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The beginnings of Eishishok are obscure as are those of many other small and medium sized towns of the wide plain between the rivers Niemen, Viliya and their streams. This area was largely overgrown with thick forests and green meadows running over thousands of square kilometers. The Russian general encyclopedia (Brokhoize-Efron) informs us that Eishishok was founded by the Lithuanian military commander Aishis in 1070 and named Aishiskas after him. According to this version, Eishishok was founded about 300 years before Vilna, which was founded by Gadimin, the great Lithuanian prince (1341-1316). Apparently, Eishishok also preceded Lida, also founded by Gadimin and lately become capital of the district. It is difficult to assess the economic and strategic importance of the town in that period. Eishishok is surrounded by no natural fortifications. There are no important mountains or rivers powerful enough to carry boats or rafts. It's importance came later when it was situated on the main transportation route connecting the fortified cities of the Lithuanian princedom: Vilna-Lida-Novogrodek. In any event, we do know that Eishishok was capital of the district for hundreds of years and the great Lithuanian prince Vitold (14th century) erected a Catholic church in the adjacent town Yourzdiki. (In Eishishok there was no Christian Church). Over the years, Eishishok passed from one political power to another according to the political situation in the area. Thus, in 1569 Eishishok was an estate of the Polish king while 200 years later in 1771, its owner was Prince Joseph Solohor, of White-Russian origin. Following the division of the Polish state (at the end of the 18th century), all of the Vilna region including Eishishok was transferred to the Russians. Eishishok was subsequently part of the Lida district in the Vina region. When Poland was re-established in 1918 following the First World War, Eishishok was annexed to Poland and became part of the Novogrodek region.

The Polish general encyclopedia of 1883 informs us that Karaites lived in Eishishok back in 1145, that is, many years before the big Karaite community in Troky was founded in the 14th century. Thus, though we have no other evidence that a Jewish community existed in Eishishok at that time, we may nevertheless assume that the Jewish community there dates far back and is probably among the first to exist in Lithuania.

The presence of the Jews in Lithuania back in the 9th and 10th centuries is confirmed in several documents. The Prague Bishop Adalbert who was sent in 997 to preach the new covenant to idol worshipers in Lithuania, wrote the “ many Christian prisoners were sold to Jews because of avarice and we have no means to ransom them”.

It is also known that both Prince Gidimin (1321) and his grandson Vitold (1341) gave rights to the Jews in Lithuania. Vitold published a special Jewish law which had 37 sections and was meant to define the relations between the Jewish inhabitants of Brisk, Troky, Horodna, Lotzk, Meretsh and other places. There is no doubt that the Jewish community of Eishishok was among them.

The elders of Eishishok claim that they themselves saw in the old cemetery, tombstones dating back 600 years ago. Exact information concerning the numbers of Jews in Eishishok, their profession and public institutions, we find only from later centuries, particularly the 19th century when Eishishok became a renowned center for the study of Torah and learned Rabbis. According to one source, there were approximately 660 Jews in Eishishok in 1847 but fifty years later in 1897, during the general population count in Russia, the number grew to 2376 and constituted 70 percent of the population of the area.

The growth cannot be attributed to natural increase only. The Jewish population of Eishishok in 1897, included many Yeshiva boys. The Jewish community also absorbed the country Jews who were for-bidden to live in the villages by order of the 1882 “ May Laws”.

More details of Jewish migrations in the Eishishok district were listed in the old register of the burial company which was burnt in the “ great fire” of 1895.

It is interesting to note that the increase in the Eishishok Jewish population came to a nearly total standstill at the beginning of the 20th century. Many left to make a living in the countries of the sea, in the regional city Vilna and in other Lithuanian and Polish cities. According to the Polish count of 1921 (which, though not particularly accurate, is the only relatively reliable source for numbers), there were only 1591 Jews in the town, a decrease to 65% of the general population.

The appearance of Eishishok of 70-80 years ago is described by Mr. Yaapaz, an Eishishok Yeshiva student, in the paper HaShahar (Dawn) of the year 5639 and also by the Hatzofe editor Horshai Freedman in his book “My Memoirs “ .

The following years brought great changes to the appearance of the town. After the great fire of 1895 which nearly completely destroyed Eishishok, the town was rebuilt, many brick houses were erected, the streets became straight and tiled and pavements were later laid. The main road connecting Warsaw with Vilna passed through the town and thus the formerly remote town (the nearest station in Bastuni being 24 km away), was now situated on an important crossroad and full of traffic . The town merchants, no longer satisfied with the merchandise available in Vilna or Lida, now reached Bialystok and Warsaw, the biggest industrial and commercial centers in the country.

Situated in the great plain of Lithuania, Eishishok was not surrounded by high mountains or wide rivers. Only the two streams of the “ Hakantil” and “ Hoyrshoki” wound round it and disappeared in a horizon edged by dark forest shadows. The two closest forests, “ Seklutzki” and “ the Big Forest” were more than a kilometer away. In our childish eyes, the big far miraculous world began behind the “ Councillary” Building (the town's municipality) located on the crossroads of the Vilna road and the road leading to the “ Yourzdiki” village and the Catholic church. But, there were three places which attracted us in their atmosphere of myth and mystery.

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Amid wide fields far from the town, behind “ the Big Forest”,' rose a long wide stretch of land, approximately 30 meters wide and 100 meters long, overgrown with low wild bushes, Most of the tombstones were deeply sunken in the land and those few Hebrew lettered stones were barely distinguishable. These are the remnants of “ the old cemetery” which had not been used by the Jews for 200 years. In our days, one could reach the cemetery by using the Vilna road, through the meadows behind the bridge on the Virshoky River, along the Yourzdiki village and thence via the road to Voronova village to the Seklotzky forest and thence down through the field paths.

