The murder of the Jews of Vilkaviškis, Lithuania.

In this video, I examine the murder of the Jewish community of Vilkaviškis (Vilkovishk), Lithuania, a town whose Jewish presence dated back to the 16th century and was once a vibrant centre of religious, cultural, and commercial life. By the late 1930s, Jews made up a substantial part of the local population. Their destruction began immediately after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, when the region fell under the control of Einsatzgruppe A and collaborating local units. Drawing on archival sources, historical photographs, survivor testimony, and wartime documentation, this video explains how the persecution, humiliation, dispossession, and eventual mass murder unfolded, from the first shootings in the summer of 1941 to the liquidation of the remaining Jews in the forests and pits surrounding the town. We look at how the killings were organised; who carried them out; the role of the Einsatzkommandos, Lithuanian militias, and local collaborators; and how these operations formed part of the broader early phase of the Holocaust in Lithuania, where nearly 95% of the country’s Jews were murdered. The video also explores the fate of Vilkaviškis itself, how its Jewish heritage disappeared under Soviet rule after the war, and what remnants and memorials survive today. This is not only a historical narrative but also an attempt to restore memory to a community that was erased, tracing lives, families, and culture that were deliberately destroyed during the Holocaust. If you have photographs, documents, or family stories connected to Vilkaviškis or nearby communities such as Marijampolė, Kybartai, or Kudirkos Naumiestis, please share them in the comments. Your contributions help preserve the history of those who cannot speak for themselves. Holocaust Lithuania, Holocaust Vilkaviskis, Vilkaviškis Jews, Vilkovishk Jews, Lithuania 1941, Holocaust history, Einsatzgruppe A, Einsatzkommandos Lithuania, Baltic Holocaust, Nazi occupation Lithuania, Shoah Lithuania, mass shootings Holocaust, Holocaust research, Holocaust education, Jewish history Lithuania, Jewish Vilkaviskis, WW2 Eastern Front atrocities, Holocaust documentary, Lithuanian collaboration 1941, Holocaust villages Lithuania, genocide studies, Holocaust memorial Lithuania, Jewish communities Lithuania, Holocaust massacre sites, Nazi crimes Lithuania The murder of the Jews of Vilkaviškis, Lithuania. Holocaust in Lithuania. #Holocaust #Lithuania #Vilkaviskis #Shoah #EinsatzgruppeA