Baisiausi metai Skapiškio valsčiaus istorijoje

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Skapiškis; Žydai; Holokaustas; Antrasis pasaulinis karas, 1939-1945 (World War II); Skapiškis; Jews; Holocaust; World War II.

ENIn 1847, there were 282 Jews in Skapiškis (Jews called it Skopishok) making 85 per cent of the town's population. The Russian Imperial Census of 1897 shows 1010 Jews living in this town. During the World War I, many Jews had been deported to Russia. After the war, some of them came back to Skapiškis. As in other small towns, Jews were engaged mainly in crafts and trading. In 1937, in Skapiškis there were 6 Jews craftsmen, including 3 tailors, a shoemaker, a butcher and a carpenter. There were two houses of worship with Beit Midrash (Jewish study hall): one for Hasids, another for Mitnageds. The last rabbi (before the Holocaust) in Skapiškis was Menahem Koppelowitz (Menachem Kopelovitz, Menachemas Kopelovičius). After the Nazi Germany's army invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, its forces took the town of Rokiškis at the end of June. Self government, public police, Lithuanian security police and other institutions had been formed in Rokiškis, Skapiškis and other sites. Lithuanian county commandant's company had been established during the first days of occupation. Its major part consisted of Lithuanians deserted from the Red Army. German army occupied Skapiškis about June 26/27, 1941.German occupational authorities in Lithuania performed persecution and killing of Soviet activists and Jews. To implement this goal, Nazis brought under Lithuanian authorities, local police, members of military political formations and some other individuals. They had to execute anti-Semitic decrees and orders of the Nazis. Under the orders of the German authorities, during the summer of 1941, the policemen of Skapiškis arrested about 120-150 local Jews, which together with Jews from other areas of the county had been brought to Rokiškis and confined in the ghetto. About 50 horse-drive carts had been used to transport them. A makeshift ghetto had been established in Rokiškis, as in other centres of the Lithuanian counties. Established on July of 1941, the Rokiškis ghetto existed for a very short period. All its detainees had been shot dead on August 15-16 in Velniaduobė forest at the village of Bajorai (4.5 km from Rokiškis going towards Juodupė). The publication compiled by Genovaitė Erslavaitė an others indicated that 3207 people had been killed in Velniaduobė forest on August 15 and 16, 1941. The year of 1941 was the most dreadful in the history of Lithuania and Skapiškis district. Lithuania's people suffered from the Communist terror (deportations to Siberia), first of all, and from the Nazis terror and genocide soon after, while Jews suffered the Holocaust. [From the publication]