But this way was dangerous for us children since there was the possibility of encountering gentiles with vicious dogs. We never ventured so far without adult accompaniment.

The elders claim that in early years a shorter and safer way was used, from the alley of the new cemetery, through the fields to the “ Hakantil” river, over the bridge and straight to the old cemetery. But in our time this way was impassable. Both sides of the Hakantil were overgrown with trees and bushes hiding it from sight and a large deep swamp made passage impossible. The Hakantil was visible only from near the bath house where the women liked to wash their linen and the children to play on its smooth stones.

There was no alternative to using the long dangerous road adjacent to the gentile village. One hot summer Sabbath, a group of us decided to take the risk and attempt to see the old cemetery with our own eyes. Our hearts were thumping with fear when we passed the dangerous stretch by the Seklotzky forest. As on every Sabbath, the forest was the gathering place of young men and women and the sounds of their merriment resounded. We bore right, passed through the tall corn and a few moments later were facing the cemetery which rose about two meters above the fields and was surrounded by a deep ditch, from that place one could see the whole town with perfect visibility. The two yeshivas were especially prominent and heading them stood the big synagogue with its three roofs, one above the other like three hats on the head.

The land was hard and barren - there were no signs of mounds or graves. A few stones were scattered interwoven with bushes and thorns. The “ expert” among us pointed to the place where horses, brought to plow the cemetery land, twice broke their legs…There is a legend about the cemetery and the story is the following: When the old cemetery became too small to absorb all the village dead, a new land was acquired, closer to the village. This was the new cemetery, which lay behind the synagogue court. The old cemetery remained lonely and deserted among the harvest fields of the gentiles. These latter eventually began annexing parts of the cemetery and ploughing there. All appeals to the farmers of the district authorities to avoid desecrating the memories of the righteous buried there for centuries, were in vain. The farmers continued their ploughing and the cemetery became smaller, while the Jews looked on in despair.

Then the miracle happened. One day, a farmer who was a renowned Jew hater, again began ploughing the cemetery ground. But as his horse stepped into the cemetery, it fell and broke two legs though there were no holes or howes in the particular spot.

When the farmer returned with another horse-the same happened. This recurred several times until the farmer realized the “ accidents” were not accidental at all. Fear of the G-d of Israel fell upon them and they ceased ploughing there. Thus the old cemetery was saved. It remained in loneliness and wilderness for 200 years surrounded by gentile fields, overlooking the village for afar, till the days of terror and destruction-the 4th and 5th of Tishray, 3702 (1942). Then again, it was filled with cries of thousands of Jews, men, women and children, led to slaughter by beasts in human form, again the parched earth soaked the blood of pious Jews. Four thousand holy bodies of tortured and murdered Jews found their final rest alongside the bones of their ancestors.

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One of the places we children loved most was the “ Maiak”. On Saturdays and holidays, we loved playing hide and seek or thieves and policemen in its deep channels - overgrown with bushes and trees, among them raspberry and bloodberry bushes. One of our favorite sports was running down its steep slopes to the opposite side where the wheat fields lay. Often this sport ended with torn trousers or a bloody nose but the dizzying run, which required lots of courage, not all of the boys were able to muster, made us forget the punish-ment awaiting us for our torn clothing.

It was said that the “ Maiak” was erected by Napoleon during his invasion of Russia and that the Poles greatly fortified it during their great uprising against the Russians over 100 years ago. The mountain was not a natural one - it was man-made as was evident from its ring-like shape enclosing a rather large plain and surrounded by deep channels approximately 50 meters deep. There was only one entrance, from North, via a bridge crossing the channel. This bridge used to be lifted every evening by iron chains and then the Maiak was inaccessible.

In our time there was no trace of the bridge. The channels were overgrown with trees and bushes. In the court there remained a few buildings formerly belonging to the owner of Maiak-the landowner, Seklotzky. These houses were empty and half ruined and we played there often, increasing the ruin.
Of the towers, only one ruin remained. On the north-west side, hidden among trees and bushes, arose on stone-heap, surrounded by mounds of earth and stones, which testified to the former massivity of the tower. The “ Maiak” was a favorite gathering place of the Eishishok youth. There they held meetings of the “ Hashomer Hatzair”, “ Hachalutz”, the club in memory of Brener, “ Herut ve Techiya” and others. Also, its scenic corners were a common place for picture taking and during the Sabbath and holidays, the air resounded with the sounds of youth rejoicing.

However, one year Maiak was chosen as the seat of the former Polish general, Dr. Riligion, Jewish children were forbidden access, and the attractive “ Maiak”, so full of memories for us all, be- came a place to behold but forbidden to approach.

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The pool was the third attraction. It was situated behind the river “ Vershoky” not far from the Admovitz farm. It was not visible from afar since it was surrounded by high banks. There was also a legend connected to the pool. During the Polish revolt against the Russians, a group of Polish rebels fled from a Cossack battalion. The Poles reached the pool and decided to throw in their money box and ammunition, swords, hand grenades etc. Some say they even threw in a cannon to avoid it being captured by the hateful Russians. The Poles then fled and scattered and thus no spoils were found by the Cossacks.

During the summer, when the pool dried up almost completely and only frogs populated its bottom, we would go there despite the danger of the ranch dogs, and search among the bushes for the lost treasure or the ammunition. Despite repeated disappointments, we never stopped visiting the pool, looking down its clear water and listening to the frogs croak, as this was the only pool nearby.

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