Many visitors who come to Lithuania to explore their Jewish roots ask to see the towns where their families once lived. These journeys often lead to small former shtetls that today seem quiet, but once had active Jewish communities. Last week I received a request to guide visitors to Pumpėnai and Krekenava, two towns inContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Pumpėnai”
Tag Archives: Shtetls
Shtetl of the Week: Kuršėnai
This week’s shtetl is Kuršėnai, Kurshan in Yiddish. I first visited Kuršėnai in October 2025. I wanted to “greet” the memorial stele marking the former synagogue, erected by the Jakovas Bunka Foundation, and to take a closer look at this small town that I so often pass through, but rarely stop in. The view ofContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Kuršėnai”
Shtetl of the Week: Daugai
This week’s Shtetl of the Week is Daugai (Doig). It is a small town in southern Lithuania on a peninsula in Lake Daugai. Welcome to Daugai Jews settled here from the late 16th century. By the 18th century a community had formed. Jews here ran shops, workshops, flourmills and farms. They had a synagogue (orContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Daugai”
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: 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.
How to plan a Jewish Heritage or Family roots trip to Lithuania
For more than ten years, I am helping visitors from all over the world discover and reconnect with Lithuania’s Jewish past. In this conversation, she shares how to plan a Jewish heritage or family roots trip to Lithuania, what a typical three-day journey looks like, and how even independent travellers often find deeper meaning through her personalized itineraries.
Jewish Roots Tour: Exploring Kvėdarna and Gargždai
Tracing Family Roots in Western Lithuania This Jewish roots tour to Kvėdarna (Khveidan) and Gargždai (Gorzhd) was long in the making—planned over several years. These two former shtetls are in western Lithuania. They may not have much physical heritage left. However, their emotional significance remains powerful. On this one-day journey, we followed in the footstepsContinueContinue reading “Jewish Roots Tour: Exploring Kvėdarna and Gargždai”
Tracing Jewish History in Lithuania: Kaunas to Telz Tour Insights
This Jewish heritage tour led us from Kaunas (Kovna) and Kėdainiai (Keidan) to the town of Telšiai, known to many by its Yiddish name, Telz. Once a major center of Jewish learning, Telz was home to one of the most renowned yeshivas in Eastern Europe. Though little remains physically, we stood in the streets whereContinueContinue reading “Tracing Jewish History in Lithuania: Kaunas to Telz Tour Insights”
A Town and Its Jews: Tytuvėnai
Tytuvėnai, first documented in the 16th century, evolved from a small manor settlement to a town marked by ownership changes and external conflicts. Despite hardships, including wars and the Holocaust that devastated its Jewish community, it has gradually rebounded, developing into a quiet town known for its natural beauty.
Life in Shtetl
The text explores the significance of shtetls in Jewish history, particularly in Lithuania, where Jewish communities shaped local life from the 18th century onward. Shtetls served as cultural and economic hubs, fostering rich traditions, education, and community structures while navigating external pressures and a largely separate existence from non-Jewish populations.
Litvak Shtetls 