Lithuania: History of the destruction of the old Jewish cemetery in Šiauliai — and issues raised about it

TRANSLATION OF THE ARTICLE
INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Šiauliai City Municipality and its residents are gradually becoming aware that the history of Šiauliai Jewish community is an integral and valuable part of the city’s history and collective memory. There are new immortalization initiatives, but the issue of old Jewish cemeteries in Šiauliai (management, restoration, perpetuation, relationship of the social care facility to the historical cemetery area) remains unresolved, which testifies to our civilization status.

In my opinion, in practice two approaches have emerged: 1) The old Jewish cemetery of Šiauliai is a cultural heritage of the Šiauliai Jewish community, which it has to take care of itself; 2) The old Jewish cemetery of Šiauliai is a cultural heritage of Šiauliai city, which has to be maintained and preserved by Šiauliai city municipality.
Even in this case, the legal fact that “Šiauliai Jewish Ancient Cemetery”, immovable cultural property, has been recognized as a state protected object since 2005 (Order of the Minister of Culture “On the Recognition of Immovable Cultural Property”, 29 April 2005) .No.VV-190).

Until a consensus could be found, based on the perception that the said cemetery is the cultural heritage of Šiauliai city and all its inhabitants, the cemetery became a “war of memory”.

As is known, “Šiauliai Jewish Ancient Cemetery” is a state-protected object of immovable cultural heritage, and the value was registered in the register in 1992. September 11, The regional level of significance implies, as practice shows, that the site is left untouched, even though the Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro, 2005) recognizes individual and collective responsibility for cultural heritage and emphasizes that ” the goal is human development and quality of life ”. It is true that Lithuania has not yet ratified this convention, which enshrines the concept of “heritage community” and states that people (communities) and the values ​​they impart are important to cultural heritage.

The purpose of this article is to reconstruct the historical process of liquidation of the Šiauliai Jewish Old Cemetery, based on archival documents.

Tasks of the research: a) to determine who and why initiated the liquidation of Šiauliai Jewish Old Cemetery; (b) to examine the development of the liquidation of the old Jewish cemetery in Šiauliai; c) to investigate whether the liquidation of Šiauliai Jewish Old Cemetery contributed to the deletion of Šiauliai Jewish history, culture and community from the consciousness of Šiauliai city residents during the Soviet period.
The research method is a genetic method, which allows to find out “a) conditions of initial development, b) major stages, c) main trends, directions of development.

The analysis of the sources of the research reveals that there are four stages of liquidation of Šiauliai Jewish Old Cemetery, which coincides with one resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR and three resolutions of the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Deputies Council of Šiauliai.

PROCESS OF THE LIQUIDATION OF Šiauliai Jewish Old Cemetery

The concern of the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR regarding the unsatisfactory state of civil cemeteries

Phase I. The Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR in 1958 March 7 Resolution No. 97 On “Cemetery Retention Procedures”, civil and military cemeteries were transferred to the jurisdiction of city and district executive committees, in other words, cemetery maintenance rights were denied to religious communities. The Committees were obliged at their meetings to consider the condition of the cemetery and to take appropriate measures for its “retention” and proper protection. The third paragraph of the Order obliges “the formalization of the closure and liquidation of the cemetery which has not been functioning. The expenses for the management, maintenance and protection of the cemetery had to be provided for in the local budget.

The Resolution approved the “Model Rules for the Cemetery Retention in Lithuanian SSR Towns and Rural Areas”, which provided for cemetery closure and liquidation procedures. The latter provided that “[t] he time allowed for the liquidation of partly or wholly closed, as well as existing, cemeteries shall be permitted on state or local grounds [emphasis added] (new planned construction, construction of new lines or roads, etc.). prematurely allowing relatives or other interested persons to transfer the bodies of the deceased to another cemetery upon request “iv. In addition, the city or district executive committee is empowered to completely dismantle the cemetery, subject to the appropriate conclusion of the local sanitation authorities.

Obviously, the cemetery was not treated as a sacred cultural heritage object, but as a land, an area that needed to be used for the needs of Soviet society and economic development. The ruling provided the legal basis for the destruction of cemeteries not only of Jews but of other religious denominations throughout the territory of the Lithuanian SSR. The result, according to Salvijus Kulevičius, is that “new structures, usually parks, squares or green spaces (known in more than 10 cases), kindergartens and playgrounds (4 cases), public buildings are sprouting in Lithuania. ..] ‘v. The destruction of the cemetery was intended to erase the memory of the religious communities that founded them, as they did not meet the aims of communist ideology and the objectives of socialist society.

