Before the war, several, perhaps even a dozen, Jewish families lived in Lyduvėnai. They owned small plots of land, kept livestock; some were engaged in trade, others in renting property, while some earned a living from a teahouse or various crafts.
The Borak family had a small shop, selling sugar, salt, herring, kerosene: standard goods. They owned little land, so they bought hay for their cow and horse.
The Šmolis family baked bread and rolls, which they sold in their shop alongside other goods. Young people gathered in their large room—Lithuanians, Germans, Jews, Poles—and spent time together there.
Geršelis transported calves and poultry purchased from farmers to Šiluva.
Zelmonas rented out rooms in a small building in his yard, and on winter Sundays welcomed Catholics into his teahouse to warm up after Mass. Vodka could also be had with tea.
Orelis wife, mourning her deceased husband, kept her shutters closed. She would light a candle, sit on a sack of ashes, and pray.
The Ginas family owned a brick steam mill and a sawmill; they were known as kind and selfless people.
In August 1941, all the Jews of Lyduvėnai and the surrounding area were confined in a fenced pasture. After a few days, they were driven to a gravel pit near Lyduvėnai and shot. About 300 people.
These Jewish stories were recorded a couple of decades ago by Loreta Petrylaitė, a student at the Lyduvėnai school. I read them in the book “Jews of the Raseiniai Region” (in Lithuanian, ed. Lina Kontautienė, Kronta Publishing House, 2004).
Litvak Shtetls 