This week we turn our attention to Anykščiai, a small town in northeastern Lithuania where traces of Jewish life can be felt at every step. Known in Yiddish as Aniksht, it was a place where the Jewish community played an essential part in local trade, crafts, and everyday life for a few centuries. Jews settledContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Anykščiai”
Category Archives: Shtetl of the Week
ANYKŠČIAI || ANIKSHT
Jews in Anykščiai surprised locals with the town’s first gas station and its only bus Anyone who has visited Anykščiai can easily list at least five, or even all ten, of its most popular sights. The town truly offers plenty to do: culture, entertainment, nature, and wellness services, all supported by an infrastructure comparable toContinueContinue reading “ANYKŠČIAI || ANIKSHT”
Shtetl of the Week: Seda
This week we travel to Seda, a small Žemaitija town. Seda’s synagogue (credit: Yad Vashem, photo from FB page Lietuva senose fotografijose) Its’ history reaches back to the early 1500s, and perhaps even earlier. Once an important border trade center with Livonia, it grew around a manor, a parish founded in 1508, and a busyContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Seda”
Shtetl of the Week: Marijampolė
This week, I invite to explore the Jewish history and street art of Marijampolė in the photo gallery and to meet Israëlis ‘Izis’ Bidermanas – the famous Paris photographer who grew up in this southern Lithuanian shtetl. About Marijampolė Marijampolė in early 1900s Marijampolė was first mentioned in 1667 and now is home to 36,076ContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Marijampolė”
Shtetl of the week: starting a new series with Dusetos
In the “Shtetl of the Week” series, I explore and share traces of Jewish heritage in former Lithuanian shtetls. Each week focuses on one town, highlighting surviving sites, personal stories, notable Litvaks, artistic contributions, cemeteries, and Holocaust memorials, offering a glimpse into the life, memory, and legacy of these communities.
Litvak Shtetls 