Decisions of Šiauliai City Council of Labor Deputies

Phase II. 1964 October 6 Minutes of the Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Deputies Council of. 22 discloses that a decision was taken at a meeting of the Executive Committee on the “Liquidation of Closed Cemeteries (Former Lutheran) on Sand Street and Partial (Former Jewish) Cemetery on Zalgirio Street” (Decision No 360). The decision states that the reconstruction works of the city administration and the March 7 and in 1963. May 10 Decrees no. 97 and 292, the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Deputies Council of Šiauliai City decided:
“1. To liquidate the closed cemetery (formerly Lutheran) on Sand Street and partially (formerly Jewish) cemetery on Zalgiris street.
2. Oblige the Home Service Combine, under the orders of the Local Farm Board, to carry out the relocation of the remains.
3. To oblige the Board of the Local Economy to:
a) publish in the republican and city newspapers Truth, Sovietskaya Litva and Red Flag about the liquidation of the cemetery;
(b) before 1964; December 1 to accept applications from relatives and persons concerned for the relocation of remains from liquidated cemeteries within the city, to be borne by the City Welfare [NB].
4. To oblige the Finance Department to allocate additional funds for the relocation of the remains, as calculated by the Local Economy Board. welfare running costs’ vi.

This resolution, signed by J. Ščevinskas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies and Secretary P. Samulionis, reveals that the liquidation of the closed Lutheran cemetery and partially closed Jewish cemetery was authorized by the aforementioned LSSR Ministerial Council decisions funds. However, the choice of the cemetery itself and the specific process of its liquidation were left to the discretion of the local government itself. Citizens’ statements were limited to a deadline of almost two months and the public had to be informed in the press. The liquidation of the cemetery was attributed to the town’s welfare work, which later legitimized the use of tombstones for the construction of the city’s infrastructure.

1964 October 20 An announcement was published in the “Red Flag”, the body of the Lithuanian Communist Party Šiauliai City Committee and Šiauliai City Workers ‘Deputies Council, informing the Local Economy Board of the Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies Executive Committee that ” Inactive persons Lutheran cemetery on Smely street and partially Jewish cemetery on Zalgirio street Persons interested in relocation of remains and tombstones contact the Local Economy Board of Šiauliai City JDD Executive Committee No. 62 until May 1964. Dec. 1. Claims will not be accepted thereafter ‘vii.

Not only short statements, but also the possibility of moving not only remains but also gravestones should be noted. Later, the same announcement was published in “Truth” (November 3, 1964), which meant that the Local Economy Board formally carried out the publicity work. How many readers have read (could read) the ads in the ideological-propaganda press?

The real situation in the memoirs “Siauliai Jewish Cemetery: Reflections” was described by Leiba Lipšic, who said that those who wished could move the remains to Donelaitis’ cemetery, ” the Jewish religion forbids the transfer of graves, that is to say the dead bodies of more than three “.

Phase III. June 8, 1965 Minutes of the Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Deputies Council of. 14 testifies that a decision was taken at the Executive Committee meeting on “Removal of Remains from the Liquidated Cemetery on Smell Street (ex Lutheran) and the Partially Liquidated [NB] Cemetery on Zalgirio Street (formerly Jewish)” (Decision No. 213). The decision states that in the course of the meeting of the Šiauliai City RBD Executive Committee in 1964, October 6 See decision no. 360, the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Deputies Council of Šiauliai City decided:
“1. To oblige the Home Service Combine:
a) In June, July of this year moved from the cemetery on Smely Street and Zalgirio Street to the new cemetery on Donelaičio Street, appendix no. 1 and Appendix no. The remains of 2 of the above persons;
(b) coordinate the resettlement of the remains with the city militia unit and the sanitary-epidemiological station;
(c) before 19 June this year. to draw up and submit to the Executive Committee for approval a calculation for the transfer of bodies.
2. To oblige the Board of the Local Economy to:
(a) pay to the Home Service Combine for the transfer of remains from the funds of the city administration [emphasis added – NB];
(b) after removal of the remains, the monuments and gravestones remaining on the graveyard site to be used for the production of rubble, the graveyard area to be leveled, and trees to be planted [NB – NB].
The decision was signed by J. Ščevinskas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies and Secretary E. Žaltauskienė.

