1 Killing site(s)
Elena T., born in 1932:
"Y.U.: Did the Jews have to move to the ghetto in one day?
Witness: They were given a week or several weeks to move into the houses within the ghetto’s territory. Afterward, black "J" letters, meaning "Juden", were painted on those houses. Additionally, all the Jews had to sew Jewish stars onto their clothes.
Y.U.: Was the fence already built around the ghetto when the Jews moved in?
Witness: Yes, it was already built, along with the gate. The Jews felt that something terrible was about to happen. On the day of the shooting, they were ordered to prepare food for two days and barricade the windows and doors of their houses. They were not allowed to take rings, earrings, or any other valuables with them. The noise of the hammers as they barricaded the windows was terrifying. Afterward, the Jews were taken to the synagogue. There were two synagogues: the wooden one and another one, whose building still exists. The strongest men were selected and taken by truck to the Pakamponys forest, where they were forced to dig two long trenches before being executed that very evening. Can you imagine how terrible the last night was for the rest of the Jews? There were no men left—just the elderly, the women, and the children. The next day, we saw them being marched in a column. They came down Žemaitės Street, crossed the Basanavičiaus Bridge, and headed straight for the Pakamponys forest. The sound we heard wasn’t even a moan; it was a howl." (Testimony N°YIU197LT, interviewed in Biržai, on July 11, 2015)
"Question: Describe in detail the circumstances of the shooting of the Jewish population in Astravas forest and what was your part in it?
Answer: […] The shooting was commanded by a German Gestapo member named K., whose full name I don’t remember. He lived in the Biržai volost, but I don’t know in which village. German officers arrived at the shooting site together with him. As I and other partisans—up to seven people in total—were guarding the group of Jews who dug the pit throughout the previous night, K. allowed us to go home and rest until 2 PM. After that, we were ordered to search the ghetto and arrest any Jews who might still be hiding there. Following this order, I went home with Augustina K., so we didn’t take part in the search or the shooting of the Jewish citizens. I returned home, took a short rest, and then went to Augustina K.’s place. As instructed, we went to check the ghetto. We searched it but didn’t find anyone, so we went to the shooting site in the forest near Astravas, also known as the Pakamponys forest.
When we arrived, the shooting of civilians was already over. Commander K., the German officers, and some partisans were still present. Together with Augustina K., we first approached the place where people had been undressed before the shooting. Many clothes were scattered around, but upon closer inspection, we realized that the best items had already been taken. We didn’t take anything and moved towards the grave where the shot citizens lay. The grave was filled to the top with bodies; their heads were lined up along the edge, some facing up, others down. K. saw us near the pit and started scolding us for not digging it deep enough, because it was impossible to cover the bodies with a thick layer of earth. The corpses almost reached the edge, so the earth could only be piled over them like a mound. After that, K. and I left the pit and returned to the area where the clothes of the shot citizens were placed. I took a grey coat and a shirt, while K. also took some clothes, and we went home. That evening, the entire partisan squad gathered at the club, where a party with drinks was organized to mark the end of the shooting. I also took part in that party." [Deposition of Vladas J., born in 1922, a Lithuanian worker accused of participating in mass shooting, taken on August 31, 1950; Lithuanian Special Archives, KGB criminal files; Fund K–1, Inventory No. 58, File No. 23388/3, p. 67-70.]
Astravas is a small village located approximately 74 km (46 mi) northeast of Panevėžys, near the Latvian border. There is no available information about Jewish residents in Astravas. However, a significant Jewish community thrived in the nearby town of Biržai, where Jews began to settle at the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century. On the eve of the Second World War, the Jewish community of Biržai numbered over 2,000 residents.
Astravas was occupied by German troops on June 26, 1941.
Around August 4, 1941, a group of approximately 500 Jewish men from the Biržai ghetto were taken to the Pakamponys forest near Astravas, where they were forced to dig two long pits. During this time, the remaining ghetto inmates were ordered to barricade the doors and windows of their homes before being herded into the synagogues within the ghetto territory. Believing they were being prepared for relocation to Israel, they brought food and valuables with them, which were subsequently looted. Once the pits were ready, the Aktion intended to annihilate Biržai’s Jewish community began with the murder of the Jewish men who had dug the pits. The massacre was carried out by a detachment of Einsatzkommando 3, assisted by Lithuanian auxiliaries. On August 8, 1941, the ghetto was surrounded, and the remaining Jewish inmates—mainly women, children, and the elderly—were marched on foot to the execution site. Upon arrival, the victims were ordered to strip and pile their clothes next to the pit. Then, in groups of 10, they were forced to line up at the edge of the pit, where they were shot by Linkuva and Biržai "White Armbanders" under German supervision. Alcohol was supplied to the shooters during the Aktion. The following day, patients from the hospital, including pregnant Jewish women and those who had just given birth, were taken to the execution site by truck with their newborn babies to meet the same fate.
According to local witnesses, one Jewish man managed to escape from the pit despite his injuries, as it was barely covered after the execution.
Approximately 2,400 Jews, including 900 children under 14, 780 women, and 720 men, were murdered during the Aktion. Several days later, around 90 Lithuanians considered loyal to the Soviet regime were executed in the same graves.
For more information about the fate of the Jews from Biržai please follow the corresponding profile.
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