The Jewish page of Plungian history

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Atsiminimai; Lietuvos žydai; Biografijos; Plungė.

ENIt would be hard to find someone who could pinpoint exactly when the first Jew appeared in Lithuania, but it is generally accepted that the Crusades and the Inquisition, ravaging llth-12th century Western Europe, as well as Duke Gediminas' invitation to merchants and tradesmen led the first Jews to settle in Lithuania. From that point in time, they became part of Lithuanian history - they became Lithuanian citizens. Officially, the first documented instance of Jews residing in Plungė only dates back to the seventeenth century, however, reliable information exists that up to 1941 a certain Mr. Rest was buried in 1600 in the Jewish Cemetery of Plungė, which is now the site of the Old Town Secondary School built in 1975. There is also a theory that maintains that the first residents of present-day Plunge were Jews wh o had received permission to settle in Lithuania, but this version of events has not been confirmed by historians. There is, however, some reasoning behind this theory, as from the fourteenth century up to the second half of the sixteenth century, Plungė was a small settlement in the municipality of Gondinga. Later Plungė outrivaled Gondinga. In 1567, it is already referred to as a town, and from 1570 it became known as the centre of Gondinga municipality. According to historian Jolanta Skurdauskienė, the beginnings of Plungė consisted of "12 Jewish and 6 Christian homesteads". Thus, it is possible that the first residents of Plungė were indeed Jews. [Extract, p. 3]