In late September 1941, an SS division of the Germany army came to Eisiskes, rounded up all the Jews from the town and nearby villages and divided them into groups of men and women and children. During the course of two days, September 25 and 26, they, along with local Lithuanian troops, lined the groups up at pits and shot them. More than 4,000 Jews lost their lives.
Today, no Jews live in Eisiskes.
The men's mass grave site is beyond the edge of town, found in a field. Follow the marker.
The site of the mass grave and commemorative stone.
Detail of the commemorative stone.
The women's and children's mass grave site is on the other side of the town, at the edge of the Christian cemetery.
Detail of this commemorative stone.
Jews were also killed in town at the site of an old Jewish cemetery. The Soviets destroyed it in 1953 and built a school on the grounds. There's a marker in the yard.
Jews leave stones on graves to commemorate their visit, perhaps leaving something more permanent than flowers. Several stones left at the mass graves were painted for Lithuania, a nice touch.
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