The Executive Committee had predicted that not all remains and monuments would be relocated, treated the destruction of the cemetery as city management, provided funds and found a way to use the remaining monuments and gravestones in a pragmatic and barbaric way. Efforts have been made to ensure that the new generations do not know the sacred sites that existed here, although one of them has established itself as “Jewish tombs” in the communicative memory of the Šiauliai people. In addition, the area of ​​the cemetery was planted with trees, which still testify to the altered landscape of the cemetery.

In Appendix no. 1 shows a list of bodies to be relocated from the Sand Street Cemetery. It lists the 51 dead and dates of death: the earliest in 1928 and the latest in 1959; name, surname, father’s name, kinship, address of the person applying for the relocation. The Executive Committee was approached by: wives, sons, daughters, nephew, sister, brother, mother, son-in-law. By the way, some of the applicants did not mention the relationship. The population of Šiauliai city dominates, although there were residents of Kaunas city, Joniškis district, Jankūnai village, Šiauliai district, Juodeikiai village.

In Appendix no. 2 is a list of bodies to be relocated from Žalgirio Street Cemetery. It records 81 dead persons and all the above data. The earliest burial in 1913 and the latest burial in 1959. The persons who applied for the resettlement were sons, fathers, swinger, daughters, grandmothers, grandchildren, cousins, wives, brothers, son-in-law, niece, husband, martyr. Most of the applicants lived in Šiauliai, but there were also from Vilnius and Kaunas.

Relocation of remains was in principle impossible: “The quest for peace, respect for the dead also manifests itself in the rejection of exhumation and reburial. Any touching of the dead is unacceptable in the Jewish faith and treated as a sign of disrespect. allowing them to be moved to a safer place The dead must be respected and given eternal peace ”x.

Phase IV. Appendix No. 2 was supplemented by the City Executive Committee of 1965. July 27 Decision No. 272 and 1965. October 12 Decision No. 351.
July 27, 1965 The minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies (No. 17) record the decision made at the meeting: “On Supplement No 2 to Appendix 213 of the Šiauliai City Executive Committee Resolution of June 8, 1965” (Resolution No. 272). The decision states that the Executive Committee of the Siauliai City Council of Working People’s Deputies has decided: “To supplement Siauliai City Executive Committee Resolution No. 213 of 8 June 1965 on the transfer of remains from a cemetery on Smel street (ex-Lutheran) and partially – NB] cemetery at Žalgirio street (ex Jewish) The decision was signed by J. Ščevinskas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies Council and E. Žaltauskienė, Secretary.

The appendix contains a list of the bodies to be relocated from Žalgirio Street Cemetery, showing the names of the 19 individuals, along with the date of death, the name of the person filing the relocation, and the family name and address of the father. The data show that the buried died from 1926. until 1951, which testifies to the operation of the cemetery. Sons and daughters, who mostly lived in Šiauliai, applied mainly, although there were persons from Vilnius and Kaunas.

Of the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Deputies Council of Šiauliai, 1965. October 12 Decision No. 351 it was decided to “Supplement Appendix 3 to Siauliai City Executive Committee Resolution 213 of June 8, 1965, on Removal of Remains from Liquidated Cemetery on Smely Street (Former Lutheran) and Partially Liquidated Cemetery on Zalgirio Street (formerly Jewish). according to the appendix appended ‘xii. The decision was signed by J. Ščevinskas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies and Secretary E. Žaltauskienė.

The third appendix lists the remains of relocations from a cemetery on Žalgirio Street with only one person (deceased in 1930) and the application was made by a daughter living in Vilnius. This ended the administration of the resettlement, although there is no doubt that only a small percentage of the population could actually apply. However, the local government complied with the ruling of the central government and formally carried out the required actions. They were only followed by the relocation of some of the remains and tombstones and monuments to the newly established and relocated buildings of 1959. October 1 cemetery on Donelaitis Street. The latter were opened in accordance with the aforementioned resolution of the Lithuanian SSR Council of Ministers of 1958. March 7 resolution.

The decision of the Executive Committee of Šiauliai City Workers’ Deputies Council “Regarding Cemetery Retention Order” (April 109, 2009, No. 109) ordered: to complete the construction of the 1190 meter long cemetery fence by August 1, 4. To close the cemetery on Pakrantės Street 5. To approve the rules for the cemetery retention in Šiauliai according to Appendix “xiii. As can be seen, the reaction of the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR of 1958 was prompt. March 7 Resolution no. 97 on the procedure for holding graves.
The appendix approved the “Rules of Cemetery Retention in Šiauliai City”, which, inter alia, define the procedures for cemetery closure and cemetery liquidation. Provision was made that “[p] reassessment of partially or fully closed, as well as existing, cemeteries shall be permitted on state or local basis / new planned construction, construction of new lines or roads, etc. /. , at the request of relatives or other interested parties, to relocate the bodies of the deceased to another cemetery “xiv.

Executive Committee of the Council of Labor Deputies of Šiauliai City, 1959. September 17 adopted a decision “On Closing Old Cemeteries in Riga, Kapu Streets and Ginkūnai Suburbs and Opening New Cemeteries on Donelaitis Street” (No. 308), obliging the Local Executive Board of the City Executive Committee to begin “on October 1 this year. day cemetery on Donelaitis Street “xv.
The opening of the new cemetery is explicitly related to the synchronous work both in the city and probably in the personal plots of the inhabitants. The testimony of this was left to us by contemporaneous Leiba Lipschitz.

LEIBOS LIPSHIK’S MEMORIES ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ŠIAULIAN JEWISH CEMETERY

“With the opening of the city cemetery on Donelaitis Street, the Jewish cemetery was closed and finally destroyed. With bulldozers, all the remaining tombstones were piled up, removed: better polished to other tombstones, inferior to shredded city fences. Vaikščiojantieji Vilnius street can see the broken Jewish gravestones residue made fences and border to the central UNIVERMAG V high school, and Dawn runway slope reinforcements also possible to find tombstones elements.
pushing tombs were partially destroyed cemetery plantations, and later demolish the cemetery gates, all buildings and a kindergarten # 16 was erected on Žalgirio Street and the area of ​​the cemetery itself was converted into pasture land … ‘.

In practice, the Jewish cemetery was systematically destroyed already in the post-war years. Secretly, initially on a small scale, and then intensively, the fence for the foundations of individual houses was nearly demolished, tombstones being broken and stolen […].

In this way rational-historical memory, part of Šiauliai Jewish history, was destroyed. Loosely paraphrasing an old Jewish proverb, one can say that the tombs of the ancestors give birth to a citizen, a love for his native land, or, in their absence, a nomadic, migrant. Or maybe that was the goal.

It is symbolic that the time of liquidation of Šiauliai Jewish cemetery almost coincided with the destruction of Jurgaičiai mound – Hill of the Cross. These two historic sites have become “victims of the bulldozer culture era”.

The memoirs of Leiba Lipšic, chronicler of Šiauliai Jewish history, testify that the liquidation of Šiauliai Jewish old cemetery took place at the cost of (re) construction and development of Šiauliai city. Public spaces in the central part of the city were also created from broken, polished Jewish gravestones. Demolished cemetery gates remain in memorials and photographs, and fragments of a concrete fence can still be seen today. Part of the cemetery area during the Soviet era was designated as a kindergarten, and now there is a social welfare institution that does not belong to the territory and protection zones of the “Old Jewish Cemetery of Šiauliai”. The reason for this situation would also be the fact that in Soviet times the history of Šiauliai Jews was erased from the minds of the townspeople, and that the Šiauliai Jewish community was almost destroyed.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The process of liquidation of the cemetery in Šiauliai took place in 1964-1965 and consisted of cemeteries of two denominations: Evangelical Lutheran (full) and Jewish (partially). The liquidation of the cemetery involves the destruction of evangelical Lutheran and Jewish communities, the demolition of their prayer house, and the promotion of “bulldozer atheism.”

2. The liquidation of the old Jewish cemetery in Šiauliai was determined by the legal acts adopted by the central and local governments, the implementation of which coincided with the social order and politics implemented by the LSSR Communist Party. Linking the cemetery and its infrastructure to the well-being of the city suggests that in the 20th century Šiauliai city In the 1960s, public spaces were created using artifacts from the Siauliai Jewish Old Cemetery.

3. The destruction of the old Šiauliai Jewish cemetery contributed to the erasure of the memory of Šiauliai Jewish history, culture and community during the Soviet era and the ideologized formation of historical consciousness. Relics of the latter still exist today, which hinders the civilized and respectful resolution of the return and management of all (not part) cemeteries in accordance with Jewish religious canons and historical tradition.

4. The old Jewish cemetery of Šiauliai city, a sacred “place of memory”, should regain its historical (territorial, architectural, memorial) shape, which was destroyed during the Soviet era. The return of Šiauliai city Jewish history and its artefacts in various forms remains an urgent task that can be solved not only at the institutional level but also by the will of civil society.

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