Clay in My Boots: A Romp Through My Genealogical Past

Pasvatinys, the town where our grandfather lived before emigrating tells us nothing of his life. We found a Jewish house, a mill and the cemetery.  It appears as if the farmer of the property surrounding has adopted the cemetery and cleans it up periodically. But it’s so odd that all the headstones are falling in the same direction, like a windstorm swept through. 

The only wooden synagogue restored to its original beauty.  Both outside and in.  https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/pakruojis/index.htm

On the way to Pasvalys and Linkuva we stopped at an observation tower! I heard Michael from the top say that he wouldn’t get near the edge. You’ll notice he’s holding on for dear life.  Acrophobia?? Linkuva was more interesting as far as buildings. The Great Synagogue that once looked like this is now used for storage. You can it was built in  5650, or 1890.  A local woman asked our guide if we were Jewish. She knew we were not local. She said it was a shame for the town that there were no Jews to take care of the synagogue, as it was once a beautiful building going to ruin. That about sums it up for me!!!  I’ll discuss in my final thoughts about this venture.  I did love that there was actually a group of Jewish homes along a street. I finally got a sense of place and the beauty of our architecture.  And in search of the cemetery. This was a challenge. We had to drive in a few circles and through a small 

We started our drive to Birzai with an introduction into some of Lithuania’s natural wonders. In an area known for its sink holes, we appreciated seeing some natural pits, unlike all of the mass graves we are visiting to pay our respects.  Time for lunch/dinner. We mostly eat a large meal around 3 or 4. Marius introduced us to a great brewery.  The apps alone were enough.  I hope Customs doesn’t check for the hard homemade cheese in my bag!! And alas, our eyes are larger than our stomachs (but they’ll stretch)!! You’d think we were still on our food tour in Warsaw.  Off to check out some sites.  Not much left except a few Jewish buildings.  So off in search of the cemetery. We kind of have a rhythm going- Jewish buildings, cemeteries and massacre sites.  Abraham (Yiddish on the other side) was one of the lucky ones. He died in 1939. This time 30 Jews were executed right in the cemetery. How ironic and sad!!  We paid our respects to the other 2,400 Birzai Jews, likely including some fam

70,000 Vilna Jews executed and burned.  There are 11 pits throughout the site.  The Burn Brigade we’re Jews forced to gather the corpses and burn the evidence. They were able to dig a tunnel from the burning pit, and some made it to freedom.  Looking around, and adding to the many piles, I hope we can reach all 70,000 with commemorative stones. 

We started the morning exploring the Jewish Quarter, which the Nazis later turned into the ghetto before marching the 70,000 to Ponar for execution and burning. But we’ll get to that later in the day.  Goan of Vilnius is honored as the head of the Jewish community who wanted to open it up and assimilate without losing our faith, culture and community - unlike the Hasids.  The other Jewish honoree in Vilnius is Dr. Semakh Shabbat, know for his generosity with the poor children of Vilnius.  We saw the archeological dig for the synagogue.  And checked out a lot of Jewish buildings- homes and synagogues. Mostly repurposed.  Note the memorial at the apartments built for the Jewish families in need. It was to commemorate a mass execution on the spot.  Next stop at the Jewish cemetery that is being restored to replace the matzevet (headstones) the Nazis and the Soviets used for building material.  Last stop before leaving Vilnius- the active synagogue. Why any Jew would resettle back in Easte