Jews of Uzventis in 1941, The

This is a list of Jewish People, compiled in 1977, by Mrs. Stases Butkeviciene from the town of Uzventis, about the Jewish population there in 1941.

The majority of Jewish people here in Uzventis kept to their tradition not to do anything on Saturday. They used separate vessels for meat dishes and for milk dishes.

The first neighbor was Yoskis Dambe. He had seven children, five daughters and two sons. The eldest were Malke, then Chaika, and Cvike. They were members of the Komsomol league. Their parents were poor. When they grew up they left for the town. They were very beautiful girls with fair hair and blue eyes. They spoke Lithuanian without a trace of an accent. Their parents were deported to Zagare, together with their daughter Chaika, and Merke (?), and their small sons.

In 1954 I received a letter from America. They (the three other daughters) wanted to know whether their parents and other brothers and sisters were alive. I wrote a letter to them, but never received a reply. They wrote that the Germans allowed them to cross the border and they had reached America.

Yoskis Dambe was 56 years old, his wife was 50.

In the neighboring house there lived Faiva, rather an old man, and his wife. They were over 70. They had three daughters. One of them left for America, another during the first period of Lithuania’s independence (i.e., between the two wars) left her parents’ house and married a Lithuanian, Zigmas Montvila.

Then follows Girsha. He was an old widower, about 80 years old. He had a daughter and three sons. He was the father of Cvik Elgeskis. Elgiskis (Elgishkis) didn’t live with his father.

Another house was inhabited by Abijonke (Abba Yanke?) and his wife. They had a son Girsh, who was a member of the Komsomol League, and three daughters. Paike, one of the daughters of Abijonke, together with the daughter of Faiva left their parents’ house and became Roman Catholics. Paike’s name now is Paulina.

Alijonke was about 60. His wife was younger than he was.

Girsh was shot dead together with his parents near the forest. The other daughter (one of them was converted to Catholicism during the German occupation) was shot dead as well.

The following is Berelis’ family. He and his wife were rather young, about forty. They had a son about 12 years of age. Their elderly mother, an invalid with a wooden leg, lived together with them.

The following was Kanovitchius’ house. There he lived with two brothers. They were young, about 30 years old.

In the center there lived Solumas and his two sisters, Stirke, about 30, who was married, and Munke, who was an invalid. Solumas was about 40. His father was dead.

In the center there also lived some young people, Gordonas (Gordon) with his wife, and their parents. Motkei died before the German occupation of Lithuania.

There also lived Feidermanas, with his wife, and their small children. Then, Nokumas, who was about 35 years old. His parents were already elderly. Nokumas had a shop where he sold vodka.

The next house was that of Gershon. Gershon’sfamily consisted of two brothers and two sisters. All of them were young. One of them had left Lithuania for the Soviet Union during the war.

The next house was Abram’s, who had seven daughters and a son. The son had also left for the Soviet Union. Later, he returned, after the war. But now I heard the rumors that he is already dead. The father, Abram, was about 60 years old. His wife was younger than he was.

The Mendels lived in the place where the Savings Bank is now. Their daughter Ripke was about 40, and another daughter was an invalid. She talked very little. Their son was 24. Their mother was 65 years old.

Michle, with her daughter, also lived in the center of the town. Mickle’s daughter was in hiding, and she survived. Shimke, an old man with the red beard, was not far from them. He was 75 years old
November 2, 1977. J. Butkeviciene

P.S. I do not know all the surnames of the Jewish people well because we called them by their first names when I grew up. I lived more often in villages. If you want to learn more details, you should talk to the mother of the teacher Juozapaivoius, because she worked as a servant at Solumas’. There is also Petre Klimashauskiene, who was a servant at Feiderman’s place. They might remember more surnames.

Mrs. Stases Butkeviciene
November 2, 1977
Copyright LitvakSIG 1999

The Eye Witness Series Project seeks to document first person accounts of the Massacre of Lithuanian Jewry during the Shoah, the Holocaust period.