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Visiting the Telsiai Jewish Cemetery

A list of headstones in the Telsiai cemetery
By Aleksandrs Feigmanis, October 2003

Telsiai is a town in northwestern Lithuania, 70 kilometers west of Siauliai. In 1897 the total population of Telsiai was 6000 inhabitants, of whom 3088 were Jewish. Many Jews were involved in produce, woods, and crafts. The Telz Yeshiva (1875-1941) was among the largest and most famous of the last generation.

At the beginning of the 21st century there are about ten Jews remaining in Telsiai. One can still see the yeshiva building and the synagogue, and the streets of the ’Old Town’ where the former Jewish houses and shops yet stand.
 

The red building on the left is the building
that was the Yeshiva of Telz.

 

The Jewish Cemetery of Telsiai is located behind the local archives on Sedos Street 12, only 400 meters from the Telsiai town hall. The cemetery is very much destroyed, with only about 55 tombstones out of all the ones erected from 1830 to 1940 yet standing.
 

The Matzeva of Yehuda Leib ben Eliyahu Rostovski

 

These are the names I saw or was able to decipher on the matzevot in the Jewish Cemetery in Telsiai while I was there.

Name

Child of

Wife of

Died

Photo Reference

Avraham Simon

Aharon Elkin?

 

 

7111-37

Avraham Itshak

David Moshe Naftalin

 

1913

7111-8

Avraham Tzvi

Itshak Rein

 

1920

7111-11

Aharon Benyamin

Henoch Klatz

 

1931

7111-34

Beila Rochel

Yehuda Leib Rein

Hirschel der Schochet

 

7111-26

Betsalel

Sholom Schachno Katz Fisher

 

1906

7111-2

David

Benjamin from Tirkshler

 

1912

7111-12

David

Arye Glas

 

1901

7111-32

David

Aizik Gedalia

 

1915

7110-0

Efraim Reuben

Shlomo Yetz

 

1930

7111-33

Ester

Efrain Yacov Zundelovitz

 

1934

7111-29

Esther

Tzvi Nospe?

 

1883

7110-7

Eta

Abraham Govsh from Olsyad

 

 

7111-27

Ete Miriam

Aharon Lurya

 

1926

7111-21

Feiga

Itshak Fridman

David Beyaminovitz

 

7110-2

Feiga Rochel

Yehezkel

 

1863 (1903?)

7111-14

Feiga Rochel

Yacov

 

1909

7100-37

Fishel

Katz

 

 

7111-7

Gita

Shmuel Yaffe

 

1917

7111-25

Gita

Avraham

 

1904

7111-31

Haya Dvora

Aharon Meir Desyatnick

 

1924

7111-22

Haya Gita

Israel Factor

 

 

7111-30

Haya Liba

Tzvi Bloch

 

1924

7111-23

Haya Liba

Tzvi Bloch

 

1924

7111-38

Henoch

Osher Menachem Klatz

 

1919

7111-16

Israel

Avigdor

 

1832

7100-30

Lea

Itshak Bub

 

1923

7111-28

Miriam

Chaim

 

1928

7111-5

Miriam

Yisroel

 

1860

7100-31

Moshe

Tzvi Rogovin

 

1938

7110-6

Moshe

Chaim Jacob

 

1934

7110-5

Moshe

Yehuda

 

1846

7110-1

Moshe Itshak

Eiezer Hetz

 

1939

7111-19

Moshe ?

Tzvi

 

1880

7100-33

Naftali Itshak

Yacov HaCohen

 

1929

7111-35

Nehemia

Shmuel Shabtelkan

 

1929

7111-20

Pese

Neimark b. Yoel Moshe

 

1885

7111-17

Sara

Abraham HaCohen

 

1900

7111-4

Sara

Aharon

 

1902

7111-13

Sara

Itshak Yacov

 

1924

7111-18

Sara

 

Abraham Rozenfeld

1930

7110-3

Sheina Batya

Ziv bat Nisen HaLevy

 

 

7111-10

Shmuel

Yosef from Vilkomir

 

1851

7100-34

Shrago Feivish

Moshe Ziv

 

1916

7111-9

Todres

Hone

 

1756 or 1856?

7100-36

Tzivya

David Kopel Licht

Moshe Garber

1929

7111-15

Yacov

Itshak Ravid

 

1927

7111-24

Yacov

Gershon Volpert

 

1915

7111-6

Yankel

Moshe Jacub

 

1899-1965

7110-4

Yehose

Lieber Ziv

 

1900

7111-1

Yehose

Eliakim Getzel

 

1848

7100-35

Yehuda Leib

Eliyahu Rostovski

 

1906

7111-3

Yosef Yehuda

Mordehay Bloch

 

1930

7111-6

Name

Child of

Wife of

Died

Photo Reference

about the author
Aleksandrs Feigmanis

Dr. Aleksandrs Feigmanis {Grestes 2-12, Riga, LV-1021, Latvia; tel. (371) 7246-893; e-mail aleksgen@mailcity.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it } is a Jewish genealogical researcher who is also a contributing editor to AVOTAYNU. He is available to do archival research, to guide tours, to translate (Russian, Latvian, German,Yiddish), and to photograph and do videos of towns and cemeteries.