*** Lithuanian Jews








Lithuanian Holocaust: Local Collaborators

Lithuanian Holocaust
Figure 1.--This column of Jewish women and children under the escort of Lithuanian 'self-defense' volunteers. We are not sure what city in Lituania is shown here. It is clearly during the summer, presumably late-June or early-July. The men have alreadu been separated out. Columns like this usully led to plces where Jews where were immediately killed. The Litunians sometimes partiipated in the killing, but usualy the men. It was normally the Germans who killed the women and children.

Almost at the inception of NAZI occupation ther were mass executions of Jews. The first was the killing of about 1,000 Jews at Vilijampole (June 25-26, 1941). Lithuanian collaborators enthusiastically embraced NAZI anti-Semitic propaganda ad ctions. The attempted to identify Jews with Communism and the attrocities committed by Stalin during the Soviet occupation (1940-41). Many insisted that undoing Soviet rule and Communism required liquidating Jews. They began the same process persued in Poland by the NAZIs. While the NAZIs were unable to find collaborators in Poland, they were able to do so in Lithusnia. The local authorities subjected the Jews to a series of repressive measure designed to humiliate them, marginalize them. steal their propery, and ultimately kill them. The Germans encouraged Lithuanian participation because it supported the idea that the persecution of the Jews was not a purely German effort. Most of the killing was done by Germans, but Lithuanians were involved in some actions. Primarily the Lithuanian help identify and concentgrate their Jewish countrymen. Within a few months, most of Lithuania's Jews were either murdered or confined in ghettos. Unknown to the Litunians was the fate the Germans were preparing fotr them under Generaplan Ost was hidiously similr to tht of the Jews.

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Created: 10:23 AM 6/17/2014
Last updated: 10:23 AM 6/17/2014