Dusetos, Lithuania (Page 368)

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[Page 368]

Thus Were Annihilated the Jews from Salok and the Surrounds^[1]

By Yerachmiel Korb

Translated by Judy Grossman

1941 – The eve of “Shabbat Nahamu”^[2]
We sent a Gentile to Ligiansi to discover whether it was true that the Jews of the shtetl had been annihilated, and upon his arrival, he confirmed that the Lithuanians had killed all the residents of the town – two hundred souls – and also the people of Kaltinianis. There is nowhere to escape to. The only consolation is that according to our messenger, these are the acts of the Lithuanians, and the Germans do not know about it, and a rumor is spreading that the guilty will be punished…
On September 4, an acquaintance came to see me, the owner of an estate in Lianiskis. He greeted me and was extremely frightened. I asked him: “Mr. Ragner, why are you so frightened?”
  –  “I can't talk” – he shouted.
  –  “Talk to me, tell me!”
  –  “I am forbidden to talk” – was his reply. I insisted that he tell me, and he began to talk:
“They decided that the peasant (-) and I would drive the Jews from Dukstas. They didn't tell us to where we were driving them, but the Jews were told that they were being taken to work in Rakishok (Rokiskis). That day they also drove the Jews from Salok (Salakas), Rimse, Turmantas and other shtetls.
We reached the forest beside Deguciai (on the Zarasai-Utian road), by way of the road descending to Dusiat. We were ordered to stop, the Jews were ordered to get off the wagons, and at once they began shouting at them to take off all their clothes. The victims immediately saw that they were standing beside long, deep pits, surrounded by “bandits” and machine guns. They began wailing and crying to the heavens. The men undressed, but not one woman took off her clothes. Without delay they shot at them with the machine guns. They threatened us, that if we told anyone about it we would be shot. Two of the wagon drivers went out of their minds. I came to tell you; perhaps you will be able to escape…
This is how Salok, one of the most ancient shtetls in Lithuania, famous for its scholars, even though it was very poor, was annihilated.

Footnotes

[36] Chaya Malka Kruss-Glussak and Nachum Blacher. From Our Shtetl Dusiat, pp. 424-427, in Yizkor Book of Rakishok and Environs, Johannesburg, 1952. Return

The passage from the Prophets that was read that Sabbath. Return

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