Clay in My Boots: A Romp Through My Genealogical Past

From 1941 to 43 - 70,000 jews were marched in waves, only sick and very old were taken in trucks, 18km out of the Vilnius Ghetto to a soviet petrol site, Paneriu for execution.  Remains were burned and crushed up to 10,000 bodies per pit. 11 documented pits have been memorialized. When I planned this Genealogy Tour, I was going to focus just on family and life prior to 1911 when the last of my Grandparents emigrated to America. Then when I started researching sites to visit, so many past sites where tied to the events of the Holocaust.  Then I found documentation of cousins, friends, and communities that stayed behind. They were all swept up by the Nazi horror that was WWII. I now find it so, so very important to visit the death camps, death sites, and confinement Ghettos ... so as to pay my respects, honor their lives, and share with you all. As you’ve read, Carol and I are finding it hard ... but so important.

Vilnius is the Capital of Lithuania and it’s largest city. In the late 1800’s there where over 150 houses of worship.  The ethnic Lithuanian’s were in the minority at 4%. The remainder of the city was split pretty evenly between Polish, Russian, German, and Jewish populations. Jews couldn’t live in the old town until Sigismund III Vasa , then they each had their own quarter of the old city. Jewish Quarter was to the North and then leading out the Trakia gates. The are some truly magnificent churches that miraculously survived WWII. The Jews didn’t fair so well. Over 70,000 died.  There is now a thriving population centered around the Jewish Community “Center” and Moroccan Style Synagogue.

A few musical selections ... ignore the video ... Chopin in the Park, Warsaw: https://www.facebook.com/528947502/posts/10155709109172503/ Ukrainian Folk Music across the street from Hotel in Lutzk: https://www.facebook.com/528947502/posts/10155709113097503/ Ukrainian National Anthem, concluding Folk Festival in Lutzk: https://www.facebook.com/528947502/posts/10155709117157503/ ... and of course who doesn’t find John Lennon catchy ... https://www.facebook.com/1400231000/posts/10217412188402228/    

Not everything in Ukraine is about my ancestors ... we did have a lovely trip down the Styr in Lutzk. Click Here for a taste of our trip: https://www.facebook.com/528947502/posts/10155704153367503/

We arrived in Lutzk, the provincial capital of Volyn. This is where my Grandma Jeanne (at 1 year) with her Mother Rachel left from, for America. I’m hoping to find info on her and her father Jacob in Lutzk. We’ll visit the Archives tomorrow, Monday. I have no information on Jacob’s emigration, marriage or birth.  In the meantime we visited sites in the city. As we left from checking-in the hotel we heard Ukrainian folk music coming from the festival across the street.  Lutzk is a large spread out city, dotted with plaques that indicate that Jews where here. We visited Lubart’s castle near the Great Synagogue. Lubart’s is called high castle and is a traditional medieval type castle with views of commercial sites.  At the sword exhibit, I saw 1 sword, 3 battle axes, and 4 muskets. Now I know why it was called a Sword Exhibit and not a Swords Exhibit. The Great Synagogue, formerly known as low castle was built in 1629. It was the religious, educational, and community...

25,658 lives. This one included 40 possible relatives: 35 Oks , 3 Galen’s and 2 Shkurniks.  I still can’t put the feelings into words. I can just sit and cry and wonder.  But at least Lutsk has 200 Jews trying to rebuild a community and culture. 

Lutzk has a wonderful Jewish Community Center where about 200 people participate in services and community events. Services are lead by lay-leaders as there is no local Rabbi for this progressive congregation. They had a Bar Mitzva five years ago. In the main hall (used for holiday services) they were preparing for Rosh Hashanah. The stain glass windows depict each of the major holidays. The have a small chapel where the keep the 2 Torah and can hold smaller services, The chapel was locked during our visit. Rosh Hashanah: Shabbat: Pasach: Simcat Torah: Succot: We appreciate Eda Lazirivna, a Director for Hasad, taking us on a tour of the unlocked parts of the Community Center. We later met Sergei Shzarofski who is Director of the Center he gave us directions to the Holocaust Monument and hints on using the Archives.