Lithuanian policemen on August 26, 1941, alongside other Jews from the Zarasai area.
For more information about the killing of Jews in Degučiai please follow the corresponding profile